ISU Book Store manager Bryce Jacobson and library dean Hilary Seo spoke to the Faculty Senate about Immediate Access One and instructors' role in keeping the cost of course materials low for students during the March 4 meeting.
Immediate Access ONE -- launched last fall -- provides one course materials price ($259 for fall and spring, $69 winter and summer) for all undergraduate students. On the first day of class each semester, students can access their required course materials by logging into Canvas. Students automatically are enrolled in the program.
"We are asking for timely adoptions of materials so we have time to negotiate the best price for our students and ensure instructors can use the materials they want," Jacobson said. "We are seeing about two-thirds of all departments submit adoptions with about 90% of those before the start of classes. That is fantastic, and now we are trying to see how we can work with faculty to improve the other third."
At the beginning of each semester, Jacobson said students can compare individual prices of course materials with other vendors against the book store's flat-fee cost. Bookstore staff work with students to determine the best option for them.
The bookstore and the library partner to further bring down prices through course reserves and open educational resources (OER). The library provides course reserves -- which can include digital or print books, book chapters, journal articles, videos and more -- to students by supplying access and paying copyright fees. OER are free teaching materials adopted as-is or for specific class needs. OER have saved students more than $2 million.
"Faculty seem to think they have to create OER themselves, and that can be true, but the first step is working with librarians to find OERs that are already out there," Seo said. "Faculty can adopt them to best serve their classes."
Faculty salary policy and procedures
Senators will vote at the next meeting on replacing the Faculty Handbook section on salary policies and procedures (PDF) with revisions that bring it into alignment with current university practices. They are the first suggested updates since 2000. In addition to suggested updates, three new sections are proposed:
- "Other salary increases" describes options beyond performance-based and meritorious adjustments.
- "Salary assessment" documents a new process for faculty to request a salary review.
- "Definitions" provides institutional definitions of terms used to talk about faculty salaries.
The section on "Funding for term research appointments" would be moved under the rubric "Research faculty title and ranks" for clarity.
Other business
Senators approved:
- An addition to the Faculty Handbook's annual review (PDF) process. During their annual review, faculty on the tenure track will receive documentation from the department chair on their progress toward promotion and tenure.
- An undergraduate minor (PDF) in sports media communication to complement the major the senate approved last spring, also in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. Students will gain an understanding of the processes that shape how sports are portrayed, promoted and analyzed.
- Heather Greenlee (biomedical sciences) and Doug Smith (School of Education) were re-elected as Faculty Senate representatives to the Athletics Council.
Senators will vote at the April 8 meeting on:
- A proposed name change (PDF) in the College of Design for the department of community and regional planning to the department of urban planning and development. The new name is the standard in the field, will help students identify the program and reflects the name employers increasingly are using for job titles in the field.
- Proposed changes to the membership of the faculty compensation committee bylaws (PDF) to ensure that term, tenure-track and tenured faculty are more equally represented. Voting members would be one faculty member per college and one at-large member. The voting membership should include both tenure and term faculty when possible, but voting members do not need to be faculty senators. There also no longer would be any non-voting members of the committee.
- Updates (PDF) to the Faculty Handbook sections on faculty evaluation and review, honorary degrees, the faculty pool for review boards and major sanction committees, the office of equal opportunity, and the appointment of ad hoc investigative committees to comply with Senate File 2435, the 2024 law that restricts diversity, equity and inclusion programming at the regent universities.
- The removal (PDF) of the committee on equity, diversity and inclusion from the Faculty Senate bylaws in the council on faculty development and administrative relations to comply with changes to state law.
- Updates to the Faculty Handbook section on administrative structure (PDF) to reflect the current configuration. Changes include the set of institutions governed by the Iowa Board of Regents and the departments, units, divisions and services overseen by the vice presidents within the president's division.
