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 the McGraw-Hill Connect website (or any other publisher)?

There is no difference between the content via StreamlinED and the online McGraw-Hill Connect website (or the website of any other 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 University on their student account at the end of the first week of class.  What they will be charged is significantly less that 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 with McGraw-Hill Connect, the course will be connected to the content in Blackboard Learn.  When the student accesses the course via Blackboard Learn they will see the content.  If they've never used Connect before (or they used an email address other than the one associated with their Blackboard Learn account), they will have to register with Connect.  Where the student would normally enter an access code they will be given a prompt to accept an offer of 0.00 for the access.  That only happens the first time.  After that they can access the content seamlessly through Blackboard Learn.

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

Current requirements for participation in StreamlinED are:

  1. All sections of a course must have the same required digital materials.  Required materials not designated as StreamlinED, optional materials, or recommended materials may be different across sections.
  2. Total expected enrollment for all sections of a course must be at least 100 per term or 200 per year.
  3. Courses must follow the "100% model" for StreamlinED material. This means students will not be allowed to "opt out" of the charge.  If they are enrolled, they will be charged.

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 timeline varies depending on the publisher and how much the digital materials have been used. If we have not offered a StreamlinED course for a publisher, additional time will be needed to establish the program with them and to work with Computer Services to get Blackboard Learn ready.  Plan on 3-6 months.