Textbook info will be available to students before they sign up for classes, starting with Spring ’24 registration

Cincinnati State is preparing to make it easier for students to find out the cost of their textbooks at the same time they are planning their future class schedules.

When registration for Spring Semester 2024 opens, Cincinnati State students who are using Self-Service tools to register for classes will be able to select a link to College Bookstore information, and see the book title, cost, and purchase options for each class they are considering adding to their schedule.

• Providing information about the cost of books is a new requirement from the state of Ohio, as a result of legislation enacted in 2021 (see “Background” below).

If you’re a program chair, department chair, or individual faculty member who is responsible for providing textbook information to the Bookstore, be aware of guidelines and deadlines for Spring 2024 book information:

• Starting with textbook selections for Spring 2024, only changes or updates (such as a new ISBN number for a textbook) will need to be entered into the Follett Discover system.
• Textbook information (including the edition number) will stay the same in Follett Discover unless a chair or other designee makes a change.
• Those who need to make changes to textbook information for Spring 2024 can begin submitting changes in Follett Discover on August 28 and must complete all changes no later than September 15.

Faculty members who need help using Follett Discover can contact Laura Smith, Course Materials Manager in the Follett Bookstore, at (513) 569-1507 or bookstoretext@cincinnatistate.edu.

Anyone with questions about updating textbook information for Spring can check with their divisional representative on the Cincinnati State Textbook Task Force:

• Business Technologies – Nadine Christman
• Engineering & Information Technologies – Julie Rohling
• Health & Public Safety – Katie Chiappone
• Humanities & Sciences – Jamal Lundy

Background:

In 2021, the Ohio legislature established a new “Textbook Affordability” requirement for public higher education institutions in the state, to be implemented no later than January of 2024.

• To meet the new state requirement, colleges and universities must make it possible for students to obtain information about required textbooks– including the cost of books– no later than the first day of registration for the upcoming semester.
• The legislation also requires institutions to affirm use of an “auto-adoption” policy. This means that textbooks and course materials are assumed to be identical to the previous semester (not just the same book used previously, but also the same edition of the book), unless information has been updated prior to the first day of registration for each semester.
• Click to read a summary of Textbook Affordability Policies and Resources from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Implementation Steps:

With leadership from the Office of the Provost, Cincinnati State established an auto-adoption policy in Spring Semester 2022. The Academic Policies and Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Senate reviewed policy language that was subsequently approved by the College Board of Trustees.

The College also established a Textbook Affordability Task Force to work on implementation of the new policies. Task Force members included representatives of Academic Division faculty, administrators, advisors, and staff members; the Registrar’s Office; the College Bookstore; Institutional Research; and the Library.