Select Textbooks

What & Why

Students need to know what textbooks they should buy when they register for courses (see the Academic Calendar). The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) requires this disclosure. Your timely submission makes a difference for students.

Early submissions allow students to buy materials in their preferred format (new, used, or digital) and charge to the bookstore account so they are prepared on day one of the term.

Indicating your course materials early upholds federal requirements and provides financial transparency for students during registration.

How To

1. 1. Akademos/VitalSource is the CSS online textbook partner.
  2. Access the bookstore via this link: https://akademos-scholastica.verbacollect.com/
  3. Follow the directions in the Quick Guide tutorial or via this Walkthrough with Videos.
  4. If your course does NOT require traditional textbooks, confirming this in the portal enables the bookstore to display "No Materials Required". This proactive approach allows students to receive the necessary information before classes begin.
  5. If you have any questions, please reach out to adoptions@vitalsource.com.

FAQs

How should students and faculty access support for billing issues, textbook viewing/access issues, or opt-out questions?

Reach out to VitalSource support first: https://css.textbookx.com/help#/
If they are unable to resolve the issue from there, they can email the registrar's office at registrar@css.edu or stop in to explain the situation.
- Note: The registrar's office is the "middleman", so they will not have an answer right away and will need to reach out to their contact for assistance.

How should students and faculty access support for IT-related issues, such as logging in, accessing the site or interface issues?

IT Support can be found in our TDX portal. IT only supports the interface. Examples of support IT can provide:

Authentication: Ensuring students can log in via Single Sign-On (SSO).
Permissions: "Does this user have the role assigned to them in the system?"
System Uptime: Monitoring whether the platform is technically "up" and accessible.

Are textbook purchases included in course fees? Do students purchase them separately through the online bookstore, or does it vary by course?

The cost of the book is NOT included in course fees. Students can charge up to $600 for books at the CSS Online Bookstore. Students should be made aware that these purchases are not free and will be billed to their student accounts.

Do faculty need to do anything in VitalSource?

If the course requires books, faculty can advise students to order them through the bookstore platform.

What is Inclusive Access, and what is the process faculty should use to set this up?

As of Summer 2026, CSS will no longer be participating in Inclusive Access due to many issues in the past.

Is it a Book or a Platform?

Publishers offer online platforms that use LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) to connect publisher content directly to Brightspace (CSS has LTI 1.3, Deep Linking). This option impacts a student's finances and their learning curve, as well as how much time you spend on course design.

Student Impact: Friction vs. Flow

The integration level of your chosen text dictates how smoothly a student can start learning on day one.

Students click a link inside a Brightspace module and are instantly logged in via Single Sign-On (SSO).
If they paid for the text and platform access was part of the cost, they can access the platform easily.
If the course was built using an outdated LTI integration, you and the student will need to troubleshoot login and access issues. This frequently delays student access to materials by 1 to 2 weeks.

Faculty Impact: Course Design

How you structure your Brightspace modules depends entirely on the publisher's technical capabilities.

Deep Linking: Advanced integrations allow you to embed specific publisher items (like a single quiz or an interactive chapter) directly into your weekly Brightspace modules. The student never feels like they are "leaving" your course.
External Portals: Some publishers only support a single link that dumps the student onto a generic external home page. This forces you to create directions in Brightspace (e.g., "Click this link, then look for Chapter 3 on their dashboard, then find Quiz A"), which can lead to confusion and more email inquiries.
Every publisher does this differently.

Administrative Impact: Automation vs. Manual Labor

Your textbook selection directly dictates how many hours you will spend on manual data entry throughout the semester.

Having issues with an LTI integration? Submit a ticket.

Additional Resources

None at this time.

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