Instructors are experiencing the adverse effects of rising textbook costs. Some students are waiting to buy their textbooks after their courses already start, and some aren’t purchasing them at all. It’s why so many instructors are seeking out affordable alternatives. But as you may know, while price matters, it’s not the only thing to consider when choosing course materials.
You want content that helps your students learn, a platform that’s easy to use and live support when you need it. While it may seem like a tall order, it’s actually not. Here are just some of the things you should look for when choosing course materials―and ways we at Cengage strive to create affordable, service-supported solutions that have been proven to raise grades and save you time.
Choice for instructors and students
Students have multiple classes, which means multiple required textbooks. In the meantime, you’re setting up and gathering course materials and content for different platforms and course modalities.
When it comes to finding, adopting and assigning learning materials for your course, there are LOTS of options to choose from. Some may be more suitable for your students, your teaching style and your institution, while others not so much. It’s rough out there.
In 2018, we launched Cengage Unlimited, the first and only all-inclusive plan for course materials.
You as an instructor have the freedom to choose any Cengage product (or multiple products) that are right for your course—which means no more hours of searching for or gathering of resources from multiple places. Your students get instant access to thousands of titles for one low cost per term. Plus, we partner with OpenStax to provide additional resources for OpenStax books for select disciplines.
To-date, Cengage Unlimited stands alone in the higher education realm as the example of an unlimited course material subscription program.
Accessibility to all learners
There should never be barriers to opportunities, knowledge or skills. When choosing course materials, it’s important that the materials are intentionally designed so everyone can use them in a way that delivers a meaningful learning experience and result. That’s why it’s also important to partner with accessibility experts. For example, we’ve teamed up with Perkins Access, a division of Perkins School for the Blind, to weigh in on our research, product development and platform usage to make sure everyone, including students and instructors, can use our products.
“The pandemic has shone a light, and in many cases, exacerbated, the inequities that exist in education. But it also presents an opportunity for us all to be bold, and create a system that is more accessible, affordable, relevant and just for all students, allowing them to succeed and thrive.”
— Alexandra Bernadotte, Founder and CEO of Beyond 12, Cengage Board of Directors
Equity in every classroom
The right course materials should help you create an equitable learning environment that builds trust, represents all students and ensures every learner has the support they need to be successful. We at Cengage live by our Quality Learning Principles: to create materials that are authentic, inclusive, intentional and personalized.
Support from real people
Nothing’s more frustrating than when you have questions or come across challenges and no one’s around to help. There’s something to be said for good product training, customer support and easy-to-find resources. If a question or issue does come up, you and your students deserve a team that provides live, personalized support when needed.
Trusted content in countless course areas
Building course content can be extremely time-consuming, especially when it comes to evaluating quality and reliability. There can be wide discrepancies in the quality of materials.
It’s why we’re transparent about our process. We put every title through a rigorous process to ensure it is up-to-date, relevant and accurate. All content undergoes many layers of review before
it goes out the door.
Choosing course materials: It’s about more than price
These are just some of the important things to consider when choosing course materials, and how we at Cengage want to help you and your students thrive ― by building quality course materials around your needs.
Of course, this is just the beginning. There’s always more to keep in mind when exploring textbooks and materials that serve your unique class, institution and students.
To explore affordable, quality course material options, including Open Educational Resources (OER), download our resource “Affordable and Equitable Content: How to Choose the Right Options for Your Students.”