Course Instructional Materials Adoption

1. Rationale   
   1. Timely adoption and notification of instructional materials used in courses significantly affects the learning opportunities of students in various ways, including but not limited to issues involving financial constraints, reimbursement procedures, and timely conversions to accessible formats for those with specific accommodation needs.  Policies to address these issues are required by federal and state laws and regulations, as well as the CSU.  (See Executive Order 926 and subsequent Coded Memoranda, California State Auditor Report 2007-116, Affordability of College Textbooks, Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008)
   2. The goal of this policy is to assure accessibility of materials in a timely manner, while maintaining the appropriate pedagogical and disciplinary autonomy and authority of the faculty over their courses.
2. Definitions
   1. Instructor refers to the faculty member who is the assigned faculty of record for a course offered by an academic department or academic program and has primary responsibility for selection of instructional materials for the course.
   2. Instructional Materials refers to material recommended or required by the instructor that students are expected to purchase or obtain for a course. (Materials directly provided to the students by the instructor, such as web pages, library reserves, handouts, etc., are not covered in this policy.)
   3. Course Registration refers to the process by which students are able to enroll in courses for a given semester.
   4. Late Launched Courses refers to those courses offered for a given semester only after Course Registration begins for that semester.
   5. If a faculty member feels, and his or her department chair or faculty designee concurs, that the disclosure of the information described in this policy is not practicable for a college textbook or supplemental material, then the department chair or faculty designee shall so indicate by sending the designation “To Be Determined” to the university bookstore in lieu of the information required under this policy.
3. Selection of Instructional Materials Adopted:
   1. In the spring of each academic year, Faculty Affairs will notify all faculty members of the procedures and timelines for the notification of the selection of Instructional Materials for the following academic year.  These procedures and timelines will comply with Federal Law (Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008).
   2. Instructors must notify the SSU Bookstore no later than one week prior to Course Registration whether or not any Instructional Materials will be required or recommended. If the Instructor of a course has not notified the SSU Bookstore by the established deadlines whether or not any Instructional Materials will be required for a given course, the department chair or faculty designee will notify the SSU Bookstore of the selection.
   3. For sections without an assigned instructor by the beginning of Course Registration, the selection of Instructional Materials will be made by the department chair or faculty designee. The department chair or faculty designee will notify the SSU Bookstore of that selection.
   4. For Late Launched Courses, Instructors should notify the SSU Bookstore of their selection of Instructional Materials within a week of being assigned the course.  If a Late Launched Course is opened for enrollment before an Instructor is assigned, the department chair or faculty designee will notify the SSU Bookstore of the Instructional Materials selections.
   5. If a faculty member feels, and his or her department chair or faculty designee concurs, that the disclosure of the information described in this policy is not practicable for a college textbook or supplemental material, then the department chair or faculty designee shall so indicate by sending the designation “To Be Determined” to the university bookstore in lieu of the information required under this policy.
4. Notificationof Instructional Materials Selection
   1. Office of Budget and Scheduling in Academic Affairs will make publicly available the selection of all Instructional Materials for all courses offered by the time Course Registration begins, and will update this report once prior to the start of the semester as corrections or modifications to these selections are made.  This report will be linked to the Academic Affairs Home Page.
   2. At least one week before Course Registration begins, Deans (or equivalents) will notify their department chairs (or equivalents) of any courses without Instructional Materials.
5. Related Resources for Instructors
   1. The Sonoma State University Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) Steering Committee has developed a checklist as a guide to meet students’ needs for accessible materials in timely manner.  The checklist of comprehensive strategies 

Updated December 10, 2013