ICON Direct continues its rapid growth, with a 13% increase in orders in fall 2021 over fall 2020. This semester, approximately 14,800 students have at least one ICON Direct digital material in their classes.

Part of the Affordable Content Initiatives, ICON Direct provides options to buy digital textbooks and course materials for a lower price than their printed equivalents. Prices vary significantly, but on average, students save $45 per course. The materials are made available through the University of Iowa’s membership in Unizin, a nonprofit consortium of universities.

“Instructors often share how much their students appreciate having their digital textbooks available in ICON on the first day of class,” says Vicky Maloy, assistant director of Instructional Services–Academic Technologies. “Many of the publisher platforms, such as McGraw-Hill Connect and Cengage MindTap, are popular because they encourage student engagement through assessments and study aids that also give instructors tools to support their students’ learning.”

To best support the steady rise in course material orders through the inclusive access program, OTLT has hired a dedicated staff member to assist instructors and students with digital materials and learning platforms. “I’ve found students and instructors enjoy the ease of access that eTexts offer, and students also appreciate the cost savings over physical texts,” says Valerie Henessee, ICON Direct eTexts coordinator.

Deadline for Content Orders

The textbook selection period for winter 2021 and spring 2022 ends on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Instructors can place their orders for content using the ICON Direct Ordering Tool.

If you have questions about ICON Direct or would like assistance in placing your order, please reach out to Valerie Henessee by emailing ICON-Direct@uiowa.edu.