Houghton Mifflin and Follett have developed a program to electronically deliver course materials, including texts and course packs, to students at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Text, audio and video are delivered initially on specially prepared CD-ROMs; their use is monitored by software from Reciprocal, a Buffalo-based digital rights management company, which then reports back to HM and Follett on the use of the materials through online connections. The first classes to use the program included two graduate business courses and one undergrad English course, all in summer school.

Houghton Mifflin and Follett jointly set rules for access and prices; students are able to view, print and save materials from the CD-ROM to PCs in their dorms. Reciprocal's software then tracks who had access to the content, when and what functions were used.

"Computer use has opened up students to receiving their traditional educational materials in a nontraditional format," explained Joseph Tufariello, UB's senior vice-provost for educational technology. "UB students will benefit from being taught using up-to-date materials that can be customized to meet their educational needs. Most important, they will have an enriched learning experience that g s beyond traditional text to include video, audio and other media."

Jim Baumann, president of Follett's higher education group, added, "By offering students their course materials in secure digital form, we can ensure that they have the most up-to-date materials and at the same time provide feedback to publishers on what is most valuable to students. Digital distribution also gives us more flexibility in how content is priced."