3 Institutions, 3 Customized Paths to Equitable Access
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Every campus is unique, which is why your community deserves a flexible equitable access textbook program. Even though certain areas of Equitable Access offer uniformity where important, a one-size-fits-all solution is not always what your students, faculty, and staff need to succeed.
Equitable Access: A Look at Three Customized Solutions
There are a number of variables that can be adjusted to best meet the needs of both your students and your institution. Here’s how three campuses designed Equitable Access programs that worked for them.
University #1: Introducing and Expanding with a Crawl, Walk, Run Approach
Introducing Equitable Access to a full system (multiple campuses) or even the entire student population on a single campus may feel overwhelming, which is why a phased roll-out sets you up for success.
University #1 is a multi-campus school system that first introduced Equitable Access to its online programs. They then expanded to two additional campuses, and have a long-term strategic plan in place to roll out equitable access to all campus locations within four years.
Other flexible equitable access textbook program rollouts include:
- By academic or degree program (i.e. graduate, then undergrads)
- By incoming freshman class and expanding year-over-year
University #2: Expensive Degree Program - Different Cost, Just as Appealing
University #2 recognized that the cost of materials for their nursing program could overpower the cost of other programs if they were to offer Equitable Access. Rather than excluding nursing students altogether, they separated the more expensive nursing major from the rest of the student population. This flexibility dramatically decreased the cost per credit hour for both populations and made the nursing program more attractive to students.
University #3: Prioritizing Accessibility AND Affordability
University #3 didn’t think equitable access was possible because a majority of their students have unreliable and in some cases zero, internet access at home. They were able to customize a physical textbook-only program to eliminate the barriers to technology. With the introduction of the physical-only, student rental program, the cost of the materials will decrease as books are returned and reused year-over-year.
Download the new resource: Flexible EA Program Design to help visualize what the future of your course materials program can look like!
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