Faculty FAQ

A. Falcon Advantage is a course material delivery program where all of a student’s required course materials are provided to them automatically on the first day of class. This ensures that every student is given the same access to ALL of the materials they need to succeed in class. The cost of the materials is administered through the school and the school pays Akademos an annual fee for their services and software.

A. Every student receives their course materials – physical and/or digital – by the first day of class at an affordable price.

When students are provided with their materials on time and at an affordable cost, they can engage with them early and often and experience better learning outcomes resulting in successful program completion and graduation.

A. All students are included in this program.

A. Yes. Students can choose to opt out if they like, though we strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this program because it offers discounted course materials with the advantage of students being ready for their classes on the first day.

A. Akademos sources both physical and digital texts as well as rental textbooks. The format often depends on the selected items and their availability.

A. All students pay a low cost per-credit hour each quarter that covers all required course materials, regardless of how much each individual textbook costs. Akademos sells all materials to the institution at cost and charges a service fee, allowing us to recommend the adoption of lower cost subscriptions and OER materials that can help lower the cost to students.

A. Visit the website at spu.textbookx.com and log in with your school account. Once logged in you will see all of the courses that you are assigned to teach or oversee. Use the search tool to type in an ISBN or title and then follow the steps to add details and submit it to Akadémos. You can also message your Akadémos Client Success Manager through the website if you have special textbook settings or requests.

A. Faculty have academic freedom and can select the materials they feel are best for their class, including traditional textbooks, OER materials, or other non-textbook items. Digital materials are often encouraged because they are more affordable and students receive access immediately, which can be helpful if they add or drop courses. Akadémos’ website and Client Success Managers provide the tools, analysis, and information so that faculty and administrators have a clear picture of textbook costs for transparency and can review opportunities to lower costs quarter over quarter.

A. Adoptions are due 90 days before the start of each quarter. In order for Akadémos to deliver all print and digital materials to students on the first day of class, we need the support and participation of faculty and administrators to submit adoptions on time. Once submitted, Akadémos reviews them to ensure that a) availability is established, b) the lowest cost formats are sourced, and c) any recommendations are made available to the adopter. If we anticipate availability issues, we may reach out and recommend similar titles, alternative formats (ebook vs bundle or physical request), or suggest alternative materials such as OER, which covers the same content with lower price points.

Late Adoption Policy: 

Faculty may begin submitting adoptions for the upcoming quarter 90 days prior to the start of that quarter. All adoptions are due 60 days prior to the start of the upcoming quarter. Adoptions that are not submitted by this deadline will be accepted as eBook/digital resources only (where offered through VitalSource) for the purpose of resource procurement timelines. (eBook options can be identified by accessing the Akadémos adoptions portal, typing in the title or ISBN for a book/material, and identifying whether a eBook/digital version displays as an option. If found on the adoptions portal as eBook/digital, the resource may be adopted.) Late adoptions of any kind will not be accepted after 30 days prior to the start of the upcoming quarter and students will not receive resources allocated by the program for which they are paying.

For additional questions about any of these policies, please send inquiries to bookstore@spu.edu.

A. Yes, instructors who wish to utilize a physical option for their course materials even if lower-cost, digital items are available, may indicate this choice when making their adoption section. Once approved by an administrator, Akadémos will conform to this choice and deliver the item in physical formats.

A. If you have created materials that include selections of traditional texts, library resources, powerpoint slides, etc., you can submit those through the website and it will be provided as a coursepack.

A. Yes, this program includes all courses in a quarter and is not offered on a course-by-course basis. Please make sure to indicate that your materials are OER or other in the website so bookstore staff can provide a full course list to students.

A. We encourage faculty members to submit their adoptions early and to avoid making last-minute changes due to the nature of the program. If you have an unavoidable change, please contact your Client Success Manager as soon as possible.

A. All digital course material access information will be emailed to students on or before the first day of class. Depending on the item, materials will be available through a student’s LMS (Canvas) account, a publisher website, or through VitalSource (Akadémos).

A. Students who live on campus can pick up their physical items at Mailing Services or can change the address to deliver them to their home. Students who live off campus, commute, or attend remotely can designate their delivery location on the Akadémos site.

A. Students will be responsible for obtaining their course materials on their own if they decide not to participate in the program. They will have the option to order some or all of their course materials through the website with standard payment options (credit card, debit card, ApplePay, Google Pay, PayPal). Please note that Seattle Pacific will not have course materials for sale on campus.

A. spu.textbookx.com/help. Through that page students can use the dynamic help tool to answer their questions or they can call or email the bookstore.

A. Please contact your Client Success Manager through the bookstore’s website.

A. Contact your publisher representative or visit their faculty help pages. Your Client Success Manager may be able to help in some cases, but going to the publisher first is recommended.