A leader in OER and content affordability, Oregon community college launches online bookstore to enhance student experience, improve affordability and boost retention

Student Success and Student Retention - These are buzz words used on just about every campus and by every vendor in higher education - and they should be.  Student success is one of the most important metrics a college or university should track and measure.  However, it is often the result of many other factors, initiatives, and programs on campus. A few key factors contributing to student success are preparation and engagement in their classes. They need books to study from, and students who engage with material, early and often, continue their academic career at a much higher rate.

One thing we can all agree on is that we want students to have every opportunity possible to get what they need to succeed in college. This past year has seen an even greater number of students struggle without many ideas out there on how to help. Students who relied on things such as campus housing, meal plans, technology access, and the library were suddenly without. There is no one solution fits all approach, but we know that the campus store is a vital link to many student needs. We’ve put together a list of 5 innovative ways to help students through the campus store.

Students desire cost savings and convenience. Faculty desire flexibility and academic freedom. But above all, everyone wants to see students succeed. Inclusive Access is transforming learning by enabling students to easily access affordable textbooks and more from the first day of class.

With a revamped merchandise platform and new partnership with American Solutions for Business, Akademos is elevating the eCommerce experience for college and university online bookstores

Our team has been hard at work transforming the eCommerce platform and developing a modern, easy to navigate design to support colleges and universities with the best online bookstore user experience available. Looking at the current trends and the future needs of our partner schools we saw that elevating the merchandise experience with a new look, easier navigation, and a wider selection of course materials, technology, and branded merchandise, would bring a unique value to each user. Over the next few weeks, we will be giving you a sneak peek into the changes happening on our platform and the long-term benefits students will experience because of them.

The syllabus is a bedrock document for ensuring academic preparedness in higher education. It establishes expectations, learning goals, and, of course, the booklist for the semester. Yet, through our conversations with administrators and faculty, we have seen how difficult it is to track, organize, and maintain these documents at an institutional level.