Fall 2024 course material adoption

Dear faculty,

As we approach the start of the fall 2024 semester, I want to remind you to complete the adoption of your course materials to ensure they are available for students to acquire in advance. Timely textbook adoption is beneficial for all of our students, particularly those on agency scholarships and student-athletes, who are required to obtain their course materials from the on-campus bookstore.

You can use the Follett Discover tool in Blackboard to manage your adoptions and readopt items from past terms. For technical support or questions regarding textbook ordering, please contact bookstore manager John Sublette at 312-413-5500 or j.sublette@follett.com.

Key reasons for early textbook adoption include:

• Improved student experience: Ensuring that all materials are available simultaneously reduces the number of trips students need to make to the bookstore, enhancing their overall experience.
• Increased buyback value: Providing timely course material information enhances buyback value for current students and helps us build a more robust used textbook inventory, which is increasingly difficult in the rapidly declining textbook market.
• Limited physical stock: Publishers are stocking fewer physical materials as more schools shift to digital course materials. This creates a “first come, first served” situation with multiple schools vying for fewer books.

Additionally, this recommendation complies with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) Textbook Provision.

I also encourage you to consider utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER) where appropriate for your courses and instructional needs. More information about Open Educational Resources can be found on the University Library’s website.

Thank you for supporting our students in getting a strong start to the semester.

Sincerely,

Karen J. Colley
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs