The VitalSource Resource

“So far there is no long-term decision or reciprocal deal on how UK students in the EU, or EU students in the UK, will be treated post-Brexit.” With the future of the United Kingdom’s position in the European Union still unclear, institutions and professional bodies are speculating on the impact leaving the EU may have on widening participation efforts, particularly in terms of economic slowdown.

In the first piece of our change management series, we discussed how to overcome factors that may be causing resistance in your institution during the transition to digital. One of the key underlying takeaways of which was maintaining strong lines of communication.

What do you get when you combine a declining retail footprint, reduced retail margin on thousands of materials, and lower prices? Would you believe the answer is more affordable textbooks and a thriving course materials business? That’s exactly what Kurt Kaiser and the team at the Colorado State University (CSU) Bookstore are experiencing. Their work to save students over $6 million in 2018 has captured lots of attention, including The Rocky Mountain Collegian and CTV 11, the CSU campus TV network.

I recently sat down with Kurt Kaiser, textbook manager at CSU, to talk about his store’s work to improve affordability and drive day-one access to learning materials.

Supplying institutions with content in an increasingly diverse and competitive marketplace requires  innovative and creative solutions. VitalSource helps publishers reach new customers, test new models, and drive revenue.

Findings from the Higher Education Statistics Agency released in February 2019 show that the percentage of full-time first degree students coming from state schools in the UK dropped in the 2017–2018 academic year. The decrease from 90% to 89.8% sees the first dip in this number for eight years.