Unique platform and marketplace will lower textbook prices for students and provide actionable insights and data to support student success
Ferrum College has selected Akademos as its online bookstore service provider to help students obtain significant savings on course materials. The College, founded in 1913, offers nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs ranging from business and environmental science to teacher education and criminal justice. Ferrum College will launch its online bookstore beginning Fall Semester 2018.
Ferrum College is the fifth Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) member institution to adopt the Akademos online bookstore solution. The others include Bridgewater College, Mary Baldwin College, Sweet Briar College and Roanoke College.
Seamless integration between the College’s student information system and our Course Materials Platform (CMP)TM will allow students to see a personalized listing of the textbooks required for each of their courses and to order materials for an entire term in less than five minutes.
A wide selection across new, used, rental and eBook formats will be offered, and when using our proprietary peer-to-peer Marketplace of over 100 million textbooks, students will save an average of 60 percent off of publisher list prices. Additionally, students will have the freedom to use financial aid vouchers on all textbook purchases, including significantly discounted marketplace items.
“As the majority of our students receive financial aid, textbook affordability is a significant consideration in meeting their needs,” said Provost Aimé Sposato. “Our partnership with Akademos will not only address textbook affordability, it will also give our students a wider variety of course material formats, flexible purchasing options, and an easy-to-use platform that integrates with our student information system. All of this will, ultimately, support their success.”
The online bookstore will also support the College’s faculty and administrators, who will benefit from an easy-to-use and powerful Adoption & Analytics Portal. This platform offers a step-by-step guide for course material adoptions, recommendations, and adoption history, and the ability to compare real-time prices for course materials. The analytics tool will also enable Ferrum College faculty and leadership to track critical data, including student purchasing and bookstore utilization.
“We’re pleased to be working with Ferrum College and we look forward to helping them support their students success,” said John Squires, CEO, Akademos. “By providing them with more affordable textbooks and course materials we’ll be helping to lower the overall cost of education and support the college’s mission.”
To learn more about how you can address textbook affordability and help your students succeed, contact us for more information.
