Reusing an eTextbook

People Sitting Inside Well Lit Room
Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay

Each of the textbooks found in the PA-ADOPT Bookshelf are published under a creative commons license allowing the books to be downloaded for free by anyone and used as they are or remixed (see instructions below). As a faculty member you may be seeking to find a free alternative textbook to replace a costly one in your course(s) for your students. Please browse the PA-ADOPT textbooks and see if one of the eTextbook’s fits your needs. When you have identified a book you wish to use in your course(s) please follow the instructions below:

  1. Navigate to the PA-ADOPT Bookshelf using your web browser (such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox).
  2. Select the desired eTextbook cover image or title to open the book’s page.
  3. Below the cover image, book title, and author name, select either the ePub or PDF buttons.
    1. When you select the ePub file, it will auto-download – typically the downloads folder or desktop (depending on your browser settings).
    2. When you select the PDF it will open in a new tab, select the download arrow in the top right corner to download the PDF onto your computer.
  4. Complete the PA-ADOPT eTextbook Download Google Form (the data collected is used for program evaluation purposes),
  5. Provide your students with both the ePub and PDF files or direct them to the PA-ADOPT textbook’s information page for the direct download links.

Remixing an eTextbook

laptop and notepad on a table with a coffee mug and plant
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

If you are interested in using one of the eTextbooks to reuse and remix the content, there are a few items to take note of. Each book was written in Microsoft Word, went through a copy editing process, was peer reviewed and then built in Apple Pages. Once constructed in Pages the eTextbooks were reviewed for technical errors and meeting accessibility standards.

You can download the Apple Pages file in order to access and edit the book content for your use, or you can use the PDF/ePub file to copy and paste from. 

Please review the steps below if you intend to remix, reuse, and/or redistribute one of the PA-ADOPT eTextbooks for your own use. 

  1. Select the book you want to work with. 
  2. Locate and identify the creative commons license it is under (on the eTextbook’s copyright page). In order to better understand the licensing read through the Creative Commons licenses.
  3. Complete the external remixing survey (this information is used for program evaluation purposes).
  4. Download the Apple Pages file
    1. If you are using a macOS you can use the desktop Pages application found in the Mac App Store. 
    2. If you do not own/use a Mac, you can open and access the Pages file through an iCloud Drive Account and open the document on a web browser by creating an Apple ID. OR you can download the PDF and copy and paste the content you seek to use into your own software. 
    3. If you have an iPad or iPhone, you can download the mobile Pages application and access the eTextbook document through that.
  5. Retain – Reuse – Revise – Remix – and Redistribute the eTextbook.