ICON Direct hit a new achievement with a total of over $15 million in student savings as of the end of the academic year 2024-2025. Student savings for fall 2025 is currently at $1.75 million.

The textbook adoption period for winter 2025 and spring 2026 runs until Dec. 22, 2025. You can place your orders online or email ICON-Direct@uiowa.edu.

“The continued growth of the program is exciting to see because of the value it brings to students and instructors,” says Valerie Henessee, ICON Direct eText coordinator. “Beyond the cost savings, students have also told me they appreciate the digital nature of the materials. Features like text-to-speech and flashcards enable students to study on the go.”

While digital textbooks and publisher courseware/platforms are the focus of the program, open educational resources, which are free digital texts, and Top Hat Classroom Pro, a student classroom engagement tool, are also available through ICON Direct.

“Instructors tell us how much they appreciate students having their digital textbooks in the ICON classroom at the start of the semester,” according to Vicky Maloy, associate director of Academic Technologies in the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology. “The publisher platforms are extremely popular because they encourage student engagement.”