Internet is becoming more and more widely used for the design and delivery of course material. This relatively new technology makes extensive use of cybertexts, taken here in the generic sense of digitized texts, images and sounds. In designing web sites for their courses, professors can now rely on new tools which benefit and facilitate their work. Our presentation addresses issues related to these functions and particularly to the design and use of e-texts (e-packs) with the leading platform WebCT (Web Content Tools). Data used in our presentation are extracted from a Canadian survey and from our own experience with undergraduate courses.

The implementation of a new media does not necessarily mean a radical change in the way a teacher delivers his own material. In fact, many traditional practices remain the same until the full capabilities of a new device can be fully verified. Despite a recent (in the past 15 years) paradigm shift toward student-centered teaching, which followed a period of strictly teacher-centered teaching, many courses using high tech apparatus still comply with old fashioned ways of designing and delivering course material. This situation is documented by an ongoing study by MacGraw-Hill Publisher (done, we suspect, with an eye on commercial benefit), which has been surveying Canadian colleges and university professors since 1999. Up to now, three surveys have delivered their results and some highlight actual and future uses of e-texts (or e-packs) in post-secondary education.

Data from the latest survey (2001) reveal a certain skepticism toward new information and communication technologies in their capacity to meet student success goals as understood by professors. Asked to rate these objectives, a majority of the 1189 respondents in the 2001 survey ranked them as follows: 1) develop critical/analytical skills; 2) ensure students master knowledge/discipline; 3) inspire interest in lifelong learning; 4) teach students to transfer/apply learning; 5) teach students to work ethically; 6) encourage personal growth; 7) teach generic skills; 8) help students acquire sets of practical skills; 9) encourage a teamwork approach to problem solving/interaction; 10) prepare students for career/job.

If suspicion characterize the use of Internet to inhense critical thinking, professors strongly underline its merit in encouraging lifelong interest toward learning. They also recognize Internet as being at the forefront as a research tool and a method for delivering content: 75 % of the respondents use Internet to post syllabi and course content material; an equivalent percentage of respondents used it to administer online tests and a slightly less percentage, 69%, also used it to integrate hyperlinks to their content. Those are also the features preferred by students who recognize their merit in acquiring a much deeper understanding of the discipline. The most notable advantage being the possibility of conveniently having access to the content before class, at any time or place, and the possibility of doing research related to web-based material. In that aspect, the possibility of downloading files is perceived as time saving, but sometimes problems occur with format. This explains why some students would still like to be able to purchase the traditional printed manual instead of relying solely on this electronic mean of delivery.

The use of a web site for personal courses, which was in constant progression until 2000, where it reached 54% of the respondents, has slighly decreased in 2001 (49%), suggesting that it has reached its peak. Of those using a course web site, close to one third (30% in 2001 compared to 23% in 2000) are using a course management system (CMS), their preferred one being WebCt (73% compared to 15% for its strongest competitor, Blackboard). WebCt is a Canadian product developed by Professor Murry Globerg at UBC (University of British Colombia). The number of courses using WebCT at the University of Ottawa has risen from 300 (11,000 registered students) in 2001 to 512 (13,000 registered students) in 2002, which represents 60 % in one year! How could this be since we know that it is more time consuming for a professor (it took me two complete summers to master the software and transfer the material I needed for four courses) and not necessarily valuable for promotion? Are we masochistic? Pressure could come from the institution or from the students, and also, I would argue, from the general discourse surrounding new information technology and communication in our society as a whole.

One interesting aspect of the Canadian survey, relating more closely to the theme of the colloquia, is the question of electronic textbook also known as e-packs. In 1999, not more than 13 % of the respondents thought e-packs would be of great importance. And a strong majority hardly knew anything about them. That percentage raised to 48 % in 2000. Still only 4 % in the 2001 survey did used it, and 14 % thought they might use one in a relatively short term. My study reveals a serious lack of products in French, and particularly ones from the French Canadian market. Editors are in a « wait and see » mode sayingthey will eventually adapt to the demand. This situation can only amplify the gap between availability of English and French products in what is rapidly becoming a leading stream for publishers. For this reason, I see strong needs for establishing partnerships between francophone academic institutions and publishers.

What exactly are e-packs ? They are electronic manuals provided by publishers to be used with CMS (course management systems) like WebCT. They are generally designed to supplement traditional textbooks. They can also be adapted for different purposes by professors who wishes to add any type of material to specific needs of their own. e-packs combine management system features and preestablished content like text, video, syllabi, questions bank, test and glossary.

What are the main advantages of using e-packs? First of all, flexibility and timesaving. The possibility of acquiring a readymade electronic manual saves precious time for professors who wish to create a web site to complement their face-to-face teaching in class. It is a good way to start using distance learning without spending too much energy on mastering software. The professor can also adapt the prepackaged material by adding what he or she wishes, being texts, images, sounds or links. The Canadian survey reveals that the preferred features in e-texts are ranked as follows : 1) research engine and multimedia (75%); 2) regular updating (68%); 3) hyperlinks (63%); 4) bookmarks (57%); 5) note taking and highlithing (51%). Other advantages in adopting e-packs relate to student satisfaction and success in the new world economy of knowledge.

In resume, challenges facing electronic publishing in post-secondary education are of many and different orders. Prepackaged electronic textbooks represent a transitory state in the context of the student-centered paradigm shift we are faced with. This is especially crucial at a moment where we see a constant growth in the penetration rate of computer and access to Internet. Canadian professors will soon have to face a new generation of students who are much at ease with these technologies. At the moment, Canada ranks third (88 %) behind Australia (83 %) and the United States (82 %) among countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the percentage of domestic computers used by 15-year old high school students, 7 out of 10 having access to Internet at home. That says a lot on how knowledge should be created and accessed in the future and how electronic means of communication, especially e-text, will be more and more at the core center of education. Their use leaves room for adaptation and for direct online interactions, these being synchronous or asynchronous. Electronic texbooks also invite co-operation by being open to constant updating either by professors or students who could add supplemental material (if allowed to) for the benefit of all, in the spirit of enhancing critical thinking and mastering the discipline in a collaborative and " connective " way, making the maximum use of the potential of technology.