Large-scale publishers have reached out to campus instructors and bookstores to promote platforms that they call "inclusive access" and "equitable access". These subscription models are paywalled platforms, where instructors select content that is then made available on a subscription basis to individual students, but cannot be purchased or subscribed to by libraries.
These proposals are an attempt to further commercialize information and make research inaccessible to students, making it far more difficult for them to access content and knowledge. While publishers are utilizing inclusive language to promote their product offering, it’s clear that these models are neither inclusive nor equitable, as they place financial burdens directly on students and prevent libraries from the essential work of providing equitable access to information. Many notable concerns are not addressed in this publishing model, such as accessibility standards in the digital materials, affordability, digital divide, privacy and student data, lack of ownership over materials, potential limitations of educational copyright exceptions, and more.
“Inclusive Access is a sales model that automatically bills students for temporary access to your course content in a digital format.”
— InclusiveAccess.org
Inclusive Access is labeled as a course material affordability program and, if implemented by an instructor, requires students to pay a fee in order to access course content. On the surface, these fees seem small compared to physical textbooks, but access to these materials is limited to one semester or through recurring payments. Students are offered an “opt out” option; however if they choose to opt out, this may cause them to lose access to important course materials. Inclusive access may limit academic freedom if materials chosen by an instructor are not available on the platform. It’s unclear how this model is more inclusive than other options currently available for content.
Additionally, there have been class action attempts in both Canada and the United States on the basis that inclusive access is anti-competitive and subjects students to overcharges. The 2020 Canadian lawsuit is as follows: Kyle Harman Singh Dhamrait v. McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings, LLC, Pearson Education, Inc., Cengage Learning, Inc., McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, Pearson Canada Inc., and Cengage Learning Canada, Inc. For access to the lawsuit document: https://cbaapps.org/ClassAction/PDF.aspx?id=12292.
To learn more about Inclusive Access for faculty, check out the fact page from InclusiveAccess.org (a community driven group focused on raising awareness relating to automatic textbook billing): https://www.inclusiveaccess.org/faculty.
The MRU Library maintains an extensive collection of resources that directly support curriculum and scholarship on campus, including books, films, journal articles, and more. This content is purchased by or subscribed to by the Library, and is made available to all students and employees in support of their academic, scholarly, and information needs.
To recommend content to be added to the Library’s collection, or to learn more about our holdings, reach out to your discipline’s Subject Librarian.
Additionally, the Library, working with partners such as the Academic Development Center, advocates and provides support for the creation of OERs on campus.
“The benefits of using an OER include an already existing volume and variety of quality resources across all disciplines, reduced barriers such as costs for both students and faculty, and the ability to adopt these resources according to your needs. Luckily, instructors from post-secondary institutions around the world continue to develop and contribute quality learning materials, reducing the duplication of such resources by sharing them openly with the academic community.”
— OER, MRU Library Website
If you are interested in learning more about OERs or want to create one yourself, please contact Erik Christiansen (echristiansen@mtroyal.ca).
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