To ensure undergraduates get the best value for their money, first year students at Coventry University will have core textbooks and materials provided as part of their course fees in 2012 and 2013 through an innovative program developed between Coventry University and Ingram Content Group’s UK library supply company.
“The higher education system is undergoing unprecedented change, and this collaboration with Ingram demonstrates how we’re adapting to the developments so that the focus remains on what’s best for our students,” said Philip Vaughan, Assistant Director of Learning and Research at Coventry University. “Coventry prides itself on being an innovative university, and initiatives like this are exactly the kind of innovations which places of learning should be embracing as the education landscape evolves and students’ expectations change.”
Coventry’s textbook program was developed in response to changes in the UK higher education system for 2012, which has seen undergraduates’ tuition fees rise. Working with Ingram, the University is providing core textbooks for the first year of students’ courses at no cost through the new program. Ingram is the supplier of print books.
The University continues to distribute textbooks to approximately 3,400 new undergraduates on campus, with Ingram and Coventry University staff working jointly on distribution.
The initial pilot phase of the project will be reviewed by the University and Ingram in early December, before the two organizations embark on a dedicated program for supplying textbooks to new students in both print and digital formats.
“As institutions and their libraries create new business models in response to education reform, we’re pleased that our full range of content solutions, including our rich textbook offering, will provide students with the resources they need to succeed in school,” said Dan Sheehan, Vice President & General Manager, Ingram Content Group library services. “We look forward to our work with Coventry and putting the results of the pilot to good use, creating a program that benefits all.”
Ingram continues to grow the number of libraries and institutions it works with in the region, supplying the main universities including Warwick University and Birmingham City University, along with the majority of colleges such as Henley College and Birmingham Metropolitan College.
