Providing Textbook Information

Students need as much information as possible in order to make their course selections, to assess the potential workload of their upcoming semester, and to plan for the costs associated with each course. Instructors are required to provide detailed information regarding the texts that are required for their courses in the following ways:

  • All required texts must be listed in each course's Courseworks site before early registration for courses begins in November or April.*

    • Faculty can make this list of texts public by inputting individual ISBNs into the “Textbooks” section of the course’s Courseworks site. ISBNs can easily be found on publishers' websites or retailer websites like Amazon. 

    • Providing information about required course materials and their costs is required by Federal law. (See below for more detail on the section of the Higher Education Opportunity Act.)

    • This information will also feed into Vergil, so that students have multiple ways to access the information as they make their course selections.

    • The lists of required materials can be updated as needed between early registration and the start of the relevant term.

  • It is also the policy of the CC-GS Committee on Instruction that every syllabus for any course open to undergraduate students should clearly note all texts and other materials that are required for the course.

*From the Faculty Handbook published by the Provost Office:
"Posting of textbook information to Canvas is an important condition the University must meet for its students to continue to receive federal financial aid. To satisfy this legal requirement, faculty are required to provide complete textbook information (listing all required course materials including books, software or online programs, specialized calculators, lab materials, etc.) in CourseWorks prior to student registration."

Applicable federal law

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (PUBLIC LAW 110–315—AUG. 14, 2008, Section 133, subsection (d)) requires the following:

“(d) PROVISION OF ISBN COLLEGE TEXTBOOK INFORMATION IN COURSE SCHEDULES.—To the maximum extent practicable, each institution of higher education receiving Federal financial assistance shall—

(1) disclose, on the institution’s Internet course schedule and in a manner of the institution’s choosing, the International Standard Book Number and retail price information of required and recommended college textbooks and supplemental materials for each course listed in the institution’s course schedule used for preregistration and registration purposes, except that—

(A) if the International Standard Book Number is not available for such college textbook or supplemental material, then the institution shall include in the Internet course schedule the author, title, publisher, and copyright date for such college textbook or supplemental material; and

(B) if the institution determines that the disclosure of the information described in this subsection is not practicable for a college textbook or supplemental material, then the institution shall so indicate by placing the designation ‘To Be Determined’ in lieu of the information required under this subsection; and

(2) if applicable, include on the institution’s written course schedule a notice that textbook information is available on the institution’s Internet course schedule, and the Internet address for such schedule.”