Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability Faculty Info

Consider your options and get support with finding, selecting and creating affordable course materials:

Making your adoption in AIP:

The Adoptions & Insights Portal (AIP) makes the timely posting of your required and recommended course materials quick and easy:

Submit once - re-adopt in future terms
Select from all available format options (new, used, rental, digital)
View a comprehensive database of other schools’ adoptions to see what is being used across the country
Make or modify adoptions for faculty in your department (tier 2 access required, contact gmontoto@fiu.edu)
View the dashboard to monitor the adoptions submission status for your department (tier 2 access required)
Easily communciate with the local bookstore staff through AIP
All faculty and staff conveniently access AIP with their FIU single sign-on credentials at http://go.fiu.edu/adopt.

Textbook and instructional materials submission deadlines:

Fall 2024
by 6-12-2024
Spring 2025
by 10-22-2024
Summer 2025
by 2-21-2025

FAQs on using AIP

How do FIU faculty and staff access AIP?
All current FIU faculty and staff can access AIP via https://go.fiu.edu/adopt and log in with their FIU credentials. AIP can also be accessed from Canvas.
I am a current FIU faculty or staff member but I couldn’t access AIP with my FIU credentials. What do I do?
Please try a different browser (choose from Explorer, Firefox, Chrome). If you are still not able to log in,
I do not require/recommend any course materials that students must purchase. Do I still have to make an adoption?
Yes. The State of Florida (see HB 7019) as well as the Board of Governors (see Regulation 8.003) require all instructors to declare if any textbooks or course materials are required/recommended 45 days prior to the semester. If you do not require/recommend any materials, you still need to declare that by checking “I’m not using any materials for this class” in AIP to be in compliance.
I’m a faculty member but I want to submit adoptions for other faculty. How can I do that?
In order to make textbook adoptions for others in AIP, you must obtain department admin access (tier 2). Please email Gitta Montoto (gmontoto@fiu.edu) for tier 2 department admin access to AIP and specify for which department you wish to submit or modify textbook adoptions.
I’m a staff member and I need to make adoptions on behalf of faculty. How can I do that?
In order to make textbook adoptions on behalf of faculty in AIP, you must obtain department admin access (tier 2). Please email Gitta Montoto (gmontoto@fiu.edu) for tier 2 department admin access to AIP and specify for which department you wish to submit or modify textbook adoptions.
If I entered my adoptions in AIP, do I have to re-enter them into my syllabus created through Simple Syllabus?
Adoptions submitted in AIP are populated in syllabi created with Simple Syllabus. However, there is some additional information that still needs to be added in the Simple Syllabus shell to meet statutory requirements (you will be prompted to add such information).
What is the difference between the institutional deadline and the legal deadline for textbook adoptions at FIU?
FIU's institutional deadline for textbook adoption submissions is generally one month prior to the legal deadline. The legal deadline pursuant to Florida law is 45 days prior to the first day of the semester.
My adoption was made after the legal deadline (less than 45 days prior to the first day of the semester). What now?
You are required to submit a justification for not meeting the legal deadline in AIP.
I only have to submit an adoption for a lecture or lab type course. Is that correct?
Yes. We recognize that many course types rarely require textbooks and other instructional materials for purchase. As such we have implemented a default “No Text Material Required For This Course” adoption response effective Summer 2017 for the following course types:
Directed Individual Study
Graduate Dissertation/Thesis
Individual Performance Instruction
Internships
Other
Supervised Research/Teaching
Should the instructor of a non-lecture/-lab course type require or recommend a textbook or instructional material, it is the instructor's responsibility to submit the adoption in AIP by the institutional deadline.
AIP only lists two options for campus locations: MMC/Online and BBC. But I teach at a different location (i.e. I-75, Brickell, MBUS). What now?
All other locations are included under MMC/Online.
How do I know that my adoption in AIP was submitted successfully?
You will receive an automated confirmation email documenting the date/time of the successful submission. We recommend that you keep it on file for future reference.
I need assistance with using AIP or verifying my adoptions made previously. Who can help me?
Once you are logged into AIP, select “Adoption Support” in the left-hand menu. In the "Your Bookstore" section, you will find the contact information for local support staff at either the MMC or the BBC bookstore.
Or, reach out to the following:
Ms. Gaby Pappaterra
MMC Bookstore Manager, FIU Barnes & Noble Bookstore
fiubook@fiu.edu
Ms. Erica Garvey
BBC Bookstore Manager, FIU Barnes & Noble Bookstore
sm784@bncollege.com
I have general questions concerning my adoption. Who can help?
Please contact Ms. Gitta Montoto, Chair, Textbook Affordability Task Force, Office of the Provost at gmontoto@fiu.edu

What Faculty and Staff Need to Know

An Innovative Textbook Affordability Model

Barnes & Noble has implemented inclusive access programs similar to the FIU Panther Book Pack at other universities but none at an institution as large as FIU and at the lowest rate of $20 per undergraduate credit hour. That’s due to the size of FIU’s undergraduate student body (nearly 50,000) and the many low- and no-cost textbook and course material choices by our faculty over the past years.

Student Benefits of the FIU Panther Book Pack

Our students will be assured that the cost to rent required course materials will never be more than $20 per undergraduate credit (that adds up to $240 for full-time, 12-credit course load). Through the automatic enrollment in the Panther Book Pack program, students will receive/have access to all their required print and digital course materials by the first day of class.

Why are FIU and Barnes & Noble Partnering for this Initiative?

FIU and Barnes & Noble both recognize that making textbooks and course materials more affordable is directly linked to our students’ success. The Panther Book Pack initiative generates discounts of up to 50% and seamlessly provides required course materials to our students by the first day of class, all while faculty retain full choice of course materials and students the ability to opt out. Barnes & Noble is FIU’s exclusive on-campus bookstore and has been a valued partner in reducing textbook and course material costs for our students for over a decade.

How Are These Textbook Savings Achieved?

What About the Affordability Counts Program?

The Panther Book Pack is Affordability Counts in a new way! Currently, to qualify for the Affordability Counts badge, FIU instructors whose textbooks cost $20 or less per course credit must submit their course syllabus for review. Under the Panther Book Pack program all of FIU’s undergraduate courses automatically earn the Affordability Counts badge.

Selection of Textbooks and Course Materials

Faculty are free to select the materials and the preferred format that is deemed most effective. Academic freedom is preserved. Older editions/out of print items cannot be guaranteed in high quantities. Faculty are encouraged to adopt current editions.

Custom Textbooks

Custom textbooks may be adopted under the Panther Book Pack as was the case before.

Using OER and other Low-/No-Cost Materials

Open educational materials (OER) and other low-/no-cost materials less than $20 per credit hour would still provide students savings on their overall semester textbook costs by paying a flat rate for the semester. Additionally, adopting low-/cost materials and open educational materials will help maintain the low Panther Book Pack subscription rate for all undergraduate courses at FIU.

Textbook Adoptions Submissions

In order for Barnes & Noble to source the volume of print and digital course materials for all course section on time, it is important adoptions are submimtted as early as possible. Be on the lookout for FIU's institutional adoption submission deadline in advance of each semester (see announcements by academic affairs, your department and on the Academic Calendar). Multiple reminders will be sent to the instructors and departmental staff.

Textbooks Used Across Multiple Semesters

The Panther Book Pack subscription rate is calculated by credit hour not by individual course. If a student determines his/her semester textbook costs for all courses is less than the Panther Book Pack rate, he/she may opt out of the program for that semester.

More Convenient Digital Materials Access

In the past, students had to go through multiple platforms to access their digital materials. Through the Panther Book Pack program, all digital materials will be accessed conveniently through Canvas. Since this is a new approach, the FIU Barnes & Noble team will provide support to faculty and students to ensure a smooth transition.

Language to be Used on Course Syllabi

Faculty are encouraged to use the following language in their syllabi:

“FIU has implemented the Panther Book Pack rental program, which provides your required print and digital course materials at a flat rate of $20 per undergraduate credit hour. When you registered for your classes this session, you were notified via email of the required course materials that are included in the Panther Book Pack. The Panther Book Pack program applies to all undergraduate credit hours per academic session. I recommend that you review the pricing for all materials across your classes this session compared to the Panther Book Pack flat rate. If the Panther Book Pack is not your best option, you may opt out up to three days after the add/drop deadline. You may opt back into the Panther Book Pack up to three days after the add/drop deadline. If you do not opt out of the Panther Book Pack rental program, you will be charged $20 per credit hour and the course materials will be reserved for you for the undergraduate courses for which you are registered. For more details, visit bookpack.fiu.edu”

Return of Course Materials at the End of the Semester

Students may ship or personally drop off their materials back to the FIU Barnes & Noble MMC or BBC bookstore. There is also the option for students to purchase any materials they wish to retain (print as well as digital access). Instructions for returning course materials will be sent to students at the conclusion of each semester.

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