Drake University first introduced Course Ready to students in the fall 2024 semester. The program is an “innovative program that automatically provides students with all required course materials on or before the first day of class,” according to the Course Ready website. These materials often include physical textbooks, e-books, access codes, and lab and art supplies.

The program, which Drake students are automatically opted into, costs $255 per semester. Students can opt out of Course Ready and choose to procure their own materials through the Drake Bookstore site or other means. 

While the website advertises that “required course materials are provided before the first day of class,” students such as sophomore Anna Greenwaldt reported never receiving an email that their course materials were available for pickup in the Bulldog Shop. 

As a result, Greenwaldt, who is studying English and marketing, went through the first week of classes without her books. 

“It was a little stressful just because I had a night class on Monday and I had to do the readings for the next night class,” Greenwaldt said. “And there was a little bit of reading for my [statistics] class that I didn’t get to because the physical textbook wasn’t there.”

Eventually, Greenwaldt went to the Bulldog Shop to inquire about her materials. Staff told her that the materials were available despite her never having received an email notifying her about their arrival.

Last year, however, Greenwaldt found Course Ready to be useful overall.

“Last semester, I swear I had to read, like, 15 books,” Greenwaldt said. “So it’s nice when you have a ton of physical books. I don’t love reading on the computer.”

Amahia Mallea, an associate professor of history at Drake, recalls requesting no e-books for students last year. However, she says Course Ready gave all her students e-books, and it required some “back and forth” with the bookstore to allow students to exchange them for physical copies.

This year, Mallea was upset when she learned that digital copies of her assigned book were still available as an option for students after she explicitly ordered paper copies. But after communicating with a Course Ready service representative, Mallea learned that e-books are made available because the digital format is an “important accommodation to have available to students.”

Mallea accepts that reasoning. 

“It made me realize that I must spend time informing students to buy paper copies and not digital copies because Course Ready can’t help students make that decision for me,” Mallea said in an email interview with The Times-Delphic. 

The high cost of textbooks and difficulties in locating specific materials can pose accessibility issues for students. Ultimately, individual students’ needs are the deciding factor in Course Ready’s utility.

“If you don’t have a ton of stuff that you need for class, I’m not sure if it’s totally worth it,” Greenwaldt said. “I think I would score it as maybe 3.75/5 stars. It’s very efficient if you don’t want to go out of your way and if you don’t mind the price.”