It’s time for a pop quiz, Badgers!
Q. Which of the following has saved UW–Madison students nearly $12 million, and growing?
- A major cooling malfunction at the Babcock Dairy Store, tragically melting 2.4 million pints of Badger Blast ice cream.
- An eText platform called Engage, which offers digital textbooks and other course materials for selected classes via Canvas, typically at a fraction of listed print prices.
If you answered B: Ding-ding-ding! You’re the big winner.
And if your course offers Engage eText, you might wind up winning in other ways besides textbook cost savings. If your class is using Engage, you may:
- Read your textbook, watch videos and follow links to online resources that your instructor provides to your class.
- Highlight text, bookmark pages and take notes on the online reading materials.
- Share notes among your classmates and even print the eText. (You can print up to 50 pages at a time for free, minus the cost of paper.)
Some instructors may have elected to use digital materials ordered through Engage for their courses. These materials can be accessed via Canvas through either the Engage eText link or through an integrated publisher portal (e.g., McGraw-Hill Connect, Pearson Revel) for any publisher digital learning tools (DLTs). If you’re unsure if your course is using Engage, please ask your instructor.
How do I pay for eText?
If your instructor uses Engage digital materials, the cost is bundled into your tuition bill—you do not need to purchase the content directly from the publisher or from a 3rd party vendor.
Since Engage launched as a pilot at UW–Madison in spring 2018, the estimated cost savings for students has totaled nearly $12 million (or the equivalent of about 2.4 million pints of Badger Blast).
Can I opt out?
If you would like to opt-out of receiving the Engage eText or DLTs, you can do so. Considerations and opt-out instructions can be found in this document. You are only able to opt out during designated opt-out periods (also called “student choice”). The end date for the student choice period is the 100% refund deadline set by the Office of the Registrar.
For any assistance, questions, concerns or technical issues, please contact the DoIT Help Desk.