The VitalSource Resource

Last month, our own Mike Hale wrote about course-fee models as the way to ensure all college students had their required course materials on or before the first day of classes. As he mentioned, this model, powered by VitalSource Access®, has been implemented by more than 400 colleges and universities throughout the United States, saving students in excess of $100 million over the past 12 months.

One of those schools is Hinds (Miss.) Community College.

There is a minimum anyone in the ed-tech space must do around accessibility to even be considered relevant. Adding to this minimum, there is an increased expectation of what every ed-tech company should do. And then, of course, there is the hope all ed-tech vendors will do the right thing. Let’s examine each of these:

The Minimum:  Do the fundamentals and be held accountable
Any reading system that delivers content into a learning environment must respect the markup that is within the files they are delivering and expose that markup to assistive technology. The use of web technologies is pervasive today and you would never consider building an app that did not work or somehow leverage the internet. It is unthinkable (and dare I say irresponsible!) to have a reading system in today’s ed-tech marketplace that is not accessible. WCAG 2.0 is a fundamental assumption now, and provides clear direction on what every vendor must do. You have to support the content markup, as well as be completely transparent in sharing just how well you do that. Publishing your VPAT may be the current minimum legal requirement, but your transparency must extend beyond this as well.

When you have a platform that delivers content to several million users each year, it is critically important that every user can get access when they need it. Whether it is VitalSource® Access powering their course content with day-one availability, supporting partners like Follett, Barnes & Noble and many others, or simply powering the publisher or storefront that directly sells to the learner, we work hard to ensure content is available where and when users need it (this is one of the reasons we deliver native applications for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Chromebooks that all allow you to download and use your content offline). The need for access at the same time as everyone else is especially true for users with a disability. 

Part 2 of 2: The Solution

Previously we discussed why course materials pricing had increases well beyond inflation, and why the dynamics of this market has hurt student success. If you want to read the full entry, access Part 1 of 2 here: What would happen if learning materials were provided to all students on or before the first day of class? Part I

We promised a solution, and it’s absurdly simple. Break the cycle and lower the total cost of education by eliminating the print textbook. Do this and students will benefit both economically and educationally.