JSU Policy No. AY2010.74

OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Jackson State University Jackson, Mississippi

ACADEMIC POLICY/PROCEDURE

Policy: State

Subject: TEXTBOOK ADOPTION POLICY

Objective: The objective of this Policy is to delineate the University’s Policy and Procedures for Textbook Adoptions and to assist with costly textbooks and supplemental course material purchases.

Policy Statement: Jackson State University is committed to address the nature of costly textbooks and supplemental course materials for its students. The University Textbook Adoption Policy shall serve as a user guide to aid all Custodians of this Policy to adopt affordably priced and appropriate textbooks and supplemental course materials to achieve the objectives of any course. This Policy shall be implemented in accordance with Section 133 of federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) and the state Institutions of Higher Learning Textbook Policy, hereinafter referred to as BP 617.

Subject: Objective:

Jackson State University has set forth guidelines and procedures for the adoption of textbooks and supplemental course materials, The deadlines and procedures shall be followed as prescribed to embrace full compliance of thel-1£0A of 2008, including the requirement that textbook information (including the ISBNs and prices) be provided to students.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (I ICOA) is MANDATORY. Custodians of this Policy must be price conscious and maintain the intended objective of the course. Failure to comply with this Poky, in pallor in whole, is a violation of Section 133 of the federal HEOA Textbook Provision of 2008 in the even (the University incurs costs associated with Custodians who violates this Policy; this cost shall be the responsibility of the violator(s).

Effective Date: July 1, 2010

Policy Type: New

Policy Impact:   University Wide

To Whom This Policy Applies:   The Textbook Adoption Policy applies to deans, department chairs, department heads, faculty, lecturers, administrators, staff, students and any affiliated bookstore operator (the Policy "Custodians").

The HEOA was designed to reform the higher education system in an effort to operate in the best interests of students and their families. This Act calls for the institution or affiliated bookstores to provide the International Standard gook Numbers (ISBNs), textbook prices and supplemental course materials for each course. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that students have access to affordable textbooks and supplemental course materials by decreasing costs and enhancing transparency and disclosure with respect to the selection, purchase, sale, and use of course materials. Its further intentions are to encourage Custodians of this Policy to work together to identify ways to decrease the cost of college textbooks and supplemental course materials while supporting the academic freedom of faculty members to select high quality course materials for Its students.

Administrator of This Policy: The Office of the Provost or his/her designee is responsible for the implementation and administration of this Policy. The Provost or his/her designee shall serve as the liaison to all deans, department chairs, department heads, faculty, lecturers, administrators, staff, students and any affiliated bookstore operation.

Textbook Adoptions:

• The University Is scheduled to conduct Textbook Adoptions three (3) times per calendar year. The fall, spring and summer semesters {1 and 2}. Textbook Adoptions forms must be submitted to the Bookstore Textbook Manager each academic year according to the schedule of Adoption Periods

(b) The dextrin’s set forth and approved by the University shall be no later than the beginning of the registration period for any succeeding semester and at least forty (40) days prior to the end of the preceding semester, which provides sufficient time to work with affiliated bookstores Lo Meet the NEPA posting requirements;

(c) The third party affiliated bookstore manager shall prepare textbook adoption forms and notify the Office of the Provost or his/her designee of the issuance date for Textbook Adoptions. It is the responsibility of the Provost or his/her designee to ensure the receipt of 100% Adoptions Forms from all academic deans, chairs, department heads and faculty members;

(d) It is the responsibility of the Provost or his/her designee to make certain that all Textbook Adoptions forms are submitted and verified on or before the deadlines in accordance with the Schedule of Adoption Periods. Timely adoptions of textbooks are required more importantly for course types such as lecture, lecture/lab, and laboratory recitation/discussion, etc. These course types as designated and defined by the Int. Data Dictionary are generally courses which require textbooks. Other course types may apply;

(e) It is the responsibility of the Provost or his/her designee to establish accountability measures for those Custodians who intentionally or unintentionally violate this Policy;

(f) It is the responsibility of the Department head to designate a member of its team to enter all Textbook Adoption information into the customized web-based Textbook Adoption System (TAS) by the deadlines noted in this Policy. Textbook Adoption orders must include: course number, course section, faculty name, faculty contact information, author, title edition, ISBN, estimated enrollment and indicate (what types of textbook formats (i.e, electronic, hard-back access codes, etc.—to the extent possible);

(g) All Adoptions must include whether the textbooks and the supplemental course materials are REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED and if an alternate edition can be used;

(h) Deans, Chairs, Department heads and faculty members are strongly encouraged to adopt the same Textbook and supplemental course materials for all sections of a particular course;

(i) Deans, Chairs, Department heads are responsible for ensuring that all pertinent courses under their authority have adoptions submitted by the deadlines, in instances where ‘no instructor" has been assigned for a particular course section as of the date announced in the Schedule of Adoption Periods;

(j) Once Textbooks and supplemental course materials requests have been submitted, any additions, replacements, and deletions cannot be made without the written approval from the Office of Provost or his/her designee. The only exceptions will be based on textbook additions, replacements, and deletions in which a requested book is unavailable in the marketplace. Faculty members are not authorized to make changes to Adoptions after the deadlines;

(k) The Provost or his/her designee has the sole governing authority to approve any contract for “specialty textbooks” or ”customized textbooks" for use only at JSU. These textbooks are considered one of the user books that may not be resalable and are strongly discouraged. No Academic department chair, department head, nor faculty member should sign a binding contract on behalf of Jackson State University. The University does not assume any responsibility of a contract, nor guarantee any part of a contract which is not approved and signed by the appropriate authorities. There should be no contracts between any deans, chairs, department heads, faculty members and the textbook publishers;

(I) Deans, Chairs, Department Heads and Faculty who teach courses in which required textbooks or other supplemental course materials generate royalties or economic benefits for the faculty member or department must acquire approval from the Office of the Provost. If approved, it is the responsibility of the requester to contact the Office of Internal Auditor to obtain the appropriate steps to secure a bank account styled Jackson State University. Funds should be used for faculty development unless prior approval has been granted for other use;

(m) Deans, Chairs, Department Heads and Faculty are not authorized to collect fees from students or sell any textbooks or supplemental course materials, supplies, etc., directly to students;

(n) It is the responsibility of the Bookstore Textbook Manager to Inventory unsold textbooks and notify the Office of Provost or his/her designee prior to returning any textbooks to the publishers;

(o) It is the responsibility of the Bookstore Textbook Manager to notify the Office of the Provost of any information received regarding the delay in shipment of a textbook or of the inability of a publisher to provide the textbook by a required date. The Bookstore Textbook Manager will obtain delayed books or substitute books by the most expedient means. When requested, out-of-print books will be acquired from alternate sources, where possible;

(p) It is the responsibility of the Bookstore Textbook Manager to submit any survey, assessment or student feedback results to the Office of the Provost or his/her designee to be included in the annual report submitted to the IHL Commissioner or his/her designee; and

(q) It is the responsibility of the Office of the Provost or his/her designee to compile and submit an annual assessment report as required by the IHL Assessment Plan and submit to the IHL Commissioner or his/her designee. The University’s annual assessment report shall be made available on the University website, as well as on the System website.

 Schedule of Adoption Periods

Textbook Adoptions are                 Textbook Adoptions due                    Changes/Modifications      Semester Period

Issued to the University                  date to third party                                 to Textbook Adoptions

(Bookstore)                                           (Absolute Due Date)                                          

April 1                                                April 15                                                  May 1                                     Fall Semester

October 1                                          October 15                                            November 1                         Spring Semester

March 1                                             March 15                                               April 1                               Summer Semesters

Please note: In the event the deadline due date falls on a holiday or the weekend, the Textbook Adoption forms are due the last working date prior to the deadline date.

Textbook Adoption Periods

The University Textbook Adoption Periods are set for a minimum three {3) year adoption period for lower division courses, with the exception that editions are out of print, obsolete due to industry changes-tax accounting, electronic textbooks, substantive changes were made in either the Textbook or course description or there was a significant change in the body of knowledge pertinent to the course. Any exceptions made against this Policy shall require prior written approval from the Provost or Dean levels of that school/college only after a recommendation from the department chair and/or head.

The University strongly encourages a two {2) year minimum adoption period for upper division courses. At the discretion of the Provost, exceptions may be granted. These periods reference those textbooks that are resalable as opposed to one-time usage materials (e.g., workbooks) or books that have limited resale value.

Dissemination of Textbook Information

The Office of the Provost or his/her designee shall be responsible for marketing and disseminating information on best practices in Textbook Adoptions to all students and faculty. The designee shall provide students and faculty with the information and tools for the selection of textbooks prior to Adoption periods. This information should be disseminated prior to each semester, as new students enroll and faculty members are hired.

The Office of the Provost or higher designee shall be responsible for disseminating °Tips" on purchasing textbooks and supplemental course materials. These "Tips° must include:

• Marketing end the dissemination of materials;
• Availability of electronic versions and alternative formats;
• Availability of unbundled textbook components;
• Exchange Policy and Buy-back rates:
• Price-Matching Policy; and
• A clear explanation of the significance of the ISBNs to all students, more importantly entering freshmen, during orientation or within thirty {D} days prior to the beginning of the semester.

These ‘Tips" can be disseminated through any media source such as brochures, campus newspaper, hand-cuts, brochures, etc. These "Tips’ must be disseminated on a semester basis, no less than forty days prior to the end of the preceding semester. It is strongly encourage that institutions utilize the campus Internet and direct students to the site for more information regarding Textbook purchases and savings.

Assessment of Progress

The Office of the Provost or his/her designee shall be responsible for the development of a user friendly assessment tool to determine the end user satisfaction of the textbook and supplemental course materials used each semester. These results should be made public to students and faculty members. In addition, the following information should be compiled in an annual report and submitted to the IHL Commissioner or his/her designee.

• Describe and identify avenues to improve system and institutional practices;
• Provide analysis and reports appropriate to assess full compliance;
• Provide a comprehensive report of the extent of compliance strategies and accomplishments;
• Provide a narrative on how fluant the textbook was used in and out ot the classroom;
• Provide a narrative on the value of assigned textbooks and supplemental course materials;
• Provide a cost analysis of textbook and course materials (Preference; Top 20 highest enrollment classes};
• Provide a descriptive summary on the volume of buy-back purchases and power;
• Provide a brief summary on the volume of electronic versions used or sold; and
• Provide an availability report on the required textbook in affiliated bookstore or other sources.

Definitions

(1)       The term "custodian" means any full-time and part-time faculty members (including lecturers), students, and administrators, institutions of higher education, in stores, distributers and publishers.

(2)       The term "college textbook" means a textbook or a set of textbooks, used for, or in conjunction with, a course in postsecondary education at an institution of higher education. For the purpose of this Policy only, a textbook is also defined as a resalable purchase; not a one-time usage book. This includes software, electronic Files, supplemental course materials and course packs.

(3)       The term "supplemental course material" means educational material developed to accompany a college textbook or workbook that;

1. may include printed materials, computer disks, website access, and  electronically distributed materials; and
2. is not being used as a component of an integrated textbook.

(4)       The term "bundle" means one or more college textbooks or other supplemental course materials that may be packaged together to be sold as course materials for one price.

(5)      The term "course schedule" means a listing of the courses or class offered by an institution of higher education for an academic period, as defined by the institution.

(6)      The term "specialty textbook" and "customized text books":

1. means a college textbook that is compiled by a publisher at the direction of a faculty member or other person or adopting entity in charge of selecting course materials at an Institution of higher education; and
2. may include, alone or in combination items such as selections from original instructor materials, previously copyrighted publisher material copyrighted third party works, and elements unique to a specific institution such as commemorative editions.

(7)      The term ‘lower division courses’ means any undergraduate course level classes generally enrolled by freshmen and sophomores using course levels 100-200,

(8)      The term "upper division courses" means any undergraduate course level classes generally enrolled by juniors and seniors using course levels 200 or above.

(9)      The term "substantive or "significant- changes to the content means parts of a college textbook such as new chapters, new material covering additional eras of time, new themes, or new subject matter.

11-UPSU Related Policy/Standards BP617

Authority

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Interim)

(Signature on Hardcopy – Will Provide), Effective Date: July 1, 2010.