White Paper: The Future of Course Material Management

In times of change and uncertainty, the need for institutions of higher education to demonstrate value to students and parents is paramount. What does the educational journey look like? How will the institution support student success?

Ensuring that students are prepared for class is a foundational step — yet in 2020, 57 percent of 4-year students (53% of students overall) said they did not have their course materials on the first day.

That’s a potential barrier to student achievement, according to both students and faculty.

• 70% of students said they learn better in a class when they’ve read the assigned material in advance.

• 85% of teachers said students who obtain the required course materials typically achieve higher grades.

As you might expect, cost is a key factor influencing who gets their course materials, and when. Complete Access Models help remove that barrier and allow students to get what they need to succeed.

All students must have convenient access to affordable course materials. All institutions have an opportunity to transform the experience.

“With our program, not only did 85% of our students have their materials on the first day, but in the first semester, we saw significant gains in persistence. In the past, we would have students who would just disappear during the semester. They didn’t have their books, couldn’t keep up with the coursework and would give up. And we made significant gains there. We also started to see progress as of the end of the first semester with certain sub-populations whose actual grades were improving — and that was encouraging.”

Anastasia Urtz, Vice President and Interim Provost, Onondaga Community College

In The Future of Course Material Management: A Guide to Innovation in Affordability, Access and Convenience, Barnes & Noble College presents an updated approach to course material management that better serves students, faculty and administrators.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Insights on today’s needs and challenges

• A new — but proven — model to get course materials in all students’ hands

• Results and partner perspectives from participating schools

• A guide to getting started

This whitepaper outlines the steps institutions can take not only to ensure students receive their course materials at a significantly lower cost, but to recapture market share and revenue — while improving the experience for all stakeholders. As everyone in higher education adapts to the continually evolving landscape, finding ways to create greater convenience, flexibility and ease of use is invaluable. Updating course material management is an important step that drives meaningful results.