Editor,
I understand Emily Luna's concern about the price of textbooks and access codes. Students face many challenges, and it is important to make sure that education remains accessible.
I'd like to clarify the item about access codes and WebCT Vista. There is never a charge to students for the use of WebCT when it is being used as a supplement to regular classroom instruction. Some faculty choose to license content for their classes from a publisher, and the publisher charges for the use of that material in the same way it charges for textbooks. Instructors make the decision about what content is needed to adequately teach their classes.
The fees for access codes are not something that WebCT requires nor that New Media and Extended Learning - the department that supports WebCT at UNM - imposes or receives funding from. Access codes and the related costs are something that is negotiated by the publisher, the instructor and the Bookstore.
Discussing her concerns with her instructor would be a good place for Luna to start.
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Elisha Allen
UNM staff
