Day 1 Digital Access

Day 1 Digital Access (D1DA) is a collaborative program at CSULB with two main goals:

  • Reduce the cost of textbooks
  • Provide access to the required textbooks on the first day of classes

How Does It Work?

  • The required textbooks will be available through Canvas in a digital format, whether e-book or courseware.
  • Discounted pricing has been negotiated with publishers and will be charged to the student account before classes start.
  • Students will have until the add/drop deadline without approval to opt out.
    • This is generally 2 weeks for the regular Fall or Spring semester, but different depending on the Summer or Winter semester sessions.
    • Student who opt out will lose access and will also receive a refund in their Student Center account.

Frequently Asked Questions – Faculty

  • Immediate access on the first day of classes for your students
    • Faculty currently in the program mention this as their main benefit as they can start readings and assignments on the first week of classes.
  • Discounted pricing negotiated with publishers on the required textbook in a digital format
  • Available through Canvas so you can send your students to one place
  • VitalSource Engagement Dashboard for e-books so you can view how much your students are reading/studying along with which sections/pages
  • Integration benefits such as grade syncing for courseware

An e-book is the textbook in a digital format.  It is no longer just a plain PDF.  With our digital provider, VitalSource, e-books now contain features such as highlighting, annotations, and analytics (D1DA courses only).

A courseware is an adaptive learning technology product which you can assign homework, quizzes, and/or tests that can be auto-graded.  Examples of courseware include MyLab, Revel, Connect, MindTap, WileyPlus, and LaunchPad. Courseware products usually include the e-book on the publisher platform and have integration benefits such as grade syncing with Canvas.

Whether e-book or courseware, you can request D1DA in four ways:

  • When submitting your textbook adoption in the online system, please submit your normal textbooks, and towards the end of the process, place a note/comment “Please enroll my class in D1DA”.
  • When submitting your textbook adoption in the online system, select "Has IA Interest".
  • You can email us directly at D1DA@csulb.edu or Textbook@csulb.edu with your D1DA request.
  • Request it or reply to your publisher representative, who will then forward the request to us.
    • Participating publishers are also promoting this program nationally known as Inclusive Access.

Due to the logistics of the program and potential integrations with Canvas, we recommend requesting D1DA at least 4-6 weeks before the start of classes. For e-book only request, we will accept even during the first week of classes. For courseware request, this will depend on each publisher as they require some back-end setup as well. Most publishers do accept D1DA requests past the recommended 4-6 weeks as digital delivery is a quicker turn-around time than physical book delivery.
 

There are four main requirements if publishers would like their courseware product integrated with Canvas:

  • Provide FREE access on the first day of classes
  • Meet campus accessibility and security criteria
  • Provide own support for courseware products
  • Must be delivered through campus Inclusive Access program (Day 1 Digital Access)
    • This is to be inclusive of students with financial aid accounts who can only obtain textbooks from CSULB such as veterans, Department of Rehabilitation, and scholarship students.

Please email D1DA@csulb.edu as soon as possible so that we can request integration for your current section. Please note there may be delays.

Please email D1DA@csulb.edu immediately so that we can cancel your class from the D1DA program and make sure students either (A) don't get charged, or (B) get a refund to their student accounts. 

Although this is a digital first program, students can still order print copies from us, if they prefer. One of the program’s primary goals, however, is sustainability. To reduce the environmental impact of excessive shipping, we will fulfill these individual orders on demand, as needed. To this end, it is strongly recommended that these orders are placed 2-3 weeks in advance.

The two main benefits are the access on the first day of class, and the discounted pricing negotiated with publishers. Most instructors mention the access on the first day as their main benefit as they can start readings and assignments right away.

We understand that this program is NOT for everyone. A consideration to make in answering whether you should enroll your class is to look at reasons why D1DA may not be the right fit for your class. You may NOT want to enroll your class in D1DA if:

  • Your textbook is NOT required but more “recommended” for students to purchase
  • You think your students should have print copies
  • Your students are allowed to use old editions
  • Your textbook is easily available at a cheaper price from the online marketplace such as Amazon

 

Frequently Asked Questions - Students 

If your instructor has enrolled the class in D1DA, you are automatically enrolled upon registration for the class. You will be notified via your school email on the first day of classes if you are enrolled in any classes with D1DA from no-reply@verbasoftware.com.

  • Immediate access on the first day of classes 
  • Discounted pricing on the required textbook(s) in a digital format 

 

  • Step by Step Instructions
    • After logging into the class on Canvas, there should be a module called “Day 1 Digital Access” (sometimes, instructors rename this to slight variations of “Access Your E-Book” or “D1DA E-Book”). In that module will be instructions and a tool link titled “VitalSource Course Materials” Please note that sometimes instructors rename this to slight variations as well.
    • After clicking the opt-out link, which takes you to the D1DA provider website (usually courses.vitalsource.com), there will be an opt-out button on the bottom of your book/course shown.
      • If you are unable to locate the opt-out button, you can still opt out by emailing us BEFORE the deadline at D1DA@csulb.edu.

If it is before the opt out deadline, you can opt back in by following the same steps you took to opt out. After the deadline, this depends on each publisher and title. Please check with us by emailing D1DA@csulb.edu.

The price for each D1DA textbook is different. Please visit BeachBookCompare.com or the D1DA module in your class page in Canvas for pricing information. 

If you dropped the class before the deadline, you are automatically opted out. If you dropped the class ON or AFTER the deadline, please email us at D1DA@csulb.edu.

After the deadline, exceptions can be made only if you purchased a similar/different format from the University Bookstore, directly from VitalSource, or directly from the publisher’s website. Please email us at D1DA@csulb.edu with a copy of the receipt.

Your CSULB Student Center account will be charged before your classes start. You can pay online through your MyCSULB Student Center or in-person by visiting Student Financial Services at Brotman Hall.

If we have leftover books from a previous semester, we will carry print copies in the bookstore. However, if we do not have any leftover books, some publishers offer “print upgrades”. Please email us at D1DA@csulb.edu for more information.

Yes, you will need to opt out again since it is a new section (the opt out was recorded in the original section).

Your instructor should inform you that the class is participating in the D1DA program. However, in the case that you added the class late and missed that information, you can find out by visiting
BeachBookCompare.com, and there will be a note with classes participating in D1DA. This information would also be posted on your class page in Canvas. There would be a module titled “Day 1 Digital Access” (sometimes, instructors rename this to slight variations).

In addition, we will send out 2-3 emails to the school email on file for all students in a D1DA class from no-reply@verbasoftware.com.

You may email us at D1DA@csulb.edu if you plan on staying opted in and want your funding account charged instead. If visiting us in-store, please let Customer Service know you have a class with D1DA and would like to charge your funding account instead. We will issue a refund to your CSULB account towards the end of the opt out deadline. 

Please reach out to the Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Center at (562) 985-1663 or aimc@csulb.edu, as soon as you know you have a class enrolled in D1DA. They will be able to facilitate obtaining a physical copy or a copy in a format that you need.