Faculty FAQs

What is Eagle Advantage and what is Equitable Access?

Eagle Advantage, also known in the industry as “Equitable Access” is a course material delivery program where all of a student’s required course materials are provided to them automatically on the first day of class. This ensures that every student is given the same access to ALL of the materials they need to succeed in class. The cost of the materials is administered through the school and the school pays Akademos an annual fee for their services and software.

What are the benefits of this program?

Every student receives their course materials — physical and/or digital – by the first day of class at an affordable price.

When students are provided with their materials on time and at an affordable cost, they can engage with them early and often and experience better learning outcomes resulting in successful program completion and graduation.

When working with Akademos, faculty and administrators decide what is best for students and have complete control over every adoption and delivery type. Because the model carries a software and logistics fee and no margins on the materials themselves, the school has complete control over the costs of the program. There is an adoption cost insight report, which can become the cornerstone of your school’s course materials adoption strategy. From there, administrators can analyze adoption patterns at the course, instructor, department, or campus level.

Who is participating in this program?

All undergraduate students are included in this program. Graduate students follow a model where students purchase their own textbooks.

Can students opt out? If yes, how?

Yes. Students can choose to opt out if they like, though we strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this program because it offers discounted course materials with the advantage of students being ready for their classes on the first day.

What course materials are included in the program?

Akademos sources both physical and digital text. The format often depends on the selected items and their availability.

How much does this cost?

All students pay a low flat-fee per semester that covers all required course materials, regardless of how much each individual textbook costs. Akademos sells all materials to the institution at cost and charges a service fee, allowing us to recommend the adoption of lower cost subscriptions and OER materials that can help lower the cost to students. The cost is included as a student fee.

How do I adopt course materials?

Visit the website at spalding.textbookx.com and log in with your school account. Once logged in you will see all of the courses that you are assigned to teach or oversee. Use the search tool to type in an ISBN or title and then follow the steps to add details and submit it to Akademos. You can also message your Akademos Client Success Manager through the website if you have special textbook settings or requests.

What kinds of materials can I adopt to my course?

Faculty have academic freedom and can select the materials they feel are best for their class, including traditional textbooks, OER materials, or other non-textbook items. Digital materials are often encouraged because they are more affordable and students receive access immediately, which can be helpful if they add or drop courses. Akademos’ website and Client Success Managers provide the tools, analysis, and information so that faculty and administrators have a clear picture of textbook costs for transparency and can review opportunities to lower costs term over term.

When are course materials adoptions due?

Adoptions are due 90 days before the start of each term. In order for Akademos to deliver all print and digital materials to students on the first day of class, we need the support and participation of faculty and administrators to submit adoptions on time. Once submitted, Akademos reviews them to ensure that a) availability is established, b) the lowest cost formats are sourced, and c) any recommendations are made available to the adopter. If we anticipate availability issues, we may reach out and recommend similar titles, alternative formats (ebook vs bundle or physical request), or suggest alternative materials such as OER which covers the same content with lower price points.

I want my students to have physical course materials. Can I indicate that?

Yes, instructors who wish to utilize a physical option for their course materials even if lower-cost, digital items are available, may indicate this choice when making their adoption section. Once approved by an administrator, Akademos will conform to this choice and deliver the item in physical formats.

I have created my own course materials in the past. How should I proceed?

If you have created materials that include selections of traditional texts, library resources, powerpoint slides, etc., you can submit those through the website and it will be provided as a coursepack.

My class doesn’t use textbooks/I use OER materials. Do students still have to pay?

Yes, this program includes all courses in a term and is not offered on a course-by-course basis. Please make sure to indicate that your materials are OER or other in the website so bookstore staff can provide a full course list to students.

If I want to change the text I adopted, what should I do?

We encourage faculty members to submit their adoptions early and to avoid making last-minute changes due to the nature of the program. If you have an unavoidable change, please contact your Client Success Manager as soon as possible.

How do students access digital materials through this program?

All digital course material access information will be emailed to students on or before the first day of class. Depending on the item, materials will be available through a student’s LMS account, a publisher website, or through VitalSource.

How do students receive their physical materials?

Physcial materials will be mailed to students. Students will receive an email with tracking information when items are shipped. For on campus residents, items will be shipped to the mail room. Students can check the bookstore website to confirm their address and select campus delivery if that is preferred.

How do students purchase course materials if they choose to opt out of the program?

Students will be responsible for obtaining their course materials on their own if they decide not to participate in the program. They will have the option to order some or all of their course materials through the website with standard payment options (credit card, debit card, ApplePay, GooglePay, PayPal). Please note that Spalding will not have course materials for sale on campus.

Where should I send my students if they need help?

spalding.textbookx.com/help. Through that page students can use the dynamic help tool to answer their questions or they can call or email the bookstore.

Who do I contact if I am having trouble with the program?

Please contact your Client Success Manager through the bookstore’s website.

Where do I go if I’m having trouble setting up publisher courseware (Cengage, Pearson, McGraw Hill, etc.)?

Contact your publisher representative or visit their faculty help pages. Your Client Success Manager may be able to help in some cases, but going to the publisher first is recommended.