Faculty Resources

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Higher Education Opportunity Act

Approximately every 6 years, the United States Congress renews the Higher Education Act (HEA) exploring ways to improve the law. On August 14, 2008 the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 was signed into law and the textbook portion took effect July 2010. The National Association of College Stores (NACS) has put together a brief overview of the new HEOA law in regards to textbooks. The core theme of the law is to empower consumers (students) with college cost information—including course materials.  The intention of the textbook section of the law is to give students access to affordable course materials by decreasing costs and enhancing transparency with respect to the selection, purchase, sale and use of course materials. Also to encourage all parties (bookstores, faculty & publishers) to work together to identify ways to decrease the cost of college textbooks while supporting the academic freedom of faculty.

How does APU become compliant with the textbook portion of the 2008 HEOA regulations?

Good news! The information you supply us on your course materail adoptions goes directly to our website. When you turn in your adoptions on or before the deadline our students are able to see the full cost of their classes at time of registration.

What is your responsibility as a member of the APU faculty?

Your responsibility as a faculty member of Azusa Pacific University is to submit your course material information into Slingshot Pro by the required deadline.

Due Dates for Textbook Adoptions

Textbook requisitions are due two weeks prior to the registration date for the specific term.

We appreciate your efforts to comply with these due dates.  We will order textbooks no matter when a faculty requests them, but turning your requests in to us by these dates keeps us in compliance with the HEOA law and facilitates buyback and used book ordering, and decreases the chance of ordering problems.

Course Material Information

Why do I need to submit my textbook adoption so early?

On-time textbook adoptions have several advantages for you and your students:

  1. Eliminates problems ahead of time by verifying the availability of the book(s) and determines if a new edition has been released.
  2. On-time adoptions of out-of-print books may also be custom published.
  3. Identifies publishers, such as overseas presses, that have unique situations that require additional time to receive.
  4. Increases the amount of money students receive in buyback at the end of the term, if the same books are used again. 

Submitting Your Course Material Adoptions

All course material adoptions are submitted online using Slingshot Pro. 

Immediate Access

Immediate Access was developed in partnership with Slingshot, faculty, and publishers to reduce the overall cost of course materials for our students while also ensuring access to course materials on the first day of classes. 

Copyright Clearance Service

Timing

Many works are pre-cleared by Copyright Clearance Center, but not all. Please allow at least 4 weeks before you need to use the work for us to arrange all the necessary permissions.

Copyright Basics

Not sure if the material you want to use is copyright protected? Start by completing the APU Copyright Compliance Fair Use Checklist and following the instructions for submitting it for review. If you have any questions you may contact the University Libraries or the Office of General Counsel. Copyright Advisory is an overview which may also answer your questions.

Copyright Use Permission

If you need to secure permission to reproduce copyrighted works, follow the instructions on the Copyright Clearance Center Information sheet.

Desk Copies

What is a desk copy?

A textbook sent to the faculty member after it has been adopted for classroom use. To save yourself time, check with your department before requesting a desk copy from a publisher. The department may already own a complimentary copy of the book, which can in turn be used as a desk copy.

How can I obtain a desk copy?

To obtain a desk copy of a title you have adopted for a course, check with your program manager to determine department specific processes. Some of the major textbook publishers allow you to log onto their web site and submit your request directly online. 

Campus Store Contacts

Jackie Belling, Assistant Manager, jbelling@apu.edu
Jeff Graham, Campus Store Manager, jgraham@apu.edu