Help: Textbooks and Course Materials Adoption

Contents

• Background on U-M’s Agreement with Barnes & Noble College
• How to Select/Adopt Textbooks and Course Materials
• Highlights of U-M’s Agreement with Barnes & Noble College
• FAQs
• Contacts and Support

Background on U-M’s Agreement with Barnes & Noble College

U-M entered into partnership with Barnes & Noble College (BNC) in 2018 to be the preferred textbook and course material provider to campus and to support instructors and staff in the adoption and fulfillment process of these items. For additional background on this, please refer to the following announcements:

• New textbook deal targets affordability, guaranteed fulfillment (University Record, April 17, 2018)
• New portal for faculty, staff textbook adoption coming (University Record, September 23, 2019)

How to Select/Adopt Textbooks and Course Materials

U-M instructors and staff are required to enter their upcoming textbook and course material needs into the Barnes & Noble College Adoption and Insights Portal (BNC AIP). Entering this information in the BNC AIP informs Barnes & Noble College, our preferred provider, of your upcoming needs. It also informs U-M students of their materials and costs for the upcoming term via a direct connection to their course schedules in Wolverine Access.

Instructors can access the BNC AIP via:

• Log in to BNC AIP with U-M uniqname and UMICH password.
• Wolverine Access > M-Pathways Student Administration > Homepage: Student Administration; Tile: Textbooks
• Wolverine Access > Faculty Center > My Schedule > Adopt Textbooks button

Staff with the M-Pathways roles of SR Textbook Maintainer or SR Class Maintainer can access the BNC AIP via

• Log in to the BNC AIP with U-M credentials
• Wolverine Access > M-Pathways Student Administration > Homepage: Student Administration; Tile: Textbooks
• Schedule of Classes (multiple ways to navigate to this page) > Textbook Entry tab > Adopt Textbooks button

Notes:

• Barnes & Noble College campus stores on Central and North Campuses do not carry textbooks in their stores for direct purchase at the stores. Students should order their materials through Barnes & Noble College’s student-facing website and select free shipment to campus stores (or free or low cost shipment to other addresses). See more information in FAQs under Student Experience.
• The BNC AIP replaced instructor/staff Wolverine Access textbook data entry pages as of October 2019.

Highlights of U-M’s Agreement with Barnes & Noble College

For U-M instructors and staff:
The agreement with Barnes & Noble College and the BNC AIP offer the following:

• Robust search options (e.g., ISBN, author name, keywords)
• Ability to see current prices of textbooks and course materials, in a variety of conditions and formats (e.g., new, used, digital, rental), so that affordability can be considered when selecting materials
• Ability to search for open educational resources (OER)
• Ability to see textbooks or course materials used in the past and easily re-adopt
• Guaranteed fulfillment of materials entered into the BNC AIP, when entered by the appropriate dates and deadlines
• Dedicated support by BNC specialists (phone, email, and chat) during the selection process and afterwards if there are any fulfillment issues

For U-M students:
The agreement with Barnes & Noble College offers the following:

• Integration of required textbook and course material information for upcoming terms with a student’s actual course schedule in Wolverine Access
• The ability to easily view Barnes & Noble College pricing and purchase/rental options and determine the best way to procure their materials for the upcoming term
• A variety of free or low-cost delivery options, including free pick-up from on-campus locations, if they purchase from Barnes & Noble College
• Price-match guarantees, so students can purchase early from Barnes & Noble College
• Easy on-campus returns at local Barnes & Noble College stores

For the most current information on Barnes & Noble College services like price match and free delivery options, visit the student-facing U-M online bookstore (hosted by Barnes & Noble College).

FAQs

Using the BNC AIP

• Is using the BNC AIP required at U-M? What if I don’t use textbooks in my course?

  U-M is required by federal law (Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 or HEOA) to inform students of their textbook and course materials and the associated costs at time of class registration. We rely on you and your use of the BNC AIP to be compliant and to be accountable to our students.

  Posting textbook and course material lists only on course info sites, like Canvas, or directing students to view a syllabus does not fulfill the HEOA requirements. Instructors and staff still need to enter this information in the BNC AIP.

  If a course has no textbooks or course materials, instructors and staff should use the BNC AIP to indicate that there are no required materials. Doing this will also inform students via their course schedules and in the student-facing U-M online bookstore.

• When do I have to enter textbook and course material information in the BNC AIP?

  The Registrar’s Office will email instructors and staff with textbook deadlines for upcoming terms, along with links to the BNC AIP.

  For a Fall term, textbook information is due by the time students register for courses in the spring prior (for HEOA compliance). For a Winter term, textbook information is due in the mid-to-late October period prior. See Office of the Registrar's Textbook Calendar for detailed textbook deadlines and dates.

• Can I request a desk copy of a textbook through the BNC AIP?

  Instructors and staff should request desk copies by contacting the publisher or the publisher’s representative directly. Please note that each publisher has different rules and processes in place for issuing desk copies, and it may not be possible to get a desk copy for some materials.

  If you need help finding publisher contacts, please contact Barnes & Noble College (see Contacts and Support below).

• Do I use the BNC AIP for coursepacks or other non-textbook materials?

  Yes, if you have a coursepack or other materials available at a nearby location in Ann Arbor, include those instructions in the BNC AIP “note to students” section for the course. The information you share will be displayed alongside textbooks in the student-facing U-M online bookstore, even if the item is not available for purchase from Barnes & Noble College.

  Instructors and staff may also have coursepacks or other course materials listed for direct purchase with Barnes & Noble College, so students can purchase all of their materials at one time. In order to do this for coursepacks, they will need to be assembled with Xanedu, a partner of Barnes & Noble College. Information on Xanedu is available within the BNC AIP. For other types of course materials, please contact Barnes & Noble College to explore your options (see Contacts and Support below).

• What types of reminders or emails will be sent to instructors and staff?

  The Registrar’s Office and Barnes & Noble College will send textbook and course material reminder emails to curriculum staff and instructors each term.

• How do I adopt textbooks and materials for combined sections?

  When submitting an adoption for a class section that is part of a combined section, you will have the option to adopt for any/all of the class sections that comprise that combined section as well as other sections of the same class.

Troubleshooting

• Why am I seeing textbooks that I haven't used in the past for my course?

  Within the BNC AIP, textbook history for the course shows materials entered in Wolverine Access by anyone at U-M who has taught that Subject / Catalog combination in recent terms.

• Who do I contact for fulfillment issues or for checking the status of out-of-stock materials?

  To check on the status of an item you entered in the BNC AIP, please reach out directly to Barnes & Noble College (see Contacts and Support below).

  If you are experiencing any acute fulfillment issues in the current term, please also email textbooks@umich.edu to share your experience.

• As a new instructor, why am I unable to access BNC AIP?

  New instructors should be able to successfully log into the BNC AIP after their official employment start date, which is typically once their first academic term begins. If textbook adoptions need to be submitted before that date, please reach out to Barnes & Noble College (see Contacts and Support below) directly or contact your department’s textbook maintainer for assistance.

• Why am I receiving an “Authentication Failure” message when attempting to log into the BNC AIP?

  This is typically due to a browser cache issue. Try clearing your browser cookies and cache or switching to a Private/Incognito window. Please note that Google Chrome works best with the BNC AIP system.

• I am having other trouble within the BNC AIP. Who do I contact to troubleshoot?

  To troubleshoot or for any other type of assistance within the BNC AIP, please reach out directly to Barnes & Noble College (see Contacts and Support below).

Textbook Affordability

• My department has arranged for special pricing for materials from another publisher or vendor. How can I make sure that students know this?

  For departments that have arranged for special pricing from publishers or other suppliers, please reach out to our BNC account manager and share this information. Doing so ensures that Barnes & Noble College can procure and sell the materials to our students at these negotiated prices, and it will ensure that accurate pricing information is posted on the student-facing U-M online bookstore.

  Please still identify these textbooks and course materials on the BNC AIP, so that students can see the correct version or edition of the materials.

• What options are available to me to find more affordable or free materials for students?

  There are a few options available to you within the BNC AIP:

  • When searching and selecting materials within the BNC AIP, instructors and staff can see current Barnes & Noble College pricing for materials to assist in the decision-making process.
  • The BNC AIP also lists open electronic resources (OERs) which can also be selected as textbooks for courses at no cost.

  Additionally, the U-M Library has a number of available campus resources that can replace or supplement some of your course materials at no cost:

  • For books, use U-M Library Catalog Search
    • Find online copies with unlimited access appropriate for class use
    • Find print copies that you can request to be placed on Course Reserves
  • For articles and book chapters, use U-M Library Article Search to find online versions or request document delivery
  • Reach out to the library’s subject specialists for assistance with locating materials, identifying copies with unlimited access, etc.

  
  If you refer students to alternative sources that are not found in the BNC AIP, please be sure to include clear notes to students in the BNC AIP. This information will be displayed alongside textbooks in the student-facing U-M online bookstore.

Student Experience

• How do students view textbook and course material information, and where do I tell them to buy the items?

  Information entered by instructors and staff in the BNC AIP is viewable by students from their course schedules and other convenient locations via a U-M online bookstore (supported by Barnes & Noble College). This includes information entered in the BNC AIP for special items that students may need to buy elsewhere.

  Students are then able to view pricing and purchase/rental options from Barnes & Noble College and determine the best way to procure their materials for the upcoming term. If students purchase from Barnes & Noble College, students will select from a variety of delivery options, including free pick-up from on-campus locations.

  Barnes & Noble College also emails our students a few times prior to the start of term to remind them of shipping deadlines and information on the “buy early” assurances (e.g., free returns, price match programs, etc.).

  Remember that directing students only to a syllabus or to Canvas for textbook information does not fulfill federal requirements of informing students of the full cost of attendance at time of class registration.

• Can students buy their textbooks in nearby stores, whether at Barnes & Noble College or elsewhere?

  As part of U-M’s agreement, Barnes & Noble College is the only textbook provider obligated to carry all textbooks that are entered by U-M instructors and staff into the BNC AIP. Unless other nearby stores or vendors request this data from U-M, they will not be automatically informed of the course materials entered into the BNC AIP. If they do request U-M’s course materials list, these other vendors may also choose to not carry all titles in their stores. Please keep this in mind as you communicate with students about about locating course materials.

  Please note that in recent years, Barnes & Noble College and other nearby textbook providers have transitioned to a “ship on demand” model and no longer stock textbooks on shelves in nearby stores. Students can only pick-up in local stores if they have ordered online and followed the store’s pick-up process. With this in mind, if you require that students have a specific item before or on the first day of class, please communicate this requirement to them via your preferred means of messaging your class roster.

• Where are the Barnes & Noble College stores in Ann Arbor?

  The Barnes & Noble College stores are located at Pierpont Commons on North Campus and in the Michigan Union on Central Campus. As noted in other FAQs, these locations are campus stores and pick-up locations for students’ textbook orders, and they do not carry textbooks in stock for general purchase.