More colleges and universities are offering
inclusive-access programs for course materials because they see the model as
ensuring wins for many involved.
Students get their course materials at discounted prices
on the first day of class, making instructors happy. Publishers are guaranteed 100%
sell-through for offering significant discounts on the content, which provides institutions
with a way to show they are keeping costs in check. There’s also a role for the
campus store because they have established relationships with all the parties
involved—faculty, publishers, and students—and have the means to handle the
transactions.
However, not everyone sees it as the best or only option.
Proponents of open educational resources view inclusive
access as a model that just replicates the same publishing structures that led
to rising textbook prices in the first place. Some faculty members also see inclusive
access as an academic-freedom issue, limiting their choices on content to just
one publisher.
“I do think it is likely that traditionally published
content will continue to be used at colleges and universities, although whether
or not it is through inclusive access remains to be seen,” said Nicole Allen,
director of open education for the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources
Coalition. “Textbook publishers have been through many iterations of models for
proprietary digital content—it is hard to know how long any one will last.”
The 2017 Textbook Affordability Conference is Nov. 10-12 at Georgia Tech. Updates from the conference will be posted on Twitter using the hashtag #TAC2017Ignite.
