KCTCS Colleges and Barnes & Noble Education Partner to Bring Students More Affordable Course Materials

Three colleges in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) took part in a Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE: BNED) digital courseware program this fall, as part of an ongoing KCTCS effort to provide students with more affordable course materials. Faculty at Gateway Community and Technical College, Henderson Community College and Somerset Community College adopted BNED Courseware as a low-cost alternative to traditional textbooks. BNED Courseware is made available through Barnes & Noble College, which currently operates all KCTCS campus bookstores.

BNED Courseware is digital course content that includes videos, activities and auto-graded practice assessments that faculty can easily personalize to align with class objectives. This fall, more than 1,000 KCTCS students used BNED Courseware in their class. The courses included psychology, developmental math and American history.

BNED Courseware is offered through First Day, Barnes & Noble College’s inclusive access program, in which course materials are included in the cost of tuition and delivered to students digitally or through their Barnes & Noble College campus bookstore. The First Day program, offered to the entire KCTCS system, ensures students have their course materials on the first day of class.

“We continue to incorporate new options for textbooks and other course materials to keep the cost of college as low as possible for our students,” said KCTCS President Jay K. Box. “Barnes & Noble College has been a great, innovative partner for us.”

BNED surveyed KCTCS students who used BNED Courseware, and the results indicated positive student reactions, including:

• 78 percent rated the overall Courseware experience as good or excellent.
• 86 percent said the textbook (either eBook or print option) was either the same or better compared to other texts used in college.
• 74 percent said they watched all or nearly all of the videos included in the Courseware.
• 83 percent said the videos helped explain the concept.
• 85 percent used the self-checks included in the Courseware.

“Barnes & Noble Education is proud to provide KCTCS with an affordable option to help lower the cost of learning and drive success for their students,” said Kanuj Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer, BNED Digital Education. “As the adoption of Open Educational Resources in higher education begins to grow, KCTCS will serve as an incredible example of the positive impact OER can have on campuses. We look forward to growing this initiative to serve even more KCTCS students in semesters to come.”

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE EDUCATION, INC.

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED), a leading provider of educational products and services solutions for higher education and K-12 institutions, enhances the academic and social purpose of educational institutions. Through its Barnes & Noble College and MBS subsidiaries, Barnes & Noble Education operates 1,483 physical and virtual bookstores and serves more than 6 million students and faculty, and offers a suite of digital software, content and services including direct-to-student study tools. The Company also operates one of the largest textbook wholesale distribution channels in the United States. Barnes & Noble Education acts as a strategic partner to drive student success, provide value and support to students and faculty, and create loyalty and improve retention, while supporting the financial goals of our college and university partners.

BNED companies include: Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, MBS Textbook Exchange, LLC, BNED LoudCloud, LLC, Student Brands, LLC, and Promoversity, LLC. General information on Barnes & Noble Education may be obtained by visiting the Company's corporate website: www.bned.com.

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth’s largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky’s largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with KCTCS:
kctcs.edu | Facebook.com/kctcs | Twitter @kctcs

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