Cost of Textbooks
TBR Policy Reference: 02.07.00.00
Approved by: Dr. George Pimentel
Original Date Effective: 2021-07-12
Purpose
Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.), Title 49, Chapter 7, Part 1 specifies that the Tennessee Board of Regents develop policies for minimizing the cost of textbooks and ancillary course materials at its higher education institutions, while maintaining quality of education and academic freedom.
Definitions
An E-textbook, or electronic textbook, is an educational or instructional book in digital form.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed text, media, and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning, and assessing as well as for research purposes.
Inclusive Access (IA) is a subscription-based model whereby students can gain immediate and complete access to digital course materials at substantially reduced cost. This usually includes a direct billing to students’ accounts for the cost of the digital materials.
Bundled materials comprise a group of objects joined together by packaging or required to be purchased as an indivisible unit.
Policy/Guideline
Jackson State Community College seeks to address the student success barrier and equity issues caused by continuously increasing textbook costs. The purpose of this policy is to minimize the cost of textbooks and ancillary course material
No provision in this policy shall have the effect of diminishing the academic freedom faculty possess in selecting materials for their courses.
Materials Selection and Submission of Adoptions
Faculty members and the leadership in each academic department share the responsibility for choosing textbooks and other required instructional materials such as study guides, laboratory manuals, computer software, videos, and computer assisted instruction modules. The department may elect to use different or additional materials to meet the needs of distance education students. Factors such as reading level, content and presentation consistent with academic goals, delivery mode, writing quality, accessibility and competitive pricing will be considered when reaching a consensus.
Faculty members or textbook selection committees will research cost-effective alternative delivery formats for selected materials as part of the review process and shall consider practices that reduce the cost of course materials, such as utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER) or lower-cost electronic formats (e-texts). Bundled materials should only be considered if they deliver cost savings to the students. If possible, the campus bookstore will provide students the option of purchasing the textbooks and other study products separately from each other.
When possible, copies of textbooks should be available for student use at no cost through the library via course reserves at the appropriate campus(es). Textbooks provided by the publisher for the purpose of library reserve will be available to students on a first-come, first-served basis, on library grounds only and for a maximum period of time "per sitting" as determined by appropriate library staff.
Textbook selection faculty and/or department chairs shall be responsible for the task of ensuring that the campus library's reserves inventory remains current upon transition to a new title or edition.
The campus bookstore will offer students the option of renting most or all of their required textbooks. Students will continue to be allowed to purchase texts at new or used prices if textbook rental does not satisfy their needs.
Digital materials, including e-textbooks, courseware, and supplemental course activities (e.g.. exercises, quizzes, readings, and lab workbooks) should be considered if those options are available for the titles chosen by the faculty for his/her courses or provided as an option.
If the institutions implement an inclusive access model, students must be able to opt out of such program.
Campus policies should not restrict the options for students to rent or purchase new or used textbooks from the vendor of their choice.
The manager of the Jackson State bookstore will alert either the appropriate instructional dean or the Vice President of Academic Affairs about potential ways to reduce the costs of books and materials for students. Information about accessibility and cost of textbooks and other materials should be obtained for the publisher and/or bookstore by the instructional deans and shared with teaching faculty or the appointed selection committee. If there has been a significant cost increase over the cost at the time of first adoption, the instructional dean will obtain an affirmative acknowledgement of the new prices for the faculty members teaching the course prior to the order begin placed.
The campus bookstore will actively promote and publicize book buyback programs.