Inclusive Access: An Instructor's Guide
We thank you for choosing to utilize the Inclusive Access (“IA”) program, operated by eCampus.com. We want you to feel equipped to get the upcoming term off to the right start, and if you have questions or need any assistance, please contact us.
Overview
By way of overview, Inclusive Access operates in the following ways.
- After your course has been created in Canvas, we will automatically add an “Inclusive Access” link prior to the start of classes, usually 1-2 weeks. This link will open the Course Dashboard, and from there, students can access content and change their participation preference. As an instructor, you will also have access to the Instructor Analytics Dashboard.
- Please note that materials generally are associated with classes 2-4 weeks prior to course section start dates. Prior to this association, you will receive a message that no materials are associated with them should you follow the link.
- If you would like to manually add an IA link to your Canvas course, please see the “Manually Adding the Inclusive Access Link” header later in this document.
- Your students will have fourteen (14) days from the start of classes to opt-out of participation, and students who opt-out, drop, or withdraw from your class will not be billed.
- As an instructor, you will not see the opt-out button.
- Students who opt-out will see an “Opt In” button during this period. They may opt in and out as many times as they wish.
- For short duration courses, the opt-out period may be reduced, but the deadline will appear on the virtual card(s) for such courses in the Course Dashboard.
- Students must use the links provided in Canvas to access materials.
- Direct links to publisher sites for eBooks will lead to students being prompted for payment.
- For most publisher courseware, you will add a separate link in Canvas where students will access materials. Students should not pay for their materials directly with the publisher using these links since this will lead to duplicate charges for them.
- Some items are made available to both Inclusive Access and retail-purchase students. Items where an access code is provided may show a redemption link; students should not use this link. Generally, these students can be identified as asking for a “Course ID”.
- Different products will integrate to Canvas in different ways, and some integrations will require setup by you. These differences result from a number of factors, and if you are uncertain how to proceed when the time to setup your course comes around, please reach out to your eCampus.com Tier 2 Support team.
- Please note that publisher-platform eBooks (i.e., “Pearson eText”) are considered courseware for the purposes of this program. Students will access these materials in the same way that they would access those platforms (i.e., “MyLab”, “Connect”, “MindTap”).
- Based on a number of factors, we may adjust adopted ISBNs to facilitate delivering content. Any ISBN changes will not affect content, only the manner of delivery and/or product pricing (Discounted pricing is often assigned by custom ISBNs.).
Communications
Recommended Notice in Syllabus
Limestone University has partnered with eCampus.com to deliver you required course materials with great discounts directly within Canvas. To access your materials, go to your Canvas course site and click the “Inclusive Access” link for eBooks or the courseware link added by your instructor. If you would like to opt-out of participation in this program, you may do so through the “Inclusive Access” link in Canvas.
Direct Notices to Students
The number and timing of direct notices to students will vary based on a variety of circumstances, including events such as when students enroll in participating courses and opt-in/opt-out activity. Here are some notable aspects of our communications.
- Students receive notices through either our dashboard linked in Canvas or directly to their official student email address.
- Beginning one (1) week before the scheduled start of your course section or at the time a student enrolls, whichever comes later, students receive a “Welcome” email that includes basic IC information, including a list of their participating courses and the associated materials and prices.
- If a student chooses to opt-out of participation, they will receive a confirmation email.
- If a student chooses to opt-in to participation, they will receive a confirmation email.
Manually Adding the Inclusive Access Link
If you decide to manually create links for IA, you have a few options, as outlined in the “Add Links to Course Module” section of this article (the bottom section). For the most common option, here are the steps:
- When in a Course, click the Modules link in the Course Navigation.
- In the Module where you’d like to add the link, click the + button.
- In the Add [Item Type] To: drop-down menu, select the External Tool option.
- Find the VitalSource external tool and review the following:
- URL - This will pre-populate based on how the LTI External App was configured.
i. If you are prompted for a URL, please enter “https://bc.vitalsource.com/materials”.
- Page Name - This will pre-populate based on the name of the LTI External App but can be edited.
- Load in a new tab - We recommend this box is checked, but it is not required to load the VitalSource app in a new tab.
- Click Add Item.
Content Delivery Methods
You will likely hear or read references to delivery methods. Please see the following for guidance.
eBooks | eBooks will be accessed directly through our platform. In most cases, students will click the “Inclusive Access” link in your Canvas course to access the platform dashboard and then click the appropriate “Read Now” button. The Bookshelf eReader allows students to read, highlight, and take notes.
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Single Sign-On Courseware | Similar to the process outlined above, except your students will click the appropriate “Launch Access” button.
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Code Reveal Courseware | Your students will use our platform to obtain an access code for their courseware. Thereafter, your students will use the publisher’s provided URL for access.
Instructors are not able to retrieve an access code. The publisher is expected to provide you access.
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Publisher Direct Courseware | Your students will access courseware through a separate publisher integration with Canvas, and an access code is not generally required. Students who attempt to access courseware directly from publisher sites will be prompted for payment. Our platform will be used for opt-out (or opting back in) and invoicing only.
We highly recommend contacting the publisher to make use of their support teams for assistance. Our support team can assist in getting you in touch.
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Common Troubleshooting
- Students will sometimes attempt to access eBooks or courseware directly through publisher sites. To access materials, students must use the links added in Canvas.
- Occasionally device and/or browser settings will prevent students from accessing materials. We recommend that students try again after firstly closing their browser, secondly trying a different browser, thirdly restarting their device, and lastly using a different device. If none of these steps resolve the issue, please reach out to us using the support information below.
- Sometimes students will use the same material in classes that they used in previous terms and they receive notices that their access has expired. If this is the case, please contact Tier 2 Support.
- Students sometimes receive an error message stating “Uh Oh, your Launch was Unsuccessful”. Please direct them to VitalSource’s support article on 401 Errors.
- Students using Apple devices often experience two different errors relating to tracking cookies and cross-site tracking.
- See Apple’s documentation to allow tracking cookies on OS devices.
- See Apple’s documentation to enable cross-site tracking on OS devices.
- For iOS devices:
- Go to Device Settings.
- Go to settings for applicable browser application.
- Enable/Allow cross-site tracking (for "vitalsource.com").
- Some students will choose to use temporary access for Pearson Code Reveal MyLab items. Pearson provides instructions on their website to change temporary access to full access.
Contact Information
We want your experience with Inclusive Access to be great, and if you have need of us, please contact us! To expedite troubleshooting for access issues, please include screenshots of the errors that you or your students are seeing.
Tier 1 Support: limestone@ecampus.com
Tier 2 Support: inclusiveaccess@ecampus.com