University Store
Department 3255
1000 E. University Avenue
Phone: (307) 766-3264
Email: uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu
A national study of nearly 6,000 college students conducted in 2020 found that 65% skipped out on buying at least one of their required textbooks because they couldn’t afford it, even though they knew it might affect their grade in the class. Course material costs have risen one thousand percent since the 1970s, and four times the rate of inflation since the early 2000s.
To submit your adoptions, please use the Faculty Adoption / Verba Collect system (please note that this is only your WyoWeb login if you chose to set it up that way). Submitted materials should include textbooks, course packets, supplies, and OER materials. Adoptions are best submitted using the following:
ISBN (preferred)
Title, Author, and Edition (if applicable)
If you are still determining the exact author, title, or ISBN or have any other questions about submitting your adoptions, please email Fawn Pickard at fpickard@uwyo.edu.
We encourage you to set up a time to meet with our Course Material Buyer, Fawn Pickard, as she can help guide you through submitting your adoptions.
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 coursepacks 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. Any title that will be a cost for students need to be included in this program, these titles must be submitted as an adoption.
There is no change to the current process. You will adopt content through the Verba Collect Adoption tool. Please note that your Verba Collect login is not your WyoWeb credentials unless set-up that way. The Verba Collect tool is only available during active adoption periods. If you are unable to access Verba Collect, you may request a login or submit your adoption by contacting uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu
StartRight+ is a digital-first program; titles will be researched for their available digital options. After submitting a textbook adoption, items on your adoption will be reviewed for eBook availability. Titles that are available in eBook format will be offered in WyoCourses/Canvas as an eBook. Titles that do not have an eBook available are further reviewed for print options in the most current edition / version in the most available format (this could new, used, hardback, loose-leaf, etc.).
This process remains unchanged. You will reach out to your publisher representative to request a desk copy. When you speak to your publisher representative, ask them about the VitalSource Faculty Sampling Service. WyoCourses/Canvas course users with role Teacher, Course Admin or TA receive complimentary access to eBooks provided by VitalSource. For eBooks or courseware provided directly through a publisher’s content platform (such as McGraw-Hill Connect or Pearson MyLab), please contact your publisher representative or uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu for further assistance.
StartRight+ is a flat-rate, term-level program that covers all required course materials 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.
Yes, but it depends. It is understood that a one-size-fits-most model may not meet the needs of every course format, curricula, or mode of instruction. During an extensive risk assessment, the program has reserved limited space for titles remaining in print format. However, in instances with pedagogical mismatch where the required course materials are impractical, unfeasible or unavailable in digital format, print options may be considered on an individual title by title basis. For situations in which digital greatly outprices print, the success of the program assumes greatest risk by deferring to print format when digital options are available. Please contact the program if you wish to review your required course materials uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu.
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 WyoCourses/Canvas in addition to, or included with, this program. For a library resource, use the “Comments Field” on the Verba Collect Adoption tool to list the material being used. If you have the library link, please provide that in the same “Comments Field.” For questions regarding non-publisher content’s fit within the program, contact uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu.
StartRight+ is an initiative designed as a “both/and” environment. We applaud all adoption of OER alongside the program’s paid publisher content. Scalable OER solutions at the University of Wyoming are still several years in the horizon, and StartRight+ is bridging this transition. Additionally, 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 go down, the program fee charged to students is also expected to go down.
Per a Unviersity of Wyoming directrive, StartRight+ is inclusive of all undergraduate courses.. Students taking courses in addition to your course may find their other courses do 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. Additionally, you may choose to have your reserve items displayed in the student dashboard, so students only need to access a single page to view all their paid and free content.
For help with StartRight+ course materials: uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu
StartRight+ is inclusive of all undergraduate courses. Students taking courses in addition to your course may find their other courses do require paid content.
All digital course materials will be provided through their WyoCourses/Canvas course.
For non-digital course materials, copies will be distributed to students through the University Store at the start of the course.
It depends on the publisher and length of licenses available. Some publishers do not offer more than 6-month access. However, for most eBooks, a 5-year or lifetime duration is usually selected, which would allow student access beyond the courses’ end. After the course ends, students can continue access by logging into their "My Textbooks." Longer length term or lifetime access may or will be selected when necessary. Post-course access is not likely to be restricted unless courses adopt courseware.
Yes, students can choose to opt out each semester. Single course opt out is not permitted; students that opt out will have program access removed for all courses in that term. Please view the Student FAQs above for complete details on the opt-out process.
The opt-out deadline for Fall 2024 is August 30, 2024.
Students who opt out of StartRight+ will then be given the option to enroll in StartRight Choice which will let them select what they would like digitally course by course, after that they are expected to self-source their required course materials necessary for their course. However, the University Store will assist any student seeking help acquiring the correct course materials.
For eBooks: Students may purchase individual eBooks and other digital course content directly within their WyoCourses/Canvas "My Textbooks."
For printed textbooks: Print textbook inventory held at the University Store is reserved specifically for participating program undergraduate students. Students that opt out of StartRight+ for that semester may special order a print copy of a textbook by contacting uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu.
The WyoCourses/Canvas ereader is fully device agnostic, scalable, and allows simultaneous usage across 2 mobile devices and 2 desktop 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 re-distributable 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.
Students that choose to opt-out of StartRight+ will be responsible for obtaining the required materials either through StartRight Choice or by contacting the University Store for any print materials. The University Store will not stock print copies of course materials that are provided digitally through StartRight+.
Submitting all required materials through the University Store is required through Standard Administrative Policy and Procedure. Many students with special financial assistance can be accommodated appropriately (i.e., athletics, government funding, etc.) if all course materials are submitted. Refusing to submit adoptions through the University Store negatively affects these students by:
Not getting their course materials on time for class start or
Requiring them to purchase materials instead of using awarded student funds.
University Store
Department 3255
1000 E. University Avenue
Phone: (307) 766-3264
Email: uwyostore-textbooks@uwyo.edu