NMU First Day - Inclusive Access Program

A Course Material Access and Affordability Initiative

 

The First Day Inclusive Access program is the result of Northern Michigan University, Barnes & Noble College, and Publishers nationwide working together to provide students early access to required course material securely through EduCat at a price less than direct-to-student publisher pricing (the LOWEST possible price!). First Day Inclusive Access is a billing model that places a direct charge for course materials on your NMU student account, allowing the bookstore to provide early access to the required course material through EduCat before the first day of class. 

Courses participating in First Day delivery offer:

  • Early access to your required materials:  First Day provides access to your required materials digitally through EduCat on or before the first day of class.   
  • Market value price guarantee:  The U.S. Department of Education requires Inclusive Access programs such as First Day, to provide digital materials at market value price or lower.  The Department of Education defines market value as the price the publisher would sell the exact item to a student directly from their website.  You can see the regular bookstore price at nmu.bncollege.com.
  • Payment is easy:  A First Day Inclusive Access material charge will be placed on your NMU student account and will be reflected on your semester tuition bill. The description of the charge is ‘Bookstore Courseware - B&N’.  Note: Do not purchase the materials on the publisher or bookstore websites.
  • The choice to participate:  You have the option to opt out of the First Day program reversing the charge on your account.
    • Opting out is easy.  You can opt out at MyNMU > Fee Opt Out.  Or you can click on the link in EduCat provided by your instructor. 
    • You must opt-out before the deadline to receive credit for the First Day charge. See below.
    • Upon opting out, a credit will be posted to your NMU student account after the 10th day of the semester.

To see a demonstration of the student experience accessing the course material, click the link below.

**Course and course section participation is subject to change without notice. The instructor may update the course material at any time. First Day Inclusive Access pricing is also subject to change without notice due to updates made by either the publisher or changes to material selection. **

Student Experience Demonstration

Opt-Out Deadline: 

Full semester classes (Fall/Winter): 2nd Friday

8-week classes: End of the first week of class

Summer classes: End of the first week of class

If you choose to opt-out, you will lose access to the course material being delivered.  Your digital access may be turned off the same day or within 24-48 hours.  If you have decided to opt-out of a course that uses publisher hosted courseware such as Vantage, Connect, Achieve, MindTap, MyLab, Mastering, LabFlow or others, you will need to purchase a code from the publisher or the bookstore to enter once your access is terminated in order to restore the work you have completed via First Day.  You will be prompted to enter a purchased access code or to pay for a code directly from the publisher once your opt-out decision is registered with them.  If you have any questions about the impact of your decision to opt-out, please contact the bookstore before you complete the opt-out action. 

Students can opt-out and back into the First Day program as many times as they would like until the opt-out date.

If you fail to opt out before the deadline, you will be responsible for paying the First Day Inclusive Access charges as the access from the publisher is the final sale at this point.

If you opt out of the lower priced First Day Courseware, the adjustment to your student account will be processed after the 10th day of the semester. 

Questions

How do I know if I am enrolled in a First Day course?

A fee will be placed on your NMU student account listed as “Bookstore Courseware – B&N”.

How do I access my course materials?

Publishers deliver course material in different ways through EduCat depending on the type of course material your instructor requires. 

  • Access code - click on the EduCat link > click on "Reveal Access Code" > copy the code revealed to your clipboard > click on the courseware link > paste the code to launch your access.
  • Publisher direct - when you click on the EduCat link, you will only see course material information and the "want to opt-out button".  This is because your material is delivered through the modules and assignments.  The book or access code work is embedded in links by your instructor.

What if I drop the course?

If you drop or withdraw from a course before the opt-out date, a credit will be posted to your NMU student account.  There is no need to opt-out, you will automatically be refunded when the drop/withdraw is processed. 

If you elect to drop or withdraw from a First Day course after the opt-out deadline, you will be responsible for paying the First Day Inclusive Access charges as access from the publisher is the final sale at this point. 

Who decides what courses participate in First Day delivery?

The decision to use First Day delivery is made by your instructor or the academic department.

Want to learn more about the program?

To learn more about the First Day course material program, please see the First Day FAQ page on Barnes & Noble College customer care site customercare.bncollege.com.

You can also learn more about data use and accessibility statements from participating publishers by locating their privacy policies and accessibility statements on their websites. 

Still have questions? 

No problem. Send an email with your questions to pwright@nmu.edu