Cambridge Aspire

What Cambridge Aspire is

Cambridge Aspire serves instructors and students with academic learning materials, including an institutional collection of more than 1,000 Cambridge eTextbooks. Institutions can provide access through a subscription, while individuals can purchase title-specific access that remains perpetual. The Instructor eTextbook Collection trial lasts three months and costs nothing.

Cambridge Spiral, available on web, desktop and mobile, lets readers download textbooks for offline use and add bookmarks, highlights, annotations and links. Its Annotations tab supports reviewing and managing notes. Instructors’ annotations can be viewed in an eTextbook through custom group mode. Text-to-speech turns eCollection textbook titles into audio, and the eReader permits copying and printing up to 20% of an eTextbook.

Library access can use IP verification, Shibboleth or Athens. Online browser reading in read-only mode is available, but that mode omits annotations, bookmarks and offline reading. The Cambridge Aspire website supports LTI 1.1 links to textbooks or chapters in courses using Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, DSL or Sakai. Cambridge provides Help Centre FAQs, technical support and regional sales representatives for instructors.

Who it suits

Cambridge Aspire suits institutions and instructors looking to provide students with Cambridge eTextbooks, including access through supported library authentication and LMS links. It also suits individuals who want perpetual access to a specific purchased title.

Limits

The eReader allows copying and printing up to 20% of an eTextbook. Online browser reading in read-only mode does not include annotations, bookmarks or offline reading.

Getting started

1. Visit the Cambridge Aspire website.
2. For institutional access, use a subscription with Shibboleth or Athens access.
3. Library users can access eTextbooks through IP verification, Shibboleth or Athens.
4. Users can start the three-month Instructor eTextbook Collection trial at no cost.
5. Individuals can purchase access to a specific eTextbook title.
6. Use Cambridge Spiral on web, desktop or mobile to download textbooks for offline reading.
7. Link textbooks or chapters in supported LMS courses through LTI 1.1.

Verdict

Choose Cambridge Aspire if your institution needs a large Cambridge eTextbook collection, LMS linking and offline reading tools. Individual readers can buy perpetual access to specific titles. Read-only browser access has fewer reading tools, and the eReader limits copying and printing to 20%.