La Plume, Pa. – When classes begin on Monday, August 24, Keystone College students will no longer have to worry about purchasing hard-copy textbooks. That’s because they’ll have access to the books they’ll need on a new iPad Air 16GB tablet they received at the start of the semester, thanks to the new IncludED program now being implemented at the college.
The new program, the first of its kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania, incorporates the cost of texts as part of Keystone’s overall tuition, eliminating the challenge of paying for textbooks at the start of the semester. The college is partnering with Follett Corporation, operators of the Keystone Bookstore, to introduce IncludED.
Now, all Keystone students will have the opportunity to take full advantage of their college education by downloading their texts through Follett’s BryteWave digital textbook system.
Devices will be leased to students for a two-year period, except for seniors who will receive a one-year lease. All students can keep the iPad upon graduating from Keystone. Students also have the option of using their own tablets or computers to access digital course materials.
IncludED helps solve a problem that is becoming widespread on college campuses nationwide. Because textbooks have become so expensive, many students are surprised to find they do not have the money at the start of the semester to buy required textbooks. Studies show that 40 percent of students nationwide often attend class without the necessary texts and nearly 20 percent skip or drop a class because they cannot afford the $1,200-$1,800 average cost per year to buy the required course material. By incorporating the cost of texts as part of tuition, all Keystone students will have access to the texts they need.
“Too often, college students are forced to attend class without the necessary materials needed for success and that is especially true with textbooks,” said Keystone College President David L. Coppola, Ph.D. “This makes it difficult for them to be as successful as they might otherwise be if they had access to those materials. IncludED provides up-front transparency for the total cost of college, so students and parents are no longer shocked by the cost of textbooks during the first week of class. This program has been successful at other institutions and we’re thrilled to offer it at Keystone.”
