Faculty Requisitions and FAQs

 

Digital and Physical Course Material Requests

This page is intended for SFU Faculty and Staff that are teaching classes that require the ordering of physical/digital course materials. SFU Bookstore uses Online Course Adoptions (OCA), a textbook requisition management system to collect and manage textbook requisitions to order course materials for the upcoming term.  If you normally submit textbook requisitions directly to the Bookstore, please continue to do so.  If a Departmental coordinator submits them upon your behalf, please continue to coordinate with your department.

How to submit your textbook adoptions in Three Easy Steps:

  1. Login with your credentials at https://shop.sfu.ca/Oca (please bookmark this link), or with the login button sent when the requisition period opens. 
    If you are new to SFU, welcome! Please email textbook@sfu.ca to obtain your user access, with "New OCA User Account" in the subject line and what course/section you will be teaching.  
  2. Select your course materials.  Follow the OCA How-to guide OCA_Requisition_System_How_To.pdf
    There is a live daily feed between SIMS/Student Information System and OCA.  If you do not see your course, please email textbook@sfu.ca.
  3. Submit by the deadline*
    *The current deadline for the upcoming Spring term will be extended until the end of October 31, 2024.
                        Adoption Submission Deadlines
    Term Open Date Due Date
    Fall early May June 15
    Spring early Sept October 15
    Summer early January March 1
                        Course Pack Submission Deadlines
    Term Due Date  
    Fall June 30th  
    Spring October 30th  
    Summer February 28th  

        Thank you in advance for your support to get your physical & digital adoptions to us on time. Have a safe semester and we                   look forward to working with you.

Looking for extra assistance?

Please see the following Online Course Adoption (OCA) How-To Guide

 

 Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Bookstore be selling print course materials?

In our most recent student survey, 70% of students preferred Digital, while 30% of students preferred Physical.  We also monitor student buying patterns, as well as listen to Faculty/Staff input to order accordingly.  If there is a digital option available, in general, the Bookstore will not be ordering physical copies of the same title.  However, as we navigate towards future terms, we will be ordering more and more limited quantities of physical textbooks as student demand increases. 

I don't see my course, what do I do?

Continuing Studies, FIC and other non-credit courses that are not a part of SIMS/SIS are added manually into Online Course Adoptions (OCA) upon email request. 

Are there any other sources for course materials?

In addition to VitalSource, please click the links below for additional resources:

What if I find a digital option for my textbook on RedShelf or Kobo?

We have worked with VitalSource and Campus eBookstore to ensure access for all of our students, regardless of their geographical location. Kobo & Redshelf have limitations for access outside of North America, and we strongly encourage you to choose VitalSource or Campus eBookstore as a digital option, as there may be potential privacy issues for students as well.

The publisher has given me a link to their website. Can I just post this for my students?

If possible, please notify the Bookstore so we can ask the publisher to use one of our preferred vendors. The Bookstore is not able to provide additional support to students if they encounter any issues with the publishers.

How do I obtain a desk copy for my course?

Please contact publishers directly for physical and electronic desk copies.  Each publisher has their own criteria for desk copies.  Some publishers only have fillable online web forms as well.  Please email textbook@sfu.ca if you require further assistance.

What if I have questions about creating coursepacks?

Course Pack Submission Deadlines

Fall June 30th
Spring October 30th
Summer February 28th
 

 

 

Please find additional information regarding copyright by clicking here. You can submit coursepack requests  to coursematerials_coordinator@sfu.ca.

What if I have changes/late submissions?

If you have any changes regarding your course material adoptions after they are submitted in Online Course Adoptions (OCA) (course cancellations, dropping a textbook, deciding not to use it after the fact, etc.), please contact us right away at textbook@sfu.ca. Any changes made after physical textbooks have shipped to the Bookstore, may incur additional administrative costs such as one-way outbound return shipping charges back to the Publisher at the Department's expense.  

Alternatively, we understand that late submissions happen.  If you have a late submission (newly hired sessionals, new sections added, additional textbook to use, etc.) after our adoption deadline, it will be placed on an Internal Rush (ie. we will drop everything and work on your textbook orders as a priority).  Also, If you wish to have an External Rush (ie. provide a Departmental Charge Account Number to pay for expedited shipping from the Publisher), we can accommodate this request as well. This would apply for physical books, not digital eBooks.

Where and when can my students purchase their upcoming term's course materials?

Students can login here and get their personalized course materials page to purchase their upcoming term's course materials approximately one month prior to the course start date.