ICON Direct hit a new achievement with a total of over $19 million in cumulative student savings as of the spring 2026 semester. ICON Direct is the University of Iowa's initiative for ordering digital content from specific publishers and delivering this content to students and faculty. 

The textbook adoption periods for summer 2026 and fall 2026 have started. Summer orders due by April 20, and fall orders due by July 27. Begin your order selection today. 

“We are excited to see the program grow and continue to benefit students,” says Valerie Henessee, ICON Direct eText coordinator. “Beyond the cost savings, students have told me they appreciate the digital nature of the materials. Features like text-to-speech and flashcards allow students to study on the go.”

Open Educational Resources (OER), which are free digital texts, and Top Hat Classroom Pro, a student classroom engagement tool, are available through ICON Direct in addition to the digital textbooks and publisher platforms that are the focus of the program.

“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, Academic Technologies in the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology. “The publisher platforms are extremely popular because they encourage student engagement.”

Please email ICON-Direct@uiowa.edu for assistance.