Faculty FAQ

What is StreamlinED?

StreamlinED is a licensing billing model for required digital course materials that significantly reduces course material costs incurred by students while simplifying access.  

What is the difference between StreamlinED and the online content via a publisher's website?

There is no difference between the content via StreamlinED and the website of any publisher in the StreamlinED program. The difference is in the billing and how students gain access.

How do students purchase access?

Under the StreamlinED program, the students don't have to actively purchase anything. They will be charged by the Bookstore on their student account prior to the start of class. They will be charged less than what they would have paid if the course had not been offered as a StreamlinED course.

How are the costs reduced?

When purchasing based on course enrollment, the Bookstore is able to guarantee a higher purchasing volume to the publisher. Based on this volume, the publisher is able to provide the materials at a reduced cost. The Bookstore is able to pass the lower publisher cost on to the students. Additionally, since the Bookstore is not incurring inventory carrying costs by having physical inventory, the Bookstore is able to lower its margin, providing the students with even more cost savings.

How do students access the StreamlinED materials?

For StreamlinED courses, the course will be connected to the content through the University Learning Management System (LMS). When the student accesses the course via their LMS, they will see the content. If they've never used the publisher's website before (or they used an email address other than the one associated with their LMS account), they will need to register. For most StreamlinED materials, an access code is not needed. For the few courses that do require an access code, it will be provided to the student in a StreamlinED email. Materials not requiring an access code should either take students directly to the material or ask them to agree to $0.00. That only happens the first time. After that, they can access the content seamlessly through the LMS.

What are the criteria for a course to be eligible for the StreamlinED program?

Current requirements for participation in StreamlinED are:

1. Materials admitted into StreamlinED must be required. No optional or recommended titles can be included at this time.
2. Publishers must have an executed agreement for Direct Digital in place with the Bookstore.
3. Publisher courseware materials, including homework managers and supplemental digital materials must be reviewed for accessibility by the Disability Resource Center.

As the program grows and becomes established on campus, the criteria may be changed.

Who do I contact to have my course added to StreamlinED?

First, discuss with your department head. Then, get in touch with the Course Materials Buyer for your department.

Why should I consider using digital materials in my course?

Digital course materials offer several advantages over traditional textbooks. Many products have adaptive assignment and assessment tools that provide immediate feedback. Instructors have dynamic content to choose from and can tailor the course to focus on the areas they deem most important.

What is the timeline for adding a course to StreamlinED?

The Bookstore needs to know you are interested in having your material in StreamlinED by the adoption due date for that semester. If we have not previously offered a StreamlinED course for a publisher, time will be needed to check agreements, have an accessibility review performed, and work with Computer Services to test LMS integration processes. If an agreement and LMS integration are already in place, plan on 4-6 weeks.