Updated Provostial Guidelines on Digital Learning Materials

From: Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students
Susan McCahan, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education
Date: August 20, 2020
Re: Updated Provostial Guidelines on Digital Learning Materials

Provostial Guidelines on Digital Learning Materials have been in place since September 2014, as a requirement of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities Tuition Fee Framework and Ancillary Fee Guidelines for Publicly-Assisted Universities.

These guidelines are reviewed each year by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students, the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education, and the Planning and Budget Office, and updated as appropriate.

The attached updated guidelines are in effect for the 2020-21 academic year only and respond to the increased adoption of online delivery methods and digital learning materials in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As always, the guidelines apply only to the purchase of digital learning materials that are required for assessment purposes. The updated guidelines:

• maintain the existing $65 threshold
• allow instructors to specify the purchase of e-textbooks bundled with an assessment component, subject to the $65 threshold in total

The updates do not change existing ancillary fee policies related to clickers/classroom response systems.

Instructors are highly encouraged to reach out to the University of Toronto Libraries to discuss alternatives to commercial on-line resources, including open source on-line resources, or resources acquired through consortium purchasing. A list of e-book platforms is available at: https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/ebooks