First Day Access Textbook Savings Program

Polk State College has partnered with Barnes and Noble and many of our publishing partners to offer the First Day Access Textbook Savings Program. The First Day Access Textbook Savings Program delivers students course materials at a reduced price through Canvas. With just a few clicks of the mouse, students gain instant access to their textbooks and save 20-50% or more off the national retail price.

Students are automatically opted-in to the First Day program. If you do not wish to participate, you may opt out during the first week of class.

1. What courses are participating in the program?

   With the continued success of Polk State’s First Day Access program, new courses are always being added. To find out if your course and section is participating in the First Day Access program, check with your instructor, in your course syllabus, or on the Polk State College Bookstore website at polk.bncollege.com.

2. What is the benefit of participating in the program?

   There are a number of benefits to participating in the program, including deeply discounted prices on your textbooks, the guaranteed right materials, no access codes, deferred billing, and the ability to access your textbooks on or before the first day of class.

3. How to Access Your First Day Course Materials

   1. Log into Canvas at canvas.bagmakerblog.com (or by clicking the Canvas link on the bagmakerblog.com website) by clicking the Students button and entering your Office 365 (my.bagmakerblog.com email account) credentials
   2. Select your course by clicking the Course Card on the Canvas Dashboard
   3. Click the Course Materials link on the Course Navigation menu (the list of links that appears on the left of the screen when in a course)

   At the time of course registration, charges for digital course materials are assessed on your Passport account as “First Day Inclusive Access.” If you qualify, the First Day materials charge can also be paid for using financial aid. Students with questions about First Day Inclusive Access charges on their accounts should contact the Cashier’s Office on any campus.

4. Students wishing to opt-out of the First Day Program must do so during the first week of class.

   The opt-out deadline is always 6 days after the Term start date. Please check with your professor for the opt-out date for your registered Term.

   To opt-out, click the Course Materials link on the Course Navigation menu in the course, view your First Day Access opt-in/opt-out status, and click “Want to opt-out?”

5. How do I pay for my textbooks?

   The price of your textbooks for First Day courses will be posted to your student account within 3-5 business days after the opt-out deadline. If you have financial aid in excess of your tuition, fees, and other Bookstore purchases, your charges should be covered. It is important to monitor your student account on Passport to ensure that financial aid covers your charges. You are responsible for all First Day charges posted to your account. If you do not have financial aid, you will need to pay online through Passport or visit the Cashier’s Office on either the Winter Haven or Lakeland Campus.

6. Temporary access to course materials

   In courses using publisher courseware such as MyLab, Mastering, Mindtap, Connect, Revel, LaunchPad, Wiley Plus, etc., all students have access during the first week of the course. Since all students are automatically opted into the First Day program, you receive temporary access to your course materials. The easiest and cheapest way to retain access is to remain opted-in to the program. If you choose to opt-out of the program, and not participate in First Day, you will be required to purchase access from the Bookstore at a higher price and will lose access to the materials after the opt-out deadline.

7. What happens if I change my mind?

   If you change your mind, you may opt-in by returning to the Course Materials page in your Canvas course and clicking the “Want to Opt-In?” box, and clicking “Confirm.” You must make this change prior to the opt-out deadline.

8. What happens if I drop the course?

   If you drop the course before the posted “drop with 100% refund” deadline, you will not be charged. If you are dropped or withdrawn from the course after the “drop with 100% refund” deadline, you will still be charged and be responsible for any First Day charges posted to your student account.

9. Whom do I contact if I need technical support accessing my textbooks?

   If you’re having trouble accessing your textbooks, there are multiple ways to get help. You may visit customercare.bncollege.com, you may call Barnes and Noble’s Customer Careline at 844-9-EBOOKS (1-844-932-6657), or you may visit the Bookstore on either the Lakeland or Winter Haven Campus. You may also contact Chris Amato, First Day Coordinator at camato@bagmakerblog.com.

    

FAQs

Please refer to the below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding your First Day Access Course. After consulting the FAQ sheet, if you are still experiencing challenges assessing your course content, contact your Instructor for further direction and assistance.

1. Can I opt-out of my course materials?

   Please check with your instructor if you are unsure. If you do opt-out, you will lose all access to publisher content, including the e-text, assignments, assessments, and other resources. To regain access, you will need to purchase access at the full price of the resources.

2. I cannot find my course textbook, where should I look?

   Within your course, click on Course Materials to confirm your textbook is present. If you see “Read Now”, you will access your textbook through this link. If no “Read Now” is available, return to modules and look for a module with a link to your e-text/course content.

3. I clicked the e-text link and I am being asked to pay for access. What should I do?

   Do not pay for any access. As a First Day Access course, you will be billed to your Passport Account during the second week of classes. Please contact your professor for support/suggestions.

4. When will I be charged for my First Day Access course content?

   Your Polk State Passport Account will be charged for all First Day Access fees during the second week of the course, after the Opt-out date. Please check your Passport account for charges. The charge will appear as a Book Store Charge. Failure to pay your First Access charge will result in a financial hold on your student account.

5. What is the impact of a financial hold on my student account due to not paying outstanding fees?

   You will not be able to register for courses for the next semester or add courses to the current semester. Other implications could also be involved.

6. I get an error message when I try to access course content, like my e-text or course assignments. How do I fix this?

   Follow the below steps:

   1. Sign out of Canvas
   2. Close your browser
   3. Clear your ALL search history/cache/cookies
   4. Open new browser/tab
   5. Sign back into Canvas and access course content

7. When I open a course link to publisher content, I get a blank page. What should I do?

   Check that your pop-up blocker is turned off.

8. I have done all of the suggestions and I am still not able to access my course content. What should I do?

   Be sure that you are using the LMS (learning management system) link(s) within your Canvas Course. Do not use a publisher-specific app to access your course content, this will result in not being able to access your course content. For example, if using Pearson or Cengage, do not use their app, but instead access their content in Canvas. There should be a link within your Modules.