Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability Faculty Info

Effective Spring 2025, the amended Board of Governors Regulation 8.003 Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability and Transparency stipulates that:

anyone responsible for the selection of any required instructional materials presented or assigned to students in a course, whether they are teaching the course themselves, or have selected materials for multiple sections taught by others, to attest that all materials have been reviewed.
all faculty, including adjuncts, to attest that they will review all instructional course materials for each course they teach each semester, prior to being assigned or presented to students in the class and that “these materials are appropriate for the course”.

Instructors and faculty must complete the Course Material Attestation in http://Develop.fiu.edu no later than the last day prior to the first day of the semester.

FAQs on submitting the Course Material Attestation

Q: Who must complete this attestation?
A: Anyone who has primary responsibility for the course, this includes adjunct faculty, dual enrollment faculty, and TA/GAs listed as primary instructors. Primary instructors must be credentialed to teach the course(s) they are assigned. In addition, any faculty (i.e. program directors, chairs, lab coordinators) who select required course materials for others must also complete this attestation.
Q: By when must I complete this attestation?
A: The attestations must be submitted prior to presenting or assigning the materials to students, which means no later than the day prior to the first day of the semester regardless of term (A, B, or C). For winter D term, the fall semester attestation deadline applies.
Q: Where do I complete the attestation?
A: The attestation is in your FIU Develop dashboard (similar to FERPA and Cybersecurity courses). Clicking on Access the Attestation will take you to the login for your personal Develop dashboard. Once you log in, you will see the Course Material Attestation - Spring 2025 course under the In-Progress tab. Click on the Take the Course button. This will take you to the home page of the course where you will find information about the attestation, a link to an expanded FAQ, and a Start Here button. To go to the attestation, click on Start Here. You will then see a link, click on it and begin the attestation survey.
Q: Which materials do I need to consider when completing the attestation?
A: Instructional materials include but are not limited to textbooks, test and assignment questions, assigned and supplemental readings, videos, and any other media presented or assigned to students.
Q: What does "appropriate for the course" mean?
A: Appropriate means, materials should be appropriate for the level of the course and the subject area in alignment with the SLOs.
Q: How do I know if a TA/GA should be listed as primary instructor?
A: Advanced graduate students can be scheduled as primary instructors in cases where they assume the primary responsibility for the course instruction. An example of a TA/GA that does have primary responsibility for the course would be someone who is credentialed for the course and makes the decisions about presenting course content, manages how and when assignments are completed, determines classroom practices, and submits final grades. Generally, lab TA/GAs should stay listed as TA/GAs.
Q: What if I am assigned a course after the deadline?
A: The attestation language is written in the future tense to account for any courses assigned after the deadline.
Q: What if I need to modify course materials and/or assignments after submitting the attestation?
A: The attestation language is written in the future tense which means you may supplement and/or adjust materials as the course progresses with the requirement that you have reviewed and deemed them appropriate for the course as previously attested.
Q: I am the primary instructor of record for a non-lecture/-lab type course (e.g. dissertation, independent study, internship) and I don’t require any readings but may recommend to the student(s) some pertinent content for review. Must I still complete the attestation?
A: Since such readings are recommended, you do not have to complete the attestation for such a course.
Q: Do I have to specify the courses I teach this semester?
A: No. You must only make on general attestation for all courses you will be teaching in the respective semester.
Q: How often do I have to complete this attestation?
A: All instructors and faculty are required to complete this attestation once each semester you are teaching.
Q: How do I document that I completed the attestation on time?
A: Upon completion of the attestation on the FIU Develop platform, you will receive an email confirmation and a certificate that will provide the date of the submission. We recommend that you save it for future reference.
Q: What are the ramifications for not submitting this attestation in a timely manner?
A: Instructors and faculty who do not submit this attestation on time violate Florida BOG Regulation 8.003. It is the university's expectation that all employees comply with the law.
Q: I am not able to access the course after clicking on “Access the Attestation”. What should I do?
A: We recommend that you use the Google Chrome browser (we have received some reports that switching to this browser resolves the access issue). If you are still not able to log on, please contact develophelp@fiu.edu.
Q: Where do I find the official State of Florida language for this requirement?
A: The Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability and Transparency amendment is found in BOG Regulation 8.003.

FIU faculty submit textbook and instructional materials adoptions in the Adoptions & Insights Portal hosted by Barnes & Nobel:

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 communicate 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 adoption deadlines:

Summer 2025
by 2-28-2025
Fall 2025
by 6-11-2025
Spring 2026
by 10-21-2025

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 wouldn’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

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

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 submitted 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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