How can faculty contribute to the success of the program?
Faculty contribute to the program's success by submitting their course material selections to the bookstore by the deadline each semester (generally early/mid-October for spring and early/mid-April for fall).
If students opt in but faculty do not submit materials by the deadline, what happens to the cost for the student?
The cost for the student is based on the number of credit hours taken when opted in, not the individual course materials. The student “opt-in” cost remains the same regardless of whether the faculty member submits a book order.
Is there a limit to the number of materials faculty can include in the course?
There is no limit to textbooks, digital textbooks, lab manuals, access codes, or homework platforms for a course. However, the program does NOT include consumables such as calculators, lab and art supplies, and computers.
How does Cougar Complete work with OAKS?
Please review the Cougar Complete Faculty Guide for working with OAKS.
Will faculty need to change their course materials currently being used?
No, there are no restrictions to the course materials you select for your course. The program includes all course materials, from any publisher, in your preferred format.
Why not work directly with publishers?
Publishers cannot provide at the lowest possible price all the different formats of content that faculty request.
How does Cougar Complete lower textbook costs for our students?
By using an integrated supply chain and economies of scale, Barnes & Noble College can provide a more affordable solution for students through Cougar Complete. Cougar Complete limits the cost of required course materials to $21/credit hour – or $63 for any three-credit course.
For reference, many courses cost a student $100-$200. Some common examples include BIOL 101, where the total cost of required materials (digital item, rented physical book) is $230.50, and SPAN 101-202 (2x digital items, rented physical book), where the total is $245.00.
Barnes & Noble College is committed to lowering course material costs for College of Charleston students. In fact, the per-credit-hour cost went down from $22 to $21 this academic year.
What happens if a faculty member changes their course material adoption?
If a faculty member changes their course material adoption, they should inform the bookstore of the change, and the bookstore will update the course materials. The bookstore will make sure students receive the corrected course materials.
What if my teaching assignment changes (e.g., I was scheduled to teach one course but later assigned to another)?
The bookstore will always help in these situations by updating the textbook adoption platform with the new materials.
Students pay for the total number of credits taken per semester, not by the number of courses utilizing the program. If a student opts out, it's for all the classes in that term. (Read above about opting out.)
We recognize that faculty might minimize their materials or opt for OER to save students money. The benefit of Cougar Complete is that all students benefit from the known cost of $21/credit hour vs. relying on each faculty member to select low or no-cost options.
The bookstore can accommodate students with accessibility needs.