Flat World Knowledge President Challenges Common Assumptions about Textbook Publishers at Open Education Conference

Eric Frank, president and co-founder of Flat World Knowledge, the largest publisher of open college textbooks, is a featured presenter at the 8th annual 2011 Open Education Conference, on October 25-27, in Park City, Utah. He will be joined by influential advocates of open educational resources (OER) from around the world, including keynote speaker Martha Kanter, Under Secretary of Education, the U.S. Department of Education.

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In a session titled, “Are commercial publishers friend or foe of open education?”

Frank will challenge five assumptions about the role of commercial publishers in the open education movement.

Flat World publishes expert-authored, peer-reviewed college textbooks and supplements that are available in low-cost print and digital formats, and a free online reader.

The company’s open textbook model and digital-first publishing platform significantly lowers costs for students and gives educators the freedom to control content in ways not possible with traditional textbooks.

The Open Education 2011 conference has been described as “the annual reunion of the open education family.” Each year the conference serves as the world’s premiere venue for research and development related to open education and brings together a broad diversity of people to discuss the state of the art in open education across a wide variety of perspectives.

The conference was founded by Dr. David Wiley, professor of Instructional Psychology & Technology at Brigham Young University, and Chief Openness Office of Flat World Knowledge.

Conference partners are The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the David O. McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University.

Core Facts

WHO: Eric Frank, President and Co-founder, Flat World Knowledge, Inc.
WHAT: Presenter at the 2011 Open Education Conference. “Are commercial publishers friend or foe of open education?”
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011, 1:45 p.m.
WHERE: The Canyons resort, Park City, Utah

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Company information

Founded in 2007, Flat World Knowledge is the largest publisher of openly-licensed college textbooks for students worldwide. Our mission is to use technology and innovative business models to lower costs, increase access and personalize learning worldwide. Our expert-authored and peer-reviewed textbooks are available in a wide range of low-cost print and digital formats, including a free online version. Flat World Knowledge is a privately-held company funded by Bessemer Venture Partners, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, and Random House, Inc., among others. To date, Flat World textbooks are used at more than 2,000 colleges in 44 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.flatworldknowledge.com; follow us on Twitter @flat_world; and on Facebook at facebook.com/flatworldknowledge

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19th October 2011