Day One All Access Affordable Textbook Program

Group of students studying in library at university

Day One is an all-access course materials program allowing students to have their materials by the first day of class. The materials cost is included in tuition for one flat rate and is eligible to be covered by financial aid. Studies show that student success increases when students have the correct learning materials from the start of class. This program's large purchasing power allows ¹ÏÉñÍø to 'buy in bulk' and receive exclusive discounts.

Material Options

This program provides both digital and physical materials to students, depending on the instructor's adoption (textbook choice).

Digital materials are provided to students directly through Canvas on day one of class. Online access to the ebooks is available on nearly any device and in any space. Some ebooks can be downloaded directly onto a tablet or laptop. On the other hand, if a professor chooses to use a physical textbook, students are notified via email to pick up their book at the bookstore. All students picking up physical materials are required to show their ¹ÏÉñÍø ID at the time of pickup.

Day One Student Information

There are different ways to verify that a class is included in the Day One All-Access program:

  1. Online Catalog: Courses in the Day One program are noted as such in the online course catalog found on the university's website ()
  2. Bookstore Website: Students can also confirm Day One courses on the bookstore's website ()
  3. Student Account & Email: Once registered for an Day One course, students will receive an email notification from the University Registrar. This notification will state which course and CRN is in the program and instructions on how to obtain materials. This email will also inform students to return materials to the bookstore if the applicable course is dropped.

Students can verify the format of their materials on the bookstore website, . If the text says New, the book will be physical; if the text says Digital, the book will be accessible in Canvas.

An email notification will be sent to students from the bookstore to their ¹ÏÉñÍø email when their physical Day One material is ready for pick up. They will need to bring their ¹ÏÉñÍø ID to the designated area within the bookstore to pick up their Day One order.

Students receiving digital materials through Canvas will log in and click the corresponding course. The professor will provide a link and instruction to the text.

The path to your ebooks may vary depending on the publisher; to find a specific path, select the applicable publisher instructions below.

Just like tuition and fees, when students drop an Day One course prior to the drop/add date, the course materials fee is credited back to the student's account. If the student drops within the half refund period, just as tuition is half credited, the course materials too will be half credited.

Students dropping courses utilizing ebooks will not need to take any further action. Once the drop is officially recorded, the digital material provided for the dropped class will be automatically removed from their Canvas. Access to the corresponding ebook is then terminated.

Students are responsible for returning all physical Day One materials in new condition for dropped courses. The material cannot be opened and out of the shrink wrap (if applicable); the access code cannot be scratched off or used (if applicable). If the material is not in re-saleable condition, the student may incur a charge at the bookstore.

Failure to return Day One materials will result in a hold on the student's account.

Day One materials provided to students are theirs to keep! There is no need to return materials after the class ends.

Day One affected the way I register for classes because it makes things easier with the cost of everything being included. You don't have to worry about trying to find the money to be able to get your books and supplies you need to succeed in school. 

- Malcolm Marcus, Cyber Security Student

Day One Faculty Information

The Day One All-Access program is a driver of student success. Nearly one in five students skipped or deferred a class due to costs associated with course materials. Without implementing the Day One program, only 28% of students have all the required materials on day one of class, but with Day One, 100% have their materials for day one. Approximately 77% of faculty use the required textbooks in every class and three out of four students agree having their textbook helps them get better grades.

Students receive their course materials at the start of class, regardless of their economic status or situation, so they arrive on day one ready to learn. The faculty no longer has to worry about students being prepared with the correct materials on day one, and no longer have to act as tech support for digital materials or access code logins.

A recent, 12-month study of VCCS found that with the Day One program, students were more likely to earn higher grades and less likely to withdrawal.

This program provides students with the right materials from day one while ensuring faculty retain the academic freedom to choose the materials that best suit their teaching methods and preferences. Faculty are free to choose any format they find most beneficial to their student; digital, physical, or a combination of both. The Day One program does not impact the course materials used, rather the process by which students receive them.

To guarantee students receive Day One materials on day one, adoption submission deadlines are crucial. Adoptions can be submitted through Follett Discover tool in Canvas at any time. Please contact the bookstore if you have trouble accessing this tool or if you would like to schedule a training session for your department/team.

After we switched to Day One, I no longer was getting emails from students about turning in work late because they didn't have the book. They weren't falling behind; I found the performance in class was better because they had the materials from the beginning.

- Paige O’Shaughnessy, Accounting Lecturer