Nov. 9, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, in response to HB 2919, now requires all Oregon colleges and universities to display required course materials and associated costs on the university bookstore website at the time of student registration. The purpose of this message is to make you aware of these upcoming changes so that you can begin to plan for the April 4, 2022 reporting deadline.
Right now, faculty can already adopt course materials through the Duck Store’s VerbaCollect platform, however only 30% of faculty are currently doing this. Adopting materials prior to registration provides the necessary time for students to find low-cost options, seek financial support, and budget for this cost ahead of time. This new requirement is also a key component of UO’s Textbook Affordability Strategic Plan.
The legislation specifically calls for institutions to work with their respective college bookstores to provide information on the costs of course materials to students. Since 1920 the University of Oregon Bookstore—known as The Duck Store—has been an independent non-profit owned and directed by the students, faculty, and staff of the university. It fulfills its mission to serve UO students through discounted prices on textbooks, student employment, and support of UO programs and initiatives. The Duck Store has been a long-time advocate and partner for textbook affordability, and—crucially—it has the platform and expertise to help UO meet this new legislative requirement through collecting information on any required course materials and connecting it with the relevant pricing data.
For the fall 2022 class schedule, which will be published on April 29, 2022, all faculty will be required to adopt course materials to the Duck Store or indicate that no materials are required for their course no later than April 4, 2022. Faculty can begin adopting fall 2022 materials on March 16, 2022. The classes must have a CRN for the adoptions to be submitted through VerbaCollect.
Adopting materials by this deadline is critical to meeting the legislative requirement and providing enough lead time for the Duck Store to source the low-cost options for students, including digital eBook options. Once materials are priced, the Registrar’s office will mark low ($50 or less) and no-cost courses on the class schedule.
We realize that many faculty are already finding ways to provide low and no cost options to students to help increase textbook affordability – thank you for your commitment to supporting your students. To that end, the Duck Store will also provide no-cost adoption methods to their platform, such as Canvas Readings, Library eBooks, Open Educational Resources (OER), and No Textbooks Required.
Additional messages will be shared during winter term with specific instructions of how to adopt your materials or indicate that you have no materials, which materials and courses are excluded from the new requirement, and how you can seek support. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the upcoming changes, please contact Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Ron Bramhall (rcb@uoregon.edu).
Sincerely,
Ron Bramhall
Office of the Provost