Flat World Knowledge President Speaks at U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Private Sector Innovations in Higher Education

Eric Frank, president and co-founder of Flat World Knowledge, the largest publisher of free and open college textbooks for students worldwide, is a featured speaker at a higher education forum at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in Washington, DC, on May 16.

The forum, Degrees of Change: Private Sector Innovations Transforming Higher Education, is hosted by the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), the education and workforce nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Frank will speak on a panel at 11 a.m., titled Innovation Challenge: The Student—Breaking the Cost Spiral and Expanding Quality Learning Opportunities for All Americans.

More Information

In conjunction with the May 16 forum, ICW will release a full-scale report highlighting recent innovations and contributions from the private sector and nonprofits. The report seeks to identify the barriers these innovations face, and how they can be allowed to flourish and help invigorate the U.S. higher education system.

Eric D. Fingerhut, former chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, will give the luncheon keynote. In March, Chancellor Fingerhut announced a joint pilot program between the University System of Ohio and Flat World Knowledge. The program will allow 1,000 Ohio students to receive free access to Flat World’s suite of digital learning materials and low-cost access to print textbooks. Faculty participating in the pilot can participate in a research project focused on improving student learning outcomes.

Flat World is a commercial pioneer within the growing open content movement to make educational materials freely available online. The company’s year-over-year growth is a result of its open textbook model and digital-first publishing platform which dramatically lowers costs for college students and gives educators the freedom to control content in ways not possible with traditional textbooks.

Core Facts

WHO: Eric Frank, President and Co-Founder, Flat World Knowledge, Inc.
WHAT: Speaker at the higher education forum, Degrees of Change: Private Sector Innovations Transforming Higher Education, hosted by the Institute for a Competitive Workforce.
WHEN: Monday, May 16, 2011
WHERE: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

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Company information

Flat World Knowledge is the largest publisher of free and open college textbooks for students worldwide. Committed to making higher education more affordable and accessible, the company provides students with free online access to complete, peer-reviewed textbooks, with options to purchase affordable print and digital formats, including e-books, audio books, PDF downloads and interactive study aids. Flat World’s open license and online editing platform enable professors to modify the content and create the “perfect book” for their course. To date, more than 1,600 professors at over 900 colleges in 44 countries have used Flat World open textbooks. To learn more, visit www.flatworldknowledge.com; follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/flatworldknowledge; and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/flat_world.

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11th May 2011