RedShelf was one of the first—and we remain one of the only—course material providers focused squarely on being the best at digital content delivery.
In the early days, we helped our campus partners offer digital textbooks through the point-of-sale (i.e. in their bookstores), as an affordable option for students who chose to purchase them. Soon, as the appeal and far-reaching benefits of digital became increasingly clear, we began helping schools pilot course-by-course Inclusive Access programs through which students in certain courses automatically receive digital textbooks, right through the LMS, at prices that are even lower than the point-of-sale digital pricing.
Today, hundreds of colleges and universities are scaling those Inclusive Access programs campus-wide, providing digital textbooks to all students in all courses, as a means of ensuring that every student has the materials they need to learn while also improving the student experience and streamlining institutional operations.
So what’s next for digital? As schools continue to seek new and better ways to level the playing field for all students, many of our partners are moving to an Equitable Access (EA) model through which students receive all their required materials for the same flat fee (as opposed to the variable pricing of Inclusive Access). NACS’ 2020 Student Watch Report revealed significant disparities in the cost of course materials in various areas of study (materials for Health Profession majors, for example, cost 65% more than those for Fine Arts majors). A flat fee model can help to ensure that students are able to pursue whatever course of study they wish, undeterred by cost implications.
From offering digital options through the point-of-sale to automatically delivering digital course materials to every student campus-wide, RedShelf is the “one-stop-shopping” partner to help you get there. We offer more than a million digital titles (both eBooks and courseware) from 10,000+ publishers and content creators, and an end-to-end Content Delivery System for seamlessly acquiring, pricing, and delivering those materials to your students. Wherever you are in your digital evolution, our technology and unparalleled service and support will ensure your success.