Purpose

This policy requires that faculty and departments submit information regarding course materials to the campus book store in a timely fashion. Submitting this information as early as possible and before registration is important because:

  1. It facilitates timely access and accommodations for students with disabilities.
  2. It can lower course materials costs for students in the form of rentals, used books and purchasing options during the bottom of market cycles.
  3. It helps fulfill the legal requirement to maintain, to the maximum extent practicable, a single, central and complete source of textbook information directly accessible by the students.
  4. It enables students to determine the costs associated with their courses and make informed choices.

Policy

The University of Colorado Boulder requires all faculty to inform the campus book store of their course materials requirements before the first day of registration, except where impracticable or inconsistent with academic freedom. While CU Boulder has designated the campus book store as the unit to maintain the course materials database for the campus, students are not required to purchase course materials at the campus book store. Faculty may also provide course materials information to other retailers and may inform students about other options for purchasing course materials.

Procedures

The responsibility for submitting course materials information rests with the instructor of record for each course. However, each department is responsible for ensuring that information has been submitted for all its course offerings. The department chair or designee should determine course materials for both assigned and unassigned courses where no information has been submitted, when those course material decisions will not materially affect academic freedom. If no course materials are required or if required materials are not ones the campus book store can supply, information to that effect must be submitted to the book store.

Effective Date

August 26, 2019

Approved by

Russell L. Moore, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Author(s)

Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Policy Contact

Director, CU Book Store