Faculty Guidelines

Textbook affordability has driven a number of recent legislative and college actions. F.S. 1004.085 (4) and Florida Administrative Code 6A-14.092 form the basis of Daytona State’s policies and procedures. For the purposes of implementation at Daytona State, “Textbooks” also refers to other instructional materials for a course such as packets or supplies.

F.S. 1004.085 describes the limits of compensation that college employees may receive for adopting course materials:

(1) No employee of a Florida College System institution or state university may demand or receive any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, service, or anything of value, present or promised, in exchange for requiring students to purchase a specific textbook for coursework or instruction.

(2) An employee may receive:

(a) Sample copies, instructor copies, or instructional materials. These materials may not be sold for any type of compensation if they are specifically marked as free samples not for resale.

(b) Royalties or other compensation from sales of textbooks that include the instructor’s own writing or work.

(c) Honoraria for academic peer review of course materials.

(d) Fees associated with activities such as reviewing, critiquing, or preparing support materials for textbooks pursuant to guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education or the Board of Governors.

(e) Training in the use of course materials and learning technologies.

Deadlines for publishing textbook adoptions are communicated by the bookstore to department chairs and administrative assistants.

• Textbook and instructional materials adoption shall occur no later than seventy-five (75) days prior to the first day of classes for 95% of sections. 
• No later than forty-five (45) days prior to the first day of class: the college will post, on its website, a list of each textbook required for each course offered at the institution during the upcoming term
• Textbook listings must include, at a minimum:
  • The ISBN or
  • Other identifying information that must include the title, all authors listed, publishers, edition number, copyright date, publication date, and any other information required to identify the specific textbook(s) required

The following guidelines were adopted by the Faculty Senate Spring 2015:

In order to improve retention efforts, faculty adoptions of new course materials, including textbooks, should be supported. Supporting faculty interested in exploring new pedagogical practices and materials will help everyone get involved in supporting student success at their level of expertise.

Adoptions of new course materials should consider the following criteria:

• Accessibility. Publishers must accurately detail ADA compliance for materials. Publishers should also be encouraged to provide device agnostic materials so that all students have equal access.
   
• Affordability. Faculty should be given the option to not participate in textbook bundling if they have custom materials that could replace part of the bundle that would allow students to save money. Additionally, any new materials under consideration should cost the same as, or less than, current options, unless there is a strong reason the more expensive materials are better. The following should be considered when adopting new materials:
  • Access Codes
  • Bundle Options
  • Classroom Use (Students should only have to buy what instructors plan on using in their courses)
     
• Multiple pedagogical approaches. Students benefit from faculty who are engaged with materials that suit their teaching style, so offering choices to faculty that allow for multiple pedagogical approaches is vital. Making information about this variety available to students in advance of registration so they can pick the materials best suited to their learning styles would also be helpful.
   
• Ability of materials to help students meet all course SLOs. Faculty should be prepared to explain how any new materials will meet the SLOs and other pertinent course requirements as requested.

1. The Bookstore sends an email to all departments two times per year with deadlines for all book adoptions: First week of January for Summer and Fall adoptions; first week of September for Spring adoptions.
2. Departments select books and other materials for courses, following the Textbook Adoption Guidelines.
3. Textbook and materials are selected and input into the bookstore’s online system. Department chairs review and approve the orders.
4. Faculty sign certifications that all materials will be used. Certifications are stored in the department. The certification can also indicate that only open source materials are used and therefore no book purchase is necessary.
5. Department chairs document reasons for changes. Justifications are stored in departments.
6. Bookstore posts textbook selections no later than forty-five (45) days prior to the first day of class.

Additional considerations:

a. If a cheaper option becomes available after the original adoption is made, but still with time to post the selection thirty (45) days prior to the first day of class, a change may be made;

b. If the publisher reveals late in the process that the current edition will be replaced by a new edition, and too few copies of the old edition will be available, the new edition may be adopted.