Impact of the inclusive access materials model on student success: Study

In response to the rising costs of course materials, higher education stakeholders are increasingly adopting an acquisition model called inclusive access. Michael Moore (University of New Hampshire) and Brad Piazza (Waukesha County Technical College) explain that this model sees students automatically billed for and provided with a reduced-cost copy of the course materials as a part of their tuition and fees, ensuring they are equipped with the materials they need for the course. They examined the use of an inclusive access materials model in six courses at WCTC and found that the model generally had at least a slight positive impact on students’ grades. The authors noted that this model could be further explored for equity initiatives, as some student groups, such as women, older students, and Black students had a higher grade average than their counterparts after participating in this model.