Barnes & Noble Introduces The Newest Era Of Digital Learning, Solidifying Its Importance To Retail
By Megan Zielinski, contributing writer
Barnes & Noble has created a new, enhanced digital education platform available to college students and connected professors, providing users with many features for better learning and interaction experiences.
Through iPad app, Yuzu, college students can access all of their textbooks, take notes, and add highlights anywhere with their tablet and any Internet browser in the classroom, eliminating the need to physically lug books and notes around campus all day. On tablets, students can combine important highlights into a complete study guide on a single screen for quick viewing. Users can pick up from where they left off, as content is synchronized between tablet and Internet. Yuzu provides students with organization of all content and the convenience of all class materials available in one virtual place. The app can be downloaded for free now through iTunes and college.yuzu.com.
Educators can connect to students through Yuzo by providing course specific material with help of FacultyEnlight, enabling teachers to research and choose through many selections of material, including digital resources, e-books, self-publishing, and custom course packs. Users can see what curriculum is being used at more than 650 universities and search for books by author, title, and barcode number. Creating a list of favorites allows for more course material to be added in the future. In an effort to provide students with money-saving options, educators can select from a list of available rented material. FacultyEnlight members can review evaluations from other educators on texts being considered, as well as tips for incorporating material with assignments, allowing for development of lesson plans that are engaging and interesting based off of fellow educators’ experiences.
Yuzo will be replacing Nook Study, a 2010 released eTextbook tool similar to the newest platform. In comparison to the Nook Study, Yuzo provides more mobility and a greater collaboration of updated features that users can appreciate. Barnes & Noble stated of the next-generation replacement, “With a constant drive to set the industry standard, we’re excited to introduce our new approach to content delivery that will inspire both students and teachers and help shape the way future generations learn: Yuzu.”