Course Adoption Form - Instructions

On this page:

To ensure the fastest and most accurate service, we are kindly asking all faculty and coordinators to carefully read the policies and instructions for adopting course materials. Minimizing errors when submitting the Course Materials Adoption Form (Click Here) ensures we have all the information we need in order to ensure course materials arrive on time for students.

How to Order:

For more detailed information and instructions, please scroll down to the the instruction section.

  1. Open the Course Materials Adoption Form (Click Here) - please do not alter the form as this may cause delays in processing
  2. Complete the Form - Fill out tab on the form labelled “Order Form – Dept to complete”.
    • Indicate at the top if NO course materials will need to be purchased by students OR
    • Include ISBNs, titles, editions, etc. in the bottom portion.
      • Please also answer whether it is required or suggested
      • Please indicate if a publisher access code will be needed for assignments or grades.
  3. Submit Your Order / Submit Your Adoptions - Email the full spreadsheet to txtbks@mun.ca. Coordinators should copy the course instructor on the submission.
  4. Submit Required/Suggested Supplies - Do you require your students to purchase lab coats, goggles, calculators, etc.? We want to ensure that we have the correct items on hand if your students require them. You can list these on the bottom portion of the form or reach out to the Bookstore at txtbks@mun.ca to discuss and source what you need. These can also be added to the course listing online as required or suggested to guide students in what they need to purchase. 

Non-Purchase Materials

We celebrate cost-saving options! If your course uses an Open Educational Resource (OER), or materials that you have created or are available for free elsewhere, please submit whatever information you see fit to the Bookstore and we can let students know that free items will be available. We can even link to the OER right from the website. This helps us share accurate information with students.

Form Instructions

  1.  The target date for each semester is listed on our website [link]. Ordering by the target date will give the best opportunity for items to be available before the start of term. However, adoptions will be accepted at any time.    
  2. Please do not hold orders until you have compiled everything for your department.  Some information is better than none!  In the case of custom publications, orders are needed even earlier than those for pre-produced books. If you cannot submit a complete order by this date, forward what you can and send the balance of your requirements as soon as possible.   
  3. Use a separate Course Materials Adoption Form for each course and section number. We will allow one form for multiple sections if ALL the course materials and professor information is identical. Please include all section numbers that are applicable.  
  4. Please complete all fields on the tab titled "Order Form - Dept to complete". Please maintain the headings and formatting, using "Wrap Text" if the field requires a lot of information. An explanation for the information we require in each filed is also included on the tab titled “Field Explanations”.
  5. If a particular item is needed for a course, or is going to be recommended for student use, please provide this information to the Bookstore on the order form. Orders should be placed with the Bookstore for all Required texts, Supplementary texts, Reference texts, e-books and access codes, specific Stationery items required for a given course such as calculators or journals, Safety Equipment such as lab coats and glasses, and Lab Manuals, Course Objectives, Outlines and other material printed by Printing Services.    
  6. Please fill in a Bookstore Order Form even if the course material or supplemental supply is already on hand at the store to ensure that they are appropriately assigned for the upcoming course and not returned to the publisher or designated for a different course.    
  7. If a course is continued from one semester to the next, an order form is needed for each semester to ensure the books are properly labeled for students and not returned to the publishers.  
  8. Please submit an order form even if no materials are needed through the Bookstore or if materials are being supplied free of charge (i.e. Open Education Resources, instructor created materials, etc.). We would like to provide information to students for all of their course needs.  
  9. Email all completed order forms to txtbks@mun.ca. Coordinators, please copy the instructor(s) on the email for all orders. We want to ensure that the items being ordered match the expectations of the professor.  By copying instructors on the same email, we hope that any errors will be caught before orders are placed.  
  10. Price for students should be a consideration when selecting course materials so there is no surprise when the course begins. The Bookstore will notify the department when an item being ordered is going to cost students more than $200.  
  11. Emails will be accepted from the email address of the departmental coordinator or instructor with the approval of the Department Head being understood.   
  12. When the Bookstore receives your orders, there is a standard email reply that goes back to you.  If you do not receive this email confirmation within a day or so, please call us to make sure that we received your order.   
  13. The Bookstore must be advised immediately of courses or sections being added and of course or title cancellations. Information must also be shared as soon as possible when there are enrollment or expected enrollment changes. Please communicate at your earliest convenience any Instructor changes, or decisions to change editions of current texts, or to introduce new texts. The Bookstore can assist students much more effectively when we are equipped with the correct information.

Should you have any questions or concerns or require assistance with completing the form, please contact us at the Bookstore.

Deidra Newman (Course Materials Buyer) dgnewman@mun.ca (709) 864-4409
Aleksandar Tanasic (Buyer Assistant) taleksandar@mun.ca (709) 864-7981
LuAnne Kelly (Bookstore Manager) luannek@mun.ca (709) 864-4099

Field Explanations

DATE The date on which you are submitting the order.
SEMESTER It is very important to specify the semester as FALL, WINTER, SPRING, INTERSESSION, SUMMER or an INSTITUTE or SPECIAL OFFERING (please specify the dates for the course if it doesn't fit into any of the standard categories).
DEPARTMENT The department or faculty name.
COURSE NAME, #, SECTION # The course name and number along with the section #. The section # is very important to match requirements to the student registration portal and for listings on the Bookstore website. The section # also indicates whether a course has been designated as an online course (sections 80-89) or an on campus course (sections 1-29 and 50-59). Other campuses have their own range of section numbers, for example the Centre for Nursing Studies numbers are 30-39 and Grenfell campus sections are 60-69.
PROFESSOR NAME Please provide full name.
PROFESSOR EMAIL Please provide the instructor's email address.
# OF STUDENTS This is the number of anticipated students for the course. If the course ceiling is 50 students but only 30 students have registered in the past couple of years, then please indicate 30. For new courses, the class ceiling is the best number to provide. 
TEXTBOOK COORDINATOR Please indicate the designated coordinator from your department or faculty.
COORDINATOR PHONE # Please indicate the best phone number to reach the coordinator. You can include multiple numbers.
COORDINATOR EMAIL Please indicate appropriate email address.
PLEASE CHECK THE BOX BELOW THAT BEST DESCRIBES WHAT IS NEEDED: A checklist follows this category at the top of the order form. Students seek information from the Bookstore while registering, and before the term starts and the course syllabus is distributed by professors. This checklist will help the Bookstore serve students more accurately in the items that they need to purchase versus courses where no purchase is necessary. It will also assist students in budgeting and being prepared for the start of classes. By checking " Course Materials will not need to be purchased by students", you are letting the Bookstore, and students, know that this is the Instructor's choice and not that an order will be placed at a later date. 
BOOKS/EBOOKS NEEDED (LIST SEPARATELY BELOW) Whenever possible, please list all the options for course requirements. Publisher reps can be very helpful in supplying the ISBNs of titles they have discussed with a professor. Examples would be a physical book in hardcover and loose leaf versions (two different ISBNs that should be listed), or a book and access code package that can also be sold as the digital access code with e-book attached (this would also be two different ISBNs).
ISBN The 13 digit ISBN is preferred but 10 digit numbers will be accepted. Please note that every edition of the book changes the ISBN and every version (i.e. Softcover, e-book, homework package, etc.) has a different ISBN.
TITLE Please provide the full title of the book.
EDITION Please provide the edition of the book. Some books also have Canadian editions and it is very important to let us know if a Canadian version will be used.
AUTHOR Please provide the author(s) name in full.
PUBLISHER Please provide the publisher of the book. The Bookstore may order from a distributor but the publisher is the company who owns the copyright and produces the book.
REQUIRED OR SUGGESTED The Bookstore sees a huge difference in the number of books purchased when the professor is requiring the book for the successful completion of the course versus when it is a suggested reading or reference for a project or paper. Some students will want to buy everything and we will order accordingly but if a professor is not assigning readings or assignments, or testing on the content in the book, then it is only a suggested title and should be indicated as so. There is a misconception that you have to assign a book for each course. That is not true. If a textbook adds value to the teaching and learning it should be required, if it is supplemental to learning that can take place without the book, then it should be a suggested title.
USED BEFORE / TERM Please answer yes or no to whether the same material was previously used. We've seen cases where the publisher has issued a new ISBN or version and the professor thinks it is the same content as previous terms. By knowing whether it was used before or not, we can better communicate any applicable changes. 
ACCESS CODE BEING USED This information is vital to our buying decisions when digital codes are included in a package. In some cases it is an add-on by the publisher and not something the professor will be using or require the students to use. If you answer "No" to this field, the Bookstore will try to obtain used copies of the textbook to sell to students and we will add e-book only options where applicable (providing some cost savings for students). However, if the access code is being used by the professor, the Bookstore will only sell complete packages with the access code and textbook or digital versions of both packaged together. Some examples of access codes by major publishers are: MyLab, Mastering and Revel from Pearson; Connect from McGraw Hill; Wiley Plus from Wiley; etc. Access codes allow students to have extra practice or reading on a topic, provide sample questions, complete online assignments and can be great tools for instructors. If an Instructor is using an access code, they will often need a Course ID for students to get the full benefit of the content. Publisher reps can assist the instructor in setting up Course IDs and access codes for their courses.
CUSTOM EDITION Please indicate with a YES or NO whether the textbook being ordered is a custom edition designed by the professor and the publisher rep (YES) or if it is a regular book stocked in inventory by the publisher (NO).  With custom books, the research assistants may not be able to get information through regular customer service channels. If we know it is a custom edition, we will also deal directly with the sales rep.

 

Online Course Adoptions – Pilot Project

Memorial University Bookstore is piloting a new Online Course Adoptions  (OCA) portal to streamline the ordering process. This platform will allow faculty and coordinators to:  

  • Submit adoptions digitally  
  • Track order status  
  • Access historical adoption data  
  • Reduce manual form handling  

If you are interested in participating in the pilot, please get in touch with the Bookstore through managerbookstore@mun.ca. We will be in touch within a few weeks with additional information. Feedback from this pilot will help shape a future campus-wide rollout.