Affordable Classroom Resource Options
There are two different programs on campus that introduce affordable textbook options for faculty and students. This web page addresses the Inclusive Access model. There is another program called Open Educational Resources (OER) which offers many of the same benefits of the Inclusive Access model (lower costs, first-day access), but also features near-zero or no-cost materials to students and allows the instructor the ability to modify the content to their needs.
Textbooks can be an overbearing expense for many students. Those with financial difficulty often put it off, rent or borrow a textbook after the class has started in order to keep up. Some don’t even get a book at all. This potential lack of access to class materials has an adverse effect on their performance in the classroom.
What is Inclusive Access?
SUNY Oswego Inclusive Access Program Information Flyer from RedShelf (PDF)
The SUNY Oswego Inclusive Access program addresses these two key issues - textbook affordability and day-one access to classroom materials. By giving students day-one access to the textbook electronically on Blackboard, learning can start the first day of class. A charge will be put on the student's tuition bill for access to the classroom content. By doing this, we can work with book publishers to offer these resources at a discount.
The Process is Simple
To be part of the program, instructors indicate to the College Book Store and their content publisher their desire to participate. Students simply access their ebook via the RedShelf link, or via the publisher's courseware link (setup varies by content chosen by the instructor, talk with your publisher for details).
Benefits
- Students realize the advantage of using electronic textbooks.
- Supports new learning methods with interactivity not available before, as well as links to outside sources such as videos to support the subject matter in the textbook.
- New collaboration opportunities are available, with conversations with fellow students and instructors in the actual textbook, fostering discussion, and increased understanding of the material through an exchange of questions, answers, and opinions.
- Ease and convenience of not having to transport heavy textbooks across campus.
- Have the choice to opt out of the program if they wish to obtain materials elsewhere.
- Instructors have the opportunity to gain advantages of using electronic textbooks.
- Valuable analytics are available to see who is using the textbook and how much. Customized quizzes and tests are available with some titles, closely tying all the materials together.
- Embed comments for students to focus them on important aspects of the material.