Cardboard packages line the shelves of Albion College’s bookstore, holding the items students need for their spring classes. This semester, several changes have been made to Brit Books, Albion College’s course materials program.
According to the Albion College website, the “new and improved” program is “designed to increase access and make it automatically easier for students” to prepare for their classes. To introduce students to the new program, Associate Provost Heather Betz said the Marketing and Communications office sent out “a number of emails” last December.
Betz, who has been “communicating with faculty” about the new program, added that there have “been a few bumps in the road,” but that feedback has been “primarily positive.”
“Compared to previous semesters, it’s going much smoother,” Betz said.
Improved Efficiency
Kalamazoo first-year Charlie Doerschler said the college “totally revamped” the Brit Books program and that they are “getting books to people quicker.”
“I personally had an easier experience,” Doerschler said.
According to the Albion College website, students’ physical materials are “available for pickup from the Brit Shop,” located in the KC. Director of Facilities Operation Nathan Salazar said book pickup is a “fairly quick process.”
“Students grab their physical materials, check out with the click of a button, and they’re on their way,” Salazar said, adding that “it takes less than five minutes on average.”
Macomb junior Abigail Clark said Brit Books is “better” than it was before and “much more organized.”
“They actually checked that you had everything you needed,” Clark said.
Effective Communication
The Albion College website states that the system will “let (students) know” when both physical and digital items are ready to be accessed. According to Doerschler, one “big improvement” Brit Books has made is that the program is “getting the news out there” to students who need materials.
Clark said when using the old program, some emails about the status of her books “never got sent out,” but there is “more effective communication” now.
“They tell me what books I’m getting and when they’ve been delivered,” Clark said. “It’s much simpler.”
According to Betz, the college has been doing “a tremendous job” informing students about the status of their materials.
“They’re making sure students are notified that their materials are in, about opt-out dates and about returns, if needed,” Betz said.
Accessing Online Materials
Brit Books now uses a new website, VitalSource, to give students access to their online textbooks. According to Albion College’s website, “digital materials will be emailed to (students) and available anytime in (their) bookstore eLibrary.”
Doerschler said having access to digital materials is “really helpful” from a financial perspective.
“Because of the digital books, I don’t have to spend a lot of money,” Doerschler said.
For Clark, once she got access to VitalSource, the process was “easy,” but she added that she “wishes there was more explanation” about accessing digital resources.
“I think professors don’t always understand,” Clark said. “I had to visit IT, and they told me my professors had to post the link on CourseWebs.”
According to Salazar, VitalSource’s team has been “very responsive to all issues” students and faculty may have had with online materials, adding that “the response time is less than a 24-hour turnaround in most cases.”
Salazar said book distribution this semester has been “a team effort.”
“We’ve been working to distribute books in a more timely fashion,” Salazar said, “so we can make it an easier process for our students.”
If students have any questions or concerns about Brit Books or their course materials, they can contact albion.textbookx.com/help.
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