The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission 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. This is also an important action item in the UO’s Textbook Affordability Strategic Plan.
To comply with the new requirement, UO has established a process and deadlines for faculty to report course materials each term, outlined below. If you have questions about the new course materials reporting requirement, please email rcb@uoregon.edu.
Timeline
All course materials should be reported 6 weeks in advance of registration to allow time for the Duck Store to price and procure materials and to allow time for the Registrar’s Office to mark low/no cost courses on the class schedule.
The course materials adoption deadlines for AY 2024-2025 are:
Quarter System Courses
- Summer 2024 - March 25, 2024
- Fall 2024 - April 8, 2024
- Winter 2025 - October 7, 2024
- Spring 2025 - January 13, 2025
- Summer 2025 - March 24, 2025
Law Courses Deadlines (Same deadline each year)
- Law Summer Semester - May 1
- Law Fall Semester - May 31
- Law Spring Semester - October 31
Instructions for Reporting Course Materials
The new requirement specifically calls for institutions to work with their respective college bookstores to provide information on the costs of course materials to students. The Duck Store has been a long-time advocate and partner for textbook affordability, and 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.
The Duck Store has added several course materials adoption options to the Verba Collect course materials adoption platform to accommodate the wide variety of materials faculty use for teaching and learning at UO. If this is your first time reporting course materials to the Duck Store, we encourage you to review the following resources to familiarize yourself with the process:
- The Duck Store instructions for adopting materials
- Verba Collect Platform Tutorials:
Batch Reporting Courses
If your unit has courses for which it is known that there will be no materials required, those can be batch reported. Follow these instructions and use this spreadsheet.
Adding Departmental Approvers
If you would like to add departmental approvers who can submit adoptions for any course in department, please email facultyadoptions@uoduckstore.com with the following information: First/Last Name | Email Address | Department.
Exceptions
The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission has outlined which materials are omitted from the new requirement, which include:
- Common consumable materials not specific to a program or course of study.
- Any items covered by the payment of a noticed lab or directly related course fee.
- Any materials or directly related course fees required of students in a program previously noticed to students as a condition of participation in such program, provided that the course for which the materials will be utilized is not open to enrollment by non-program participants.
- Any equipment, materials or fees generally utilized by students for basic participation at an institution, or that are required as a condition of attendance or participation at an institution. A classroom response system device is not exempt from reporting under this subsection.
FAQ
I usually report my course materials to a central point of contact in my department. Do I also need to report my course materials to the Duck Store?
Some departments collect course materials and textbook adoptions centrally already and report these all at once to the Duck Store. Please use this existing process if it exists in your department; there is no need to report to the Duck Store separately. Check with your department administrator if you are unsure.
Do I need to report my course materials if I am not currently teaching a class?
No, you don’t need to report at this time. This new requirement only applies for classes you are currently teaching. Only classes with a CRN can be reported to the Duck Store Verba Collect platform.
I provide readings to students in Canvas. Do I need to report this?
Yes, we still need you to report this. While we don’t need to know the specific Canvas readings you will include, we still need to indicate that your course is “no cost,” so students can see this on the Class Schedule when registering for their classes. See the Duck Store course materials adoption instructions for guidance on how to indicate that you are using Canvas readings.
I use library materials. Do I need to report this?
Yes, we still need you to report this. If you are using library journal articles, we don’t need to know the specific articles you’re using. If you are using a library eBook, you can optionally add the link for the eBook to the notes field, so that your students know how to access it. Reporting your use of library materials will ensure that your course gets marked as “no cost” on the Class Schedule. See the Duck Store course materials adoption instructions for guidance on how to indicate that you are using library materials.
I use a free textbook or an open textbook. Do I need to report this?
Yes, we still need you to report this. The Duck Store includes an option to adopt an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook and allows you to provide a link to the textbook (or a note about how students can gain access). Adopting your OER text will ensure that your course gets marked as "no cost” on the Class Schedule, which students can see when they register for classes. See the Duck Store course materials adoption instructions for guidance on how to adopt a free or open textbook.
Do I need to report my course materials if I don’t need the Duck Store to purchase anything for my class?
Yes, we still need you to report this so that the Duck Store can provide a cost estimate to students at the time of registration. If you don’t need the Duck Store to purchase anything, you can include this in the notes field, but keep in mind that some students still prefer to shop locally through the Duck Store.
What happens if I miss the course materials adoption deadline?
Departments will receive a regular report with courses that have not yet reported materials. Instructors will be asked to report materials for those courses as soon as possible.
What does it mean that my course is “low/no cost” on the Class Schedule?
If your total course materials cost is less than $50, your course will be marked as “low/no cost” on the Class Schedule, and students can see this course indicator when registering for courses. In future terms, students will be able to filter courses by this course attribute, too.