AI is reshaping how students study, research, and learn. But not all AI tools are created equal. While popular AI tools like ChatGPT offer instant answers, they lack academic depth, proper citation, and transparency. Perlego's AI tools are purpose-built for academic environments. Faculty and publishers were engaged in the design process. Its Research Assistant and Smart Search features go beyond surface-level summaries by providing source-cited, academically rigorous content from a catalogue of over 1.5 million scholarly titles. This allows students to stay grounded in credible sources while accelerating their research process. Westcliff University have embedded Perlego into the undergraduate and graduate student learning experience. Dr. Jodi Consten, Dean of Education, noted how, since implementing Perlego, “Students come more prepared to class. They are reading more.” She called out the Research Assistant as a powerful tool in her graduate student teaching. “It was amazing how much they could put a topic in, and that AI-generated assistant really helped them, as if they had their own research assistant going through a doctoral programme. The Research Assistant really helped the students in my class, it’s as if they had their own research assistant going through a doctoral programme.”
By embedding such tools into the learning experience, Westcliff University is cultivating digital literacy and critical thinking skills that are essential for success in both higher education and the workplace. Dr. Consten remarks, “AI is a 21st-century skill alongside critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. If we can teach students how to use AI ethically, it will prepare them for a world where AI is common.”
Traditional textbook models are no longer fit for purpose. Students are burdened by high costs and limited access. “Technology has been an equalizer for us,” Dr. Iverson, Chief Academic Officer at Westcliff University, says. “Books create a financial burden for our students. Some try to wing it without a textbook because they are expensive, which causes them to fall behind.”
Perlego flips the traditional model on its head with its subscription-based platform, offering unlimited access to a digital library of 1.5 million academic titles for a fixed monthly fee. This shift aligns with how students already consume media—on-demand, digital, and affordable. Westcliff University recognised that to remain competitive and supportive of its student body, it needed to meet learners where they are. Through Perlego, faculty can easily assign materials, customise reading experiences, and ensure all students have equal access from day one.
With Westcliff University having global campuses in Jordan, Nepal, and Dubai, as well as multiple campuses in the US, Perlego was unique in its ability to offer high-quality content at an affordable price to students worldwide.
Since launching the partnership in May 2025, Westcliff has seen significant positive outcomes. Faculty have reported enhanced learning quality, noting that students produce better work when provided with rich, accessible resources.
One professor identified eight supplementary textbooks via Perlego, all of which were used by students, resulting in noticeable improvements in academic output.
Moreover, with students hailing from over 100 countries, Westcliff needed a solution that was both globally accessible and academically robust. Perlego delivered on both fronts, supporting the university’s broader mission of affordability, accessibility, and academic excellence.
“How do you find a vendor that lets you have all those assets across global campuses?” Dr. Iverson remarks. “That is another great benefit for us, the affordability. Perlego enables us to offer a reasonable subscription cost for the students. Compared to the price of the book, that subscription is really nothing. That is really helping us to support all the international students who are already stretched with their financial budget.”
As Dr. Iverson put it, the university is focused on becoming “the most innovative global educational institution.” Embracing platforms like Perlego is a bold step toward that goal.
Digital, Accessible, and Smart: The Future of Course Materials
Westcliff University’s collaboration with Perlego is a blueprint for institutions seeking to make higher education more inclusive, rigorous, and future-ready. By embracing subscription-based learning platforms and AI tools built for academia, universities can unlock better outcomes for students while staying ahead in a rapidly changing educational environment
Learn more about how Perlego makes course materials accessible and affordable for your institution.