Course materials at the University of Arizona

Course Materials Selection and Adoption

The University of Arizona Libraries and the campus-owned Campus Store work together to assist instructors in finding free and low-cost materials for their course needs. In full support of academic freedom, faculty are encouraged to adopt quality course materials to support the curriculum while keeping affordability in mind.  Instructors need to submit adoptions even if no textbooks are required.

We are a digital-preferred campus and our Main Campus undergraduate courses use Pay One Price, a flat-rate textbook program that provides day one access. All other courses use Inclusive Access.

The Libraries purchase unlimited-licensed ebooks for undergraduate and graduate courses when possible (publisher limitations restrict these licenses for approximately 80% of all published titles). Library-licensed ebooks and open educational resources (OER) are an important part of the Pay One Price program and help lower its overall cost.

The Libraries offer a wide variety of free resources [link to Resources from the Libraries] for courses. Please note that the Libraries do not offer print or electronic course reserves.

Campus Store: Textbook adoption deadlines

Fall courses - March 17
Winter & Spring courses - October 10
Summer courses - February 14

Adopting course materials

Campus units and departments may have specific processes in place for course materials and adoptions.

Use the Course Site Request Tool for Brightspace.

You must be the Primary Instructor, as listed in UAccess, to request your course sites.

Not listed? Contact your department scheduler.

New course sites must be requested every semester for every course.

Factors to consider when selecting course materials

Do the Libraries have it?

Use our Check for ebook availability form to check on an unlimited license.
- Please note that we have thousands of limited-licensed ebooks that are not suitable to course use due to limited access. Use the form and let the Libraries check for you!
Browse some of the Libraries' unlimited-licensed ebooks to see if there is something you can use (a partial list).
Need just a few chapters? Use Document Delivery service to request chapters and articles.
Check out other resources available from the Libraries. [needs link to new resources page]
See a current list of Libraries' ebooks used in courses in our Course Ebooks tool.

Anyone teaching a course is required to submit an adoption every semester, including Summer and Winter terms.

After submitting an adoption:

The Libraries review all adoptions to see what they own and what can be purchased with an unlimited license.
The Libraries share this information with the Campus Store.
The Libraries send emails directly to instructors when Libraries can provide the unlimited ebook.
The Campus Store purchases what the Libraries cannot provide.
Both Libraries' ebooks and Campus Store materials are added to the Pay One Price/Inclusive Access module in D2L.

All adoptions need to be submitted every semester, even if not requiring students to purchase course materials (select the option "No textbook required").

If you are unable to meet the adoption deadline, please submit as soon as possible. Please try to avoid the very busy 3 weeks prior to the start of the semester to avoid delays. Some materials may require an extended period of time to set up, so a late adoption may result in materials being unavailable.

Streaming video for course use

Please note that titles can drop out of availability from one semester to the next, so please do not reuse or copy over streaming links.

UCATT provides access to a variety of instructional tools that can support your teaching. Please note that if you choose a tool that is not included in Brightspace or supported by UCATT, you will be responsible for providing support to your students.

The Campus Store

Pay One Price is a flat-rate course materials program from the UA Campus Store for all students enrolled in a Main Campus undergraduate course. Day 1 access and the convenience of having all their course materials in one location can help to boost student success.

What cannot be included in your adoption through the Campus Store: