Instructional Materials Access
Instructional Materials Access is a powerful and convenient program designed to ensure every Purdue University Northwest student has affordable access to ALL required course materials they need to succeed, including textbooks, on or before the first day of class each semester.
The Fall 2024 opt-out period is July 8 to Sept. 18.
What Are the Benefits of Instructional Materials Access?
- Textbooks for PNW students are covered by one flat fee
- Having required course materials makes it easier to be more successful in class
- Receive all course materials through a stress-free procurement experience
- Easily access, manage and use digital course materials
- Minimize the time spent searching for deals on course materials
- Don’t worry about getting the wrong book or wrong edition
Frequently Asked Questions
About Instructional Materials Access
The Instructional Materials Access program takes the hassle out of course material buying because course material costs are covered as part of your student fees right on your PNW bill for tuition and fees. This allows every enrolled student access to all required materials on day one of each semester.
Once you have selected your courses, your course list will be sent to Follett, which is PNW’s course material provider and operates the PNW bookstore. Follett gets everything ready for you.
All you need to do is pick up your required textbooks at the bookstore on the first floor of the Student Union and Library Building (SUL) in Hammond or at the Welcome Center (DSAC 1114) in the Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex in Westville.
Communication will be sent to each student from Follett letting you know when materials are available for pickup. Digital materials will be available through Brightspace at the beginning of the semester.
You will not pay out of pocket for your required course materials, as costs are covered. The flat rate of $299 for the fall 2024 semester, $299 for the spring 2025 semester and $175 for the summer 2025 semester will be included on your PNW bill for tuition and fees. The Instructional Materials Access fee is eligible to be covered by financial aid.
A task force made up of PNW faculty members and key staff members in Academic Affairs and Business Services worked during fall 2022 to recommend the best possible solution for PNW students to access course materials.
Surveys of students and faculty were conducted to gain insights into students’ preferences and faculty needs. The task force determined that by partnering with Follett, our longtime provider of physical and online bookstore services, we could utilize a program that has successfully provided equitable access to learning materials at more than 200 universities.
The program can save students money and enhance student success by helping students gain access to all their required learning materials on or before the first day of class. Faculty members will choose the course materials required, and the materials will be provided to students for their courses.
PNW faculty maintain academic freedom in selecting the required content, provider, and edition that best suits the courses they teach. By providing the chosen adoptions to Follett, faculty members ensure that all students in the course have the same materials, including edition and format, on the first day of class.
This allows faculty to begin instruction on day one instead of waiting for students to acquire their materials, and it allows students to be prepared for class on the first day through the convenience of Instructional Materials Access.
Faculty and Instructional Materials Access
Fall 2024 Course Material Requirements Due to Bookstore April 30, 2024
How to submit them?
1. Go to the PNW Bookstore shop
2. At the bottom of the page, select “Online Adoptions” (under “Resources”)
3. Log in or set up a new account. First-time users will be asked for a password. (The password was distributed to PNW faculty via email. If you need it, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs.)
Please make sure to indicate if you will be utilizing ebook or courseware for your course materials required.
Using the Same Materials as Last Time?
Submit your adoption to the bookstore email address, 0154txt@follett.com, so we have it on record.
Questions or Need Help?
Contact our support team via email at 0154txt@follett.com or j.lebeau@follett.com.
Faculty members maintain academic freedom in selecting the required content, provider, and edition that best suits your course(s).
By providing your chosen adoptions to Follett by the requested date of April 30 for Fall 2024, you can ensure that all students have the same materials, including edition and format, on the first day of class. This allows you to begin instruction on day one instead of waiting for students to acquire their materials.
Please note that late adoptions may delay a student having access to their materials on the first day of class.
Instructional Materials Access supports the use of no-cost or low-cost open educational resources (OER) materials. If you choose to adopt OER materials for your course, please provide the adoption details to Follett so that they can communicate the required materials for your course in the same manner as other materials.
Students will not be expected to purchase required materials outside of the Instructional Materials Access program. All required course materials for your courses should be made available via Instructional Materials Access.
The Follett catalog is extensive and may give you opportunities to expand your required course materials, as students will only pay the flat fee through Instructional Materials Access.
However, if you have additional recommended materials for a course that you wish students to purchase outside Instructional Materials Access, you should communicate to students how to acquire those materials at their own expense.
Need technical help with Instructional Materials Access? Contact the Customer Service Center at CSC@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2888.
Faculty members who have questions about adopting instructional materials should contact the PNW Bookstore:
PNW Bookstore
Student Union and Library Building, Room 110
(219) 844-1081
Email: 0154mgr@follett.com
pnw.edu/bookstore
Brytewave by Redshelf is a tool that allows you to access your e-books and codes that can be used to unlock access to certain third-party tools. These can also be accessed directly in Brightspace, via email or directly on the Brytewave website. Review the instructions provided at the link below to follow step-by-step directions to access your materials.
Students and Instructional Materials Access
Once you have selected your courses during registration, your course list will be sent to Follett, which is PNW’s partner in Instructional Materials Access, and they will get everything ready for you!
With Instructional Materials Access, many course materials will be delivered in digital format through Brightspace. Some of these materials will be available to you through Follett’s partner BryteWave. If you receive an email from BryteWave – don’t delete it! The email contains important information about items that have been added to your digital bookshelf.
You may access your digital bookshelf in Brightspace. If you see a ‘BryteWave Course Materials’ link widget in your Brightspace course homepage, it will take you to your digital bookshelf, which will have all your eBooks and coded courseware from BryteWave for the term (and, in some cases, you may see lifetime books from past terms). An example of a coded courseware is Pearson MyLab. These codes have a quick copy to clipboard function to help you paste them on instructor-provided URLs.
Codeless Courseware
Some courseware is accessible from links that your professors and publishers input into Brightspace. Please note that you may be required to set up an account with the publisher to access the materials.
All students will have access to this type of courseware until the term’s drop/add deadline, even if you opted out of the program. Should you decide to opt out of the PNW Instructional Materials Access Program, you will no longer have access to the materials once the drop/add deadline has passed.
Students who opt out will see a paywall go up after the deadline, in which case you will need to purchase the code(s) and enter it to regain access to the materials. Examples are McGraw Hill Connect and Cengage MindTap codes.
Once you have selected your courses during registration, your course list will be sent to Follett, which is PNW’s partner in Instructional Materials Access, and they will get everything ready for you!
If you are receiving print textbooks or other print materials, you will receive an email close to the beginning of the semester confirming that your materials are ready for pickup or with any physical codes that are needed for the course that would not be available via BryteWave.
Picking Up Materials
To collect your course materials, please bring your Student ID to the online order pickup area at the PNW Bookstore located on the first floor of the Student Union and Library Building (SUL) in Hammond, or to the Welcome Center (DSAC 1114) in the Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex in Westville.
Returning Materials
If you drop the course on or before the last day of the DROP/ADD period for the term you must return the print materials. To return your materials, bring them to the PNW Bookstore in SUL or to the Welcome Center (DSAC 1114) in the Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex in Westville.
If you drop a course, return textbooks to the PNW Bookstore in SUL or to the Welcome Center (DSAC 1114) in the Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex in Westville.
If you add a new course after you have already picked up your materials, you will receive an email from Follett when your print materials are ready. Once you receive that notification, go to the PNW Bookstore in SUL or to the Westville Welcome Center to pick up additional print materials.
Digital materials will be available in Brightspace when you are enrolled in a course you add once the semester has started.
Only materials identified by your professor as “required” are included as part of the Instructional Materials Access program. Your professor will communicate to you how to acquire any “recommended” materials outside of Instructional Materials Access, which might need to be purchased at an additional cost.
Yes! When participating in the Instructional Materials Access program, you can keep your textbooks after the course has ended.
Yes! If you would like to sell your books after the term is complete, visit the PNW Bookstore or sell your books back to Follett on the Follett website and ship the books back to Follett.
While PNW has chosen to include all courses in Instructional Materials Access and we believe the flat rate can save you money, students have the choice to opt out of the program by the last date to drop a course with a refund. For Fall 2024, this date is Sept. 18, 2024.
Should you wish to opt-out of the Instructional Materials Access program, follow this link:
Once you follow this link you will need to log in or set up a password for the Follett customer portal. Once you are in the portal, select the option to opt-out of Instructional Materials Access for your PNW courses for the semester.
If you opt-out, your decision will be final for that semester, and you will be responsible for finding and purchasing all your required course materials on your own.
Please note that all students will be automatically enrolled in Instructional Materials Access each semester. If you determine you prefer to opt-out for that semester, you can take that action through the Follett customer portal.
If you feel you have opted out in error, please contact the Bursar’s Office via bursar@pnw.edu or visit
Hammond Campus
Lawshe Hall, Room 130G
(219) 989-2560
Westville Campus
Schwarz Hall, Room 158
(219) 785-5338
Students who have questions about the Instructional Materials Access program should contact the PNW Bookstore:
PNW Bookstore
Student Union and Library Building, Room 110
(219) 844-1081
Email: 0154mgr@follett.com
pnw.edu/bookstore
All students receive an email from Follett about Instructional Material Access after they register for class. This email will come to your PNW email address. The sender will be noreply@follett.com. If you are registered for classes and have not yet seen an email, please be sure to check your “Junk Email” folder in your PNW email account.
If you need opt-out information and can’t locate the email from Follett, you can click on the link to opt out of the program: https://accessportal.follett.com/0154 or please contact the Bursar’s Office via bursar@pnw.edu or visit:
Hammond Campus
Lawshe Hall, Room 130G
(219) 989-2560
Westville Campus
Schwarz Hall, Room 158
(219) 785-5338
Once you have opted out it will take a few business days for the fee to be removed from your bill.