Starting next fall, students will have the option to get their textbooks online through the University Bookstore.
Done through CourseSmart, a provider of e-books, the University will work with 41 publishers to aggregate digital materials for use at college level, said Chief Information Officer John Ellinger at Monday’s Undergraduate Student Government meeting.
Supported through the University bookstore, the e-books will be linked to Canvas, Ellinger told the general assembly.
Every e-book has a two-week free trial period with full access to the books and a two-week money back guarantee after the free trial.
“You have the first four weeks of the semester that you could withdraw from the class or get your money back for your purchase,” Ellinger said.
This is a cheaper alternative to textbooks and an extension to the tablets many students already own, Ellinger said.
“[Textbook prices] were high when I was a student, they’re high today,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to lessen that cost and also provide things digital.”
Ellinger went to faculty senate with the idea and he is going to the Graduate Student Senate this Friday. Next steps involve completing legal contracts and pricing, preparing the bookstore support and developing the access through Canvas, he said.
The target date for faculty use is June 1 and the target date for students is Aug. 26, the first day of fall semester.
During the meeting, USG Vice President David Neely also discussed the selection-process for the USG representative for the Board of Trustees. There are 12 applicants and Neely will submit a selection of five after interviewing the applicants this week.
Academic Affairs Chair Kallie Durkit further addressed the growing office hour deficit problem in the USG senate. There are a number of senators with a seven-hour deficit, Durkit said.
Senators are required to do two office hours a week. If they miss their office hours, they acquire a deficit until they make the hours up, according to USG bylaws. An accumulation of six deficit hours is grounds for removal from the senate.
Some senators missed their collaborative office hours, which count as three and require a senator to go to a University event with a colleague.
Senators with a deficit of seven hours have until the end of the week to make their hours up or they will face internal review, an investigation process to decide whether to remove the senator, Durkit said.
