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As college students head back to school this fall, a highlight continues to be the quality and affordability of the course materials that will help them learn and succeed. Trends that have only accelerated with the digital transition in education since the pandemic.

For the past ten years, publishers have forged ahead with a twin focus on quality and affordability, leading to a significant decrease in student spending on course materials. In addition, publishers have been able to provide students with innovative new products that increase accessibility, and provide them with a broad spectrum of course material options to choose from.

One of those innovations has been the course delivery model Inclusive Access, which provides students with access to course materials on the first day of class, at the guaranteed lowest market rate. The model continues to gain popularity, with more than 1,500 campuses (and growing). According to new 2022 research from Student Watch, 39 percent of students have acquired materials through Inclusive Access models, up from 15 percent in 2019.

What’s more, the reduced costs are also folded into tuition, reducing the need for separate materials at the beginning of the semester. Federal regulations permit students to pay for Inclusive Access materials through loans or grants under Title IV of the Higher Education Act and require them to be available at the lowest cost available on the market.

Research has also shown that Inclusive Access often leads to major increases in student success for diverse student groups.

Researcher Michael Moore from the University of New Hampshire found that Black students, female students, and students over the age of 25 had the “largest increase in success rates” when comparing student success before and after using Inclusive Access. Inclusive Access models may have a massive impact on increasing equity in the learning environment.

And faculty appreciate that students can have their materials on the first day of class, giving them more time to start their assignments and increase their chances of successfully completing the course. Inclusive Access also provides flexibility and can be implemented on a department level, on a course-by-course basis, or even by course section.

More research continues to be done on this innovative course material delivery model. Education publishers continue to prioritize affordability, offering high-quality content and course materials in a variety of delivery models that have been proven to dramatically reduce the cost to students – including Inclusive Access, as well as digital, rentals, or digital subscription models, and individual learning apps.

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