Terms of Service

1. What the Service Is

Alder's Book is an AI-enhanced learning platform. The courses we currently publish are listed on our FAQ; courses still in preview there cannot yet be bought or read. The platform began as a pilot at Skidmore College and is open to students anywhere.

2. Accounts

• Students: any email address may create an account. Creating an account is free and does not by itself give you access to any textbook (see Section 3).
• Professors: a professor account is requested with a valid @skidmore.edu address and is reviewed by an administrator before it is activated. Requesting one grants nothing on its own. Until it is approved you can sign in and use the demo course, and you cannot create a class, see a roster, or see any student's data.
• One account per person.
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.

3. Access, Purchases, and Refunds

Access to a textbook comes from exactly one of three things: a class you have joined, a purchase, or a grant we issue directly. Nothing else grants it.

Joining a class

Entering your professor's class code enrolls you and gives you 14 days of free access to that class's textbook, counted from the moment you enroll. This is available once per class, per account. Leaving and rejoining, re-entering the code, or being re-added by your professor does not start a second window or extend the first one.

If the class is for a course whose textbook is not published yet, you are still enrolled and nothing is charged, but there is nothing to open. We will tell you so plainly rather than showing you an empty book, and we will let you know when it is ready.

Buying a textbook

• A textbook costs $60. The exact amount, any tax, and the date your access ends are shown at checkout before you pay, and again on your receipt.
• This is a one-time charge, not a subscription. It does not renew. Nothing is ever charged to you automatically.
• A purchase gives you 121 days of access, counted from the time your payment succeeds.
• Free class access is never deducted from a purchase. If you buy partway through a free class window, your 121 days still run from the day you pay.

When access ends

When a free window or a paid term runs out, the textbook locks, but your work is kept. Your mastery, your attempt history, your notes, and your place in the book are all retained. If you buy the textbook later, you pick up exactly where you stopped; nothing is reset and you do not start again.

Refunds

Refund Policy You can request a full refund within 14 days of your purchase, for any reason. Email support@aldersbook.com from the address on your account and include the textbook name. Refunds are issued to the original payment method and typically appear within 5-10 business days depending on your bank. When a refund is issued, access to that textbook ends immediately. Your saved work, notes, and progress are retained, and are restored if you purchase the textbook again later. After 14 days, purchases are non-refundable. Access ends on the date shown at checkout and on your receipt. Exceptions, refunded at any point in the term: - You were charged more than once for the same textbook. - You purchased the wrong textbook and have not used it. - The textbook is unavailable or materially incomplete for reasons on our end. Your purchase is a one-time charge. It does not renew, and no further charges are made automatically.

4. AI Disclosure

The platform uses artificial intelligence to generate practice questions, provide tutoring feedback, and create educational content. Important things to know:

• AI does not determine your grades or scores. All grading is performed by deterministic evaluation systems.
• AI may occasionally produce incorrect or imperfect explanations.
• Your account name and email are stripped from messages before they reach our AI provider. Anything you type into a chat itself, however, can't be reliably redacted, so keep chats about the coursework, not about you. See the Privacy Policy for details.

5. Academic Integrity

The platform is a study and practice tool. Using it does not constitute academic dishonesty. However, users must follow their institution's academic integrity policies regarding how they use learning tools.

6. Content Ownership

Educational content on the platform (textbook material, questions, diagrams) is owned by Alder's Book. Your learning data belongs to you.

7. Limitation of Liability

The platform is provided “as is” during the pilot period. We are not liable for incorrect content, service interruptions, or data loss. This is a supplementary learning tool, not a replacement for course instruction.

8. Termination

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms. You may delete your account at any time from your account settings.

9. Changes

We may update these terms. Continued use of the platform requires acceptance of the current terms. You will be prompted to review and accept updated terms when they change.

10. Contact

Questions or concerns? Contact us at support@aldersbook.com.