Business/Finance

• Business and Finance Procedures (Print Version)

• Business/Finance
• Procedures
• Policies and Procedures
• Seminole State Homepage

Want more info?

Seminole State College
100 Weldon Boulevard
Sanford, Florida 32773-6199
407.708.4722

General Contact Information

Did you know...

Textbook Adoption (Procedure 5.2100)

Purpose

The College establishes this procedure for adoption of textbooks and other course materials with the goal of minimizing the cost to students, while achieving desired course learning outcomes, and maintaining quality education and academic freedom.

Definitions

Department Administrator – Associate dean, program manager, or director, as applicable.

Procedure

1. Responsibility
   1. Faculty should be well-informed regarding the current and new textbooks available in their disciplines and should strive for consensus in making recommendations for the textbooks to be adopted by their departments. The adopted textbooks should:
      1. support achievement of course learning outcomes,
      2. be adaptable to a variety of learning styles,
      3. represent good value for students.
   2. Faculty are required to teach from the adopted texts and use all materials required for the course by the department. Faculty may not select alternate or additional texts without permission of their department administrators.
   3. Department administrators and academic administrators are responsible for ensuring that books are selected using established bookstore protocols and timelines. Faculty or department administrators on behalf of faculty, must meet the textbook and instructional material adoption deadlines for each term, which shall be no later than 45 days prior to the first day of classes. This process allows sufficient lead time for bookstores to confirm availability of the requested materials and to ensure maximum availability of used books. When courses or sections for existing courses are added after this 45-day deadline, textbooks and other course materials for such courses and sections shall be adopted as soon as feasible to ensure sufficient lead time.
   4. Course instructors and academic departments are encouraged to participate in the development, adaptation, and review of open-access textbooks, particularly for high- demand general education courses.
   5. The College provides, through financial aid and scholarships, consideration for those students who otherwise are unable to afford the cost of requiredtextbooks and materials. Consideration shall also be given to the extent to which an open-access textbook may be used.
2. Textbook Adoption Process
   1. The bookstore managers shall publish textbook adoption deadlines that are at least 45 days prior to the first day of classes. The adoption deadlines are:
      1. Fall classes: April 15
      2. Spring classes: October 15
      3. Summer classes: February 15
   2. Faculty or department administrators on behalf of faculty, shall submit textbook orders to the bookstore by the adoption deadlines.
   3. Each department shall maintain, before textbook adoption is finalized, written or electronically transmitted certifications from course instructors attesting:
      1. That all textbooks and other instructional items ordered will be used, particularly each individual item sold as part of a bundled package, and
      2. The extent to which a new edition differs significantly and substantively from earlier versions, and the value of changing to a new edition.
   4. By two weeks after the adoption deadline dates, the bookstore managers shall provide the academic and department administrators with a listing of any scheduled courses for which textbook adoptions have not been received.
   5. The academic administrators shall follow-up with their department administrators to ensure any outstanding adoptions are finalized and submitted to the bookstore in compliance with Florida Administrative Code 6A-14.092, which requires adoptions by 45 days prior to the first day of class or for courses that are added after the 45-day deadline, as soon as is feasible to ensure sufficient lead time.
   6. Upon receiving timely textbook adoptions from faculty and department administrators, the bookstore managers shall post on the College’s website, as early as feasible, but not less than 30 days prior to the first day of classes for each term, a list of course materials required for each course offered at the College during the upcoming term. For those classes added after the thirty (30) day notification deadline, the bookstore managers shall post textbook information on the College’s website as such information becomes available from department administrators.
   7. The posted list must include the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for each required textbook or other identifying information, which must include, at a minimum, all of the following: the title, all authors listed, publishers, edition number, copyright date, published date, and other relevant information necessary to identify the specific textbook or textbooks, required for each course. For those classes added after the 30 day notification deadline, the bookstore managers shall post textbook information on the College’s website as such information becomes available.
   8. The bookstore managers will work to secure a sufficient supply of new and used textbooks in order to meet the anticipated need.
   9. Instructors shall agree, through certifications collected by department administrators, to use all textbooks and other instructional items ordered for the courses they teach. This has the purpose of ensuring that instructors who were not involved in the textbook adoption process are aware of and agree to the requirement of using all the textbooks and other instructional items ordered for the courses they teach.
   10. Bookstore managers are encouraged to notify department administrators when they become aware of significant numbers of returns of required textbooks and materials by students during the first few weeks of the term.
3. Textbook Adoption Related Activities
   1. College employees may receive:
      1. Sample copies, instructor copies, or instructional materials.
      2. Royalties or other compensation from sales of textbooks that include the instructor’s own writing or work.
      3. Honoraria for academic peer review of course materials.
      4. Fees associated with activities such as reviewing, critiquing, or preparing support materials for textbooks pursuant to guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education.
      5. Training in the use of course materials and learning technologies.
   2. College employees may not:
      1. Demand or receive any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, service or anything of value, present or promised, in exchange for requiring students to purchase a specific textbook for course work or instruction.
      2. Sell any sample copies, instructor copies, or instructional materials if they are specifically marked as free samples not for sale.
      3. Sell academic materials, including texts, supplementary texts, and other materials directly to students.