Important dates

Program Overview

+What is Course Ready?

A program where NC State automatically provides undergraduate students with their required course materials they need, on or before the first day of class, for a flat rate regardless of their major. Students no longer need to take the time or effort to search for the textbooks they need, leaving time to concentrate on their studies and community life.

+Why does NC State feel this program will benefit students?

This program is a response to the increasing number of students who lack access to required course materials due to cost. This program makes getting textbooks easier on students, which will ultimately improve their success.

+How much will the program cost?

Fall and Spring semester cost is $279 (plus tax) per semester. Summer term cost is TBD.

+Can students use financial aid to pay for Course Ready?

Yes. The Course Ready charge will be automatically added to your student bill. The cost will be paid prior to disbursement of any remaining aid balance.

+How do students benefit from paying the same textbook cost, regardless of major?

All students pay the same rate for tuition, fees, and health insurance, regardless of major, but financial inequity has remained when it comes to textbooks and other course material costs. By modeling the textbook charge after other costs of attendance, Course Ready will reduce this financial inequity so that every student has access to the same academic opportunities, regardless of their field of study.

+Who can participate in Course Ready?

This program is available to degree-seeking undergraduate students.

+Can I opt out of Course Ready?

Yes. You can opt out on the Student Accounts tile of your MyPack Portal. From the left menu, select Course Ready Course Materials Option. If you choose to opt out you will need to purchase your textbooks, lab manuals and courseware at current retail or resale prices either by ordering from Wolfpack Outfitters online at shop.ncsu.edu or from an outlet of your choice. If you change your mind, you can opt-in again, up until the census date.

Accessing and Using Course Materials

+How do students access digital textbooks, readers, or courseware?

To access digital content/textbooks for any given course, students simply log in to Moodle and access their materials from the home page. If you experience any issues viewing or launching your textbooks, reach out to courseready@ncsu.edu for assistance.

+Will all textbooks be provided digitally as part of this program?

Digital textbooks are the default option. Traditional print textbooks will only be supplied when a digital option is not available or a specific request is made by a faculty member. Lab manuals and other course materials that are traditionally printed may remain in print as part of the program.

+What if there are some required print materials with my course?

Required print textbooks may be picked up at Wolfpack Outfitters. If you have physical books as part of Course Ready, you will receive an email when they are ready to be picked up. If you participate in the program, you do not need to place an order. The system will automatically place the order for your “required” materials. Any optional materials not included in the program will need to be ordered by the student. If you are unable to pick up your physical books or are experiencing an issue placing an order for optional materials, please email courseready@ncsu.edu. If you opt out of the program before picking up your required physical materials from Wolfpack Outfitters, you do not need to do anything. We will cancel the order for you. If you opt-out of the program after receiving your required physical materials, you will need to return them to the Wolfpack Outfitters by Saturday of the fourth week of classes or you will be charged full price for the material(s).

+Will optional course materials be included in the program?

No. Only required materials are included as part of Course Ready. Optional materials suggested by the professor may be ordered from Wolfpack Outfitters. Students who need assistance acquiring optional course materials may contact courseready@ncsu.edu.

+Will I be able to get physical or electronic copies of my materials?

Course Ready is a digital-first program, however your course materials could have a mix of physical and digital items. All physical materials can be picked up at Wolfpack Outfitters.

+How do I know if I have physical materials to pick up?

You will receive an email to your student email address confirming your items are ready for pick up.

+What if I need accommodations due to a disability?

We are committed to providing accessible materials to all students. For help with accommodations, please reach out to NC State Disability Resources at https://dro.dasa.ncsu.edu/connect-with-the-dro/.

+What if I add/drop the course, how do I get access to my materials?

When adding a course, digital course materials will be added to your Bookshelf, accessible via Moodle. Course enrollment changes can take up to 48 hours to be processed. If printed materials are required for your new course, you will receive an email from Wolfpack Outfitters to pick up any required materials. When dropping a course, any digital course materials access will be removed in tandem with your enrollment drop. If you drop and have printed course materials that were provided to you by Course Ready, you must return those print materials to Wolfpack Outfitters by Saturday of the fourth week of classes or you will be charged full price for the material(s). Non-returned print materials will be charged to your student bill at the publisher’s listed new book price.

+I am waitlisted for a course. Will I have access to the program course materials?

If you are waitlisted for a course, course materials will not appear in Moodle until you are officially added to the course roster. Course enrollment changes can take up to 48 hours to be processed.

+What should I do if a course material is on my syllabus but it isn’t showing up in Moodle? Do I need to go buy that material separately?

All required, instructor-selected textbooks, coursepacks, and homework access are included in the program. If you are an undergraduate student, you should not have to purchase those materials separately. Please email courseready@ncsu.edu with a copy of your syllabus in the event your required materials are not included in the program, and we will contact your instructor.

+How do I get technical support or answers to questions about the program?

Please visit our Contact page for assistance or email courseready@ncsu.edu.

+Will this program allow me to retain access to my course materials after a course ends?

Yes, for certain materials. Many of the digital textbooks may be downloaded to a device and read after the term is over. Digital textbooks that are a part of the courseware such as McGraw-Hill Connect or Pearson MyLab, are only usable for the semester during which they were originally provided; unless otherwise noted, access to these materials expires once the term is over. You may also keep any physical textbooks you receive as part of Course Ready if you stay enrolled in the program and the applicable course. If you opt out of the program or drop any course with print materials, you must return print textbooks to Wolfpack Outfitters by Saturday of the fourth week of class, or you will be charged for the price of the material. Any materials provided digitally will automatically be removed from your account.

+Can I download ebooks? Or use without internet access?

The ereader is fully device agnostic, scalable, and allows simultaneous usage across multiple devices. Further, content downloaded to the ereader app can be accessed in offline situations if it was downloaded prior to loss of internet connection. As for saving as a file, copyright laws can restrict licensed content from taking form as redistributable files. Allowing content to only be downloaded within the ereader puts the onus on the provider to protect copyright and relieves the University of associated risks.

Program Participation

+Will graduate students be part of Course Ready?

The program is only available to undergraduate students at this time.

+Can I choose to participate for some classes but not others?

No, this program is designed to be an all-in or all-out solution to bring affordability to campus.

+How do I access my course materials if I opt out of the program? Can I still purchase them from Wolfpack Outfitters?

All students will receive access to digital course materials at no charge until the opt-out deadline. Those who wish to opt-out can choose which materials they want to pay for and use on a material-by-material basis. Regardless of whether or not you are opted in to the program, most materials will now be digital.

+I opted out but changed my mind, can I re-enroll?

Yes. Prior to the opt-out deadline, you can opt back into Course Ready. After the opt-out deadline, please email courseready@ncsu.edu to request to opt in. Once your opt-in is confirmed, the charge will be submitted to your Student Bill.

+When am I charged for Course Ready?

You will see the flat-rate Course Ready charge on your first university bill of the semester. The charge is billed then, but you have until the last day to drop a course without penalty to opt-out of the program and the charge would then be reversed. This gives you the maximum amount of time to make choices about your course schedule.

+Will opting out of the program affect any of my classes in terms of registration?

No, it will not affect your class registration.

Adopting Course Materials

+Will Course Ready affect textbook selection or academic freedom?

No. Faculty retain full academic freedom under this program. Any required title with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is included in this program. Additional items that may not have an ISBN but are included in the program include campus custom course packs and lab manuals. Whether you are assigning paid publisher content or free and open educational resources (OER), all of your textbooks remain available for adoption. Only required titles are included in the program.

+What are the course material adoption deadlines?

Spring Course materials must be submitted by October 31, 2024. More information on future term deadlines will be posted on the Course Ready homepage.

+How do I get a desk copy of my chosen text(s) for me and TA’s?

This process remains unchanged. You will reach out to your publisher representative to request a desk copy.

+What academic materials are covered by this program?

Course materials are considered “written materials” like books, required printed lab manuals and coursepacks are included in the program, whether provided to the student in a digital or printed format. Course supplies (such as lab coats and art supplies) are not included and should be purchased separately.

+If I cancel my adoption, will my students still get charged?

Course Ready is a flat-rate, semester-based program that covers all required textbooks for every undergraduate student. The fee is not based on individual classes. Therefore, if you decide to cancel an adoption for your class, there is no additional cost or reduction to the student.

+Digital course materials are not suitable for my course. Will exceptions be made to accommodate print?

Yes, it is understood that a one-size-fits-most model may not meet the needs of every course format, curricula, or mode of instruction. Please specify on your textbook adoptions any specific requests and contact the program if you wish to review your required course materials at courseready@ncsu.edu.

+I use content from resources other than a textbook publisher, such as third-party software, a library resource, Open Educational Resources (OER), etc. Can I continue to do so?

Yes. You may continue to request the same content as prior terms. Many third-party software/courseware providers may already be integrated partners or can be integrated. Library Reserves may be offered in Moodle in addition to, or included with, this program. For questions regarding non-publisher content’s fit within the program, email courseready@ncsu.edu.< /p>

+My course(s) will use Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Content, or Creative-Commons (CC) licensed materials. Why would my course participate in this program?

Course Ready as an initiative is designed as a “both/and” environment. We applaud all adoption of OER alongside the program’s paid publisher content. Providing free or low-cost content will bring down the associated costs that the university incurs: a main goal of this program. As program costs continue to decrease, the program fee charged to students is also expected to follow suit.

+All of my course materials are freely available in library reserves. Why would my course participate in this program?

Course Ready is inclusive of all undergraduate courses. Students taking courses in addition to your course may find their other courses require paid content. Library reserves may be limited on some items, so be sure to check with the library to ensure the items on reserve have adequate capacity to accommodate all your students’ access.

Course Ready and Your Students

+My course doesn’t require textbooks. How would students in my course benefit from this program?

Course Ready is inclusive of all undergraduate courses. Students taking courses in addition to your course may find their other courses do require paid content.

+How do students access their course materials?

All digital course materials will be provided through Moodle, however you do not need to use Moodle for instructional purposes. Students initially access ebooks directly through Moodle. Publisher courseware (such as McGraw-Hill Connect or Pearson MyLab) is accessed through an integration in Moodle or with a provided URL. Most publisher courseware is integrated with Moodle to connect to the publisher’s content platform and students will use the Moodle link to create their initial courseware login. After an initial login has been created, students may go direct or bookmark the login page of the publisher’s content platform. For non-digital course materials, copies will be distributed to students through Wolfpack Outfitters at the start of the course.

+How long do students have to access these ebooks or courseware?

It depends. Some publishers do not offer more than 6-month access. However, for the majority of ebooks, 5-year or lifetime duration is usually selected, which would allow student access beyond the courses’ end. Post-course access is not likely to be restricted unless courses adopt courseware (e.g. MyLab, Connect, Achieve, etc.).

+Can students opt out of Course Ready? How do they do so?

Yes. Students may opt out of Course Ready by the established drop deadline in any given semester. When advising students on the opt-out process, it is important to consider a student’s full-term course enrollment and not a single course. If a student does choose to opt out of Course Ready, they will be able to select which digital materials or print materials when stocked, they wish to purchase on a material-by-material basis from Wolfpack Outfitters. Please view the Student FAQs above for complete details on the opt-out process.

+Can students download ebooks? Or use without internet access?

The e-reader is fully device-agnostic, scalable, and allows simultaneous usage across multiple devices. Furthermore, content downloaded to the ereader app can be accessed in offline situations as long as it was downloaded prior to loss of internet connection. As for saving as a file, copyright laws can restrict licensed content from taking form as redistributable files. Allowing content to only be downloaded within the e-reader puts the onus on the provider to protect copyright and relieves the University of associated risks.

+Will course materials still be available at Wolfpack Outfitters?

Wolfpack Outfitters will offer all digital course materials directly through Moodle regardless of whether the student is opted in to Course Ready or not. For students who are opted in to the program, required print texts will be provided by Wolfpack Outfitters automatically. If a student opts out of both Course Ready and the individual digital access for a given course material, they will need to purchase their material from a retailer other than Wolfpack Outfitters. Print books can be purchased directly from the Wolfpack Outfitters website when stocked or a retailer of their choice.

+What should a student do if they need academic accommodation due to a disability?

Students with questions about accessibility, using digital content or accommodations may contact Disability Resources Office for assistance https://dro.dasa.ncsu.edu/connect-with-the-dro/.

+How can students access lab manuals and coursepacks?

Custom-created lab manuals and coursepacks will be distributed to participating students through Wolfpack Outfitters during the start of courses. Students will receive an email when these materials are ready to be picked up or this information can be found in Moodle. If the student is opted in, the order for print materials will be automatically placed without the student having to do anything. Students who have opted out of Course Ready and need to obtain a lab manual or coursepack may place an order at shop.ncsu.edu on their own.

+Does Course Ready include graduate course materials, or course materials for courses offered via Continuing Education?

The program is only available to undergraduate students at this time. Any updates to the program will be posted here. A student may decide to opt out of Course Ready by the last day to drop a course without penalty in any given semester.

+Is Course Ready an option in the summer semester?

Wolfpack Outfitters continues to evaluate models and any changes will be announced in the fall 2025 semester. Currently Course Ready is available in the fall and spring semesters only at this time.

+ How do I add a “Course Ready-VitalSource” Link in Moodle?

Starting in Spring 2025, instructors will provide access to required course materials by adding a "Course Ready - VitalSource" link to their Moodle course pages. Steps to Add the Link to Moodle: Enable "Edit mode" in the top-right corner of your Moodle course page. Select "Add an activity or resource." Choose "Course Ready - VitalSource" from the activity chooser. Add a name for the link that will appear on your course page (optional settings can be left as default). Click "Save and display." The link will then appear on the course page, and course materials will be accessible within one day for faculty, students, and other enrolled users.