Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Define Inclusive Access
- Discuss the benefits and challenges of this approach to Textbook Affordablity
What does your campus call Inclusive Access?
While many campuses use the name Inclusive Access, many use other local names. This can be challenging for students since they do not know they will be automatically billed for textbooks until it shows up on their account—and the names of some programs may not clearly describe the model. Submit the name of your campus’s Inclusive Access program, and we will add it to the list!
- ACCESS / Follett ACCESS
- All Access
- All Inclusive
- All Students Acquire
- Auto Access
- Complete Digital Access
- Course Fee
- Course Material Fee
- Day One Access
- Digital Course Content Access
- Digital Direct Access
- Equitable Access
- First Day
- First Day Access
- Immediate Access
- IncludED
- Inclusive Access
- Instant Access
- Universal Access
Savings or Spin?
Since Inclusive Access content is digital and access is usually temporary, the price is typically lower than a new print textbook. However, the discount is much smaller when compared to digital textbook prices. Plus, Inclusive Access can be more expensive than used books or print rentals, and there’s no way to share or borrow copies. Inclusive Access may save money for students who normally buy new print textbooks, but it can cost other students more.
Institutions negotiate the price of Inclusive Access content with publishers, so students at some schools will pay more than others for the same exact content. Many institutional discounts are also based on a national list price, which can increase at any time. A 20% discount means a lot less if prices are going to double.
Convenient or Confined?
With Inclusive Access, digital content is delivered to students by the first day of their course, often through a learning management system. Students have a period to “opt out” before they are automatically billed for the content as part of their tuition and fees. At the end of the course, students typically lose access to the content.
This model can be convenient for some students, but many students like to shop around for lower-cost materials, or they may want to borrow materials from the library or from friends for free. Some also may prefer a hard copy of the book, or they may advocate for their instructor to use free course materials, such as OER. Inclusive Access makes students who want—or need—to save extra money jump through extra hoops.
Opt-Out or Drop Out?
Students are given a period to “opt out” of buying the Inclusive Access content. If they don’t opt out—or are unable to do so before the deadline—they are automatically billed for the content as part of their tuition and fees.
Even if students do opt out of the Inclusive Access content, they may find it difficult to find some components of the course—such as online homework modules—outside of the Inclusive Access platform. For these