For TRU Faculty

Faculty play an important role ensuring students are able to obtain course materials at affordable prices. TRU relies on you, the faculty and instructors, to submit course material lists for each course in a timely manner to allow the campus store to source the required quantity of materials at the best price and as quickly as possible to avoid inventory shortages.

Campus stores, contrary to popular belief, are actually able to source the best solution to offering the lowest possible price. Faculty members are in the best position to affect the prices and availability of course material.

How we can work together to lower the price of course material:

1. Adopt all course material needed and communicate with the campus store as early as possible.
2. Provide an adoption for every course, even if the adoption is 'no text required'.
3. Adopt textbooks for multiple semesters. This allows us to buy back students' textbooks at 50% of the new retail price ensuring more used copies on our shelves.
4. Consider adopting a standard textbook for all sections of the same course. This would allow the campus store to buy back more copies resulting in fewer 'stock-outs' and lower prices.
5. Consider building a custom publication. A used market for custom publications and textbooks can be developed to pass on cost savings.
6. If you are using an open education resource (OER) let the campus store know so we can include the information on our website.
7. If you have been approached by a publisher for your students to purchase direct, please contact us as we should be able to offer the digital resource at the same price or lower.
8. When you adopt textbook bundles check to see if the publisher is willing to sell the pieces separately. Breaking a bundle can allow students to purchase lower cost used texts and receive higher prices when they sellback. If packaged online material is not required for your course, let us know and we can buy back the textbook by itself.

Thank you for your help in lowering the cost of course material for our students.