New Blended Teaching courses have free access until seven days after the course start date, and some have a later date. The Free until date you see when you open your course is the one that applies to you. If your course has one, you can open your course and start working straight away, with no card and no access code. Add your code or pay at any time before that date and you keep everything you have done.
Check whether your course has free access
Open any Blended Teaching link in your course in Canvas, Blackboard or your other learning management system (LMS), or open your course from the Library.
If your course has free access, you'll see Free until and a date, with a Get access button.
If you see the payment page instead, your course doesn't have free access. You can pay by card or enter an access code there. See Where do I add my access code?
Start on free access
Open any Blended Teaching link in your course.
Select Get access.
Follow the steps on screen. There is no checkout and we don't ask for a card.
While you're on free access, every page of your course shows a reminder: "Free access ends on [date]. Redeem your access code to keep your place.
Add your access code or pay
You can do this at any time. You don't have to wait for free access to end.
On any page of your course, select Redeem a code or buy.
Enter the access code you got from your bookstore, VitalSource or Kortext, or pay us directly.
You stay in the same section of your course, with all your attempts, grades and progress.
If you pay us directly, our usual refund policy applies: ask within 30 days of the start date of the class. See Getting Started with your Blended Teaching Textbook.
Your grades while you're on free access
You can do all your coursework on free access, including graded quizzes, exams and assignments. Your work is saved with the time you submitted it, but we hold the score until you add your access code or pay.
On graded work, you'll see Graded · score held instead of your score.
Practice quizzes and knowledge checks show your results and feedback as normal.
When you add your access code or pay, every held score appears straight away and is sent to your course gradebook in your LMS.
When free access ends
Free access lasts until the end of the date shown, Eastern time (ET). At midnight ET it ends by itself. We never took a card, so nothing is charged.
The next time you open your course, you'll see the payment page, with a note that your work is saved. Enter your access code or pay, and you're back in the same section with all your attempts, grades and progress.
If your access code hasn't arrived
Bookstores and inclusive access programs often release codes only on the start date of the class, not before. Start on free access now and add your code when it comes.
If the free access date is close and you still don't have a code, contact your bookstore or inclusive access program. They issue the code, so they are the ones who can send it. See Where can students find their access codes?
If your code doesn't work when you enter it, see My Access Code Isn't Working.