Wiley has recently announced that it will partner with OpenStax College, a non-profit organization which produces introductory level open access college textbooks.
Normally, Wiley would be a competitor of OpenStax, however they see a partnership with OpenStax as a good entry point into a previously untapped market. Wiley has not produced any college biology textbooks and they believe their partnership with OpenStax will give them a foothold in that market. In addition, Wiley does not have to commit the extensive time and resources to develop a textbook. Their plan is to supplement OpenStax’s biology textbooks with WileyPlus, a paid add-on of interactive practice and assessment tools. Regarding the quality of OpenStax’s textbooks, Wiley has stated that it is comfortable with the quality of their textbooks, noting that they follow a process similar to traditional textbook publishing, using grants to pay the author and hire peer reviewers.
OpenStax plans to release two introductory biology textbooks, one for majors and the other for non-majors, in fall 2013. At the same time, Wiley will be starting a pilot program across several universities for its WileyPlus supplements.
If you would like to read more, visit:
http://www.informationweek.com/education/instructional-it/wiley-openstax-team-on-college-biology-t/240150451
