Dear Faculty,
You will soon begin receiving emails from the bookstore regarding course materials adoptions for Spring 2022, and we are writing today with one update and several important reminders about this process.
Update: Effective this semester, the bookstore is implementing an auto-adopt process for all cases in which the same instructor is teaching the same course as a previous term.
- If you are among those cases, the bookstore will email you to indicate the materials they currently have on file.
- Unless you reply to that email to indicate changes, those textbooks will be automatically re-ordered for the upcoming semester.
Reminders: For all other cases, it is more important than ever that all faculty provide accurate information to the bookstore well in advance of student registration for the upcoming term.
- If you have a bookstore account, you can use that account to quickly indicate your plans to re-use and update materials for each of your courses from a single location.
- If you will be using OER, or do not require students to purchase any materials, you can simply reply to the bookstore’s email letting them know this is the case.
- You can also indicate materials by replying to the bookstore’s email with the ISBN and author, title, publisher and copyright date for each item needed.
Please remember that you must inform the bookstore even if you are using OER materials, materials that can be downloaded or purchased directly within your Course Canvas site, and even if you are not requiring students to purchase any materials at all. Over the past few months, UNC’s data team has partnered with the campus OER committee, the bookstore and the registrar’s office to update the course schedule with columns showing the type of course materials used, and the approximate cost. Though UNC is generally expected to make this information available by the time of registration, if you must have additional time, it is also acceptable to let the bookstore know your course materials are “to be determined” and they will post a note to that effect. However, because UNC is obligated to provide information about materials costs, the bookstore will continue to reach out to you until your Spring course orders are complete.
Providing students with accurate and timely information about course materials enables them to plan for the full cost of attendance each term, and is one of the many ways you contribute to student success. We encourage you to attend to this task promptly. If you have additional ideas about how to improve or streamline this process, please work with your chairs/directors and college deans so that Academic Affairs can continue to work with the bookstore to better serve our faculty.
Stay healthy,
Nancy J. Matchett, Associate Provost and AVP for Undergraduate Studies
Oscar Levin, Campus OER Committee Member and Chair of the Faculty Senate
