Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana is partnering with Cengage to provide students with access to textbooks and course materials.
All 90,000 students at the college will get access to the materials through Cengage Unlimited, according to a news release. The company will also provide academic services and professional development to help with hybrid and online teaching to administrators and faculty at Ivy Tech.
The college used funding it received from the CARES Act to pay for Cengage Unlimited.
On average, students at Ivy Tech spent more than $1,400 annually on textbooks. Through this partnership, when students take courses that use Cengage, they won’t have to pay for textbooks and will have access to the materials on the first day of class.
“Research suggests that more than a quarter of community college students don’t purchase books, typically, because they have other more pressing financial needs as many are low income, working in low wage jobs and shouldering family responsibilities,” Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech, said in the release. “And those statistics were pre-COVID. We are pleased to partner with Cengage in offering free course materials across the college helping reduce the financial strain on tens of thousands of Ivy Tech students.”
