Frequently Asked Questions
Equitable Access with Akademos
What is Equitable Access?
Equitable Access is a program where students receive all of their required course materials (physical or digital) before the first day of class.
How do students pay for their materials in an equitable access program?
The cost of the books is a low flat fee that is included in their tuition.
How does Equitable Access benefit students?
- Improved learning outcomes by starting class prepared
- Zero out of pocket costs
- Total cost of degree programs decrease
- Quality of student experience increases
- Students have the choice to opt-out
Is Equitable Access the same as Inclusive Access?
Equitable Access and Inclusive Access are similar, but are not the same. Inclusive Access is a course content delivery option where students receive discounted digital materials and courseware before the first day of class. Inclusive Access materials can be used in a single course or multiple courses each semester.
How does Equitable Access work?
With Equitable Access, faculty adopt course materials through the online portal. We purchase, sort, box, and ship all physical materials to a campus address, home address, or campus pickup location. Students are delivered digital materials automatically through your LMS.
Do all course materials have to be offered digitally or can students have physical books?
Both physical and digital materials are available. The school can choose a digital first approach to save students even more money.
Do students own the course materials or are they rented?
The Equitable Access program at Akademos is tailored to your institution. You choose between an ownership or rental model. In the ownership model, the student keeps all physical books at the end of the semester. With the rental model, students return physical books at the end of each semester to the Akademos warehouse where we store and re-ship them to students in subsequent semesters.
Does Equitable Access impede on academic freedom?
No, faculty still have full academic freedom with an equitable access model. Faculty submit adoptions of their choice as normal. In the event the course material becomes unavailable through the publisher or other various factors, our Equitable Access team would work with the faculty to find a resolution.
Can an equitable access program create an additional revenue stream?
Yes. while we do not offer commission payments in an equitable access program, you have the option to add an administrative fee on to the yearly flat fee for materials. In most cases, the administrative fee adds very little to the cost for students while bringing in additional revenue far surpassing the commission received in the traditional student choice model. This revenue stream can be used for anything including - scholarship funds, food pantry donations, capital improvements, technology upgrades, and more.
What if my institution is not ready to go “all in” on equitable access?
If you are not ready to go all in with equitable access, you have the option to implement at your own pace using our “crawl, walk, run” approach. Begin with a smaller program and expand the service to cover all students. Conducting a phase-in by class year approach, beginning with incoming freshmen and expanding to sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the following three years, sets you up for success.