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 students, the “choice” to opt out isn’t really a choice.
Some Inclusive Access programs consider low opt out rates positive. However, this is not necessarily a sign of success, since there are many reasons students may not opt out. For example, students may not be aware that opt out is possible, or they may find the process too complex. What’s more: The fine print in some Inclusive Access contracts can actually penalize institutions if they let too many students opt-out, which creates adverse incentives.
Inclusive or Exclusive?
Everyone agrees that making textbooks affordable is important. The challenge is that what is considered affordable depends on the student. Less expensive is not the same thing as affordable.
In some courses, students are still paying $100 or more for the digital Inclusive Access materials. Even though Inclusive Access fees are lumped into a student’s tuition bill, $100 is still a lot of money for many students who face hunger, housing insecurity, or the need to care for family. For these students, having access to completely free materials, instead of Inclusive Access, can mean being able to pay for their family’s next meal.
Retain or Just Rent?
Unlike buying a used or new print textbook, students typically lose access to Inclusive Access content after the course ends. If they want to regain or extend access, they have to pay more. Even if students get access for longer, they still can never share or resell the content.
In comparison, free materials like OER also give students access to important course content on the first day of class—and students can keep OER content forever.
Supported or Stymied?
While Inclusive Access allows some instructors to continue using the same textbook they have used for years, it also can constrain instructors’ freedom to choose the course materials that best meet their students’ needs.
On the other hand, if an instructor chooses OER, which are openly licensed and can be customized, they can tailor the materials to their course’s learning objectives and their students’ needs and backgrounds.
Deal or Data Mine?
Like all modern digital resources, Inclusive Access course materials are designed to gather data on users. This can include data like where and when students log in, how fast they read, what answers they get right, and their level of engagement.
Analytics products built on data may be a selling point, such as enhanced insights for faculty or adaptive content for students. But, these tools can also come with significant downsides, from the biases built into algorithms to the inevitable reality of data breaches.
With major textbook companies launching new apps and developing business strategies similar to Netflix or Amazon, the exploitation of students and faculty data raises legal, ethical, and strategic issues for institutions.
Top Ten Questions to Ask About Inclusive Access
- What efforts has the campus made to verify that Inclusive Access saves students money?
- How are the advertised student savings calculated? Does the calculation reflect that many students buy used books?
- Will students be asked for consent before being automatically billed, or will they billed automatically?
- Will students be informed of the amount they will be billed at the time they are registering for courses?
- Will students be informed about the terms of service of the digital textbooks when they are registering for courses?
- What efforts will the campus make to ensure a simple, transparent, and clearly-communicated opt out process?
- If students opt out, will they still be able to complete all of the required assignments?
- Has the campus agreed to any quotas for the number of students who need to be opted in?
- What support mechanisms are in place for students who cannot afford Inclusive Access materials?
- What plans are in place to ensure Inclusive Access doesn’t become a runaway fee?
Attribution: InclusiveAccess.org https://www.inclusiveaccess.org/ (CC BY 4.0)