Course Materials, Instructional Support, and Technology

Ordering course materials (textbooks)

Visit ucsc.textbookx.com and log in with your CruzID. Click on your summer course and add the materials you would like students to have for class. 

Even if your course does not require any materials, or if you use OER for your class, please log in and indicate this in the portal. It will display the information to students, and it will make it clear that course materials are not required or are at no cost to the student.

It takes 3-5 business days for students to receive materials, so early submission of course material information allows for the most affordable options for students, and a better chance of having stock available on time, so students have what they need on the first day of class.

If you are new to making your course material adoptions, The Bay Tree Campus Store Course Material Website has several resources available to help you here. You can also contact The Bay Tree Campus Store at txtbooks@ucsc.edu or call 831-459-1333 if you have any questions or need assistance.

McHenry Library/ reserve requests

Ebooks

• Though physical reserves collections are not accessible as long as the library buildings are closed, they are working to find and purchase institutional ebook options for your students and adding them to Course Reserve lists for simple and easy discovery.

Streaming Media

• The Library is also working to support streaming film requests for instruction whenever possible. 
• Submit a Media Reserves request form for streaming media requests. 

Please limit streaming video requests to films that are required for a summer class. In your request, include the date when access would first be needed for required viewing. This will help ensure that the library is able to meet your class needs. 

On-campus classes:

• You can bring a copy of your appointment letter to the circulation desk and they will issue you a library card for the duration of the Summer Session. 
• Please submit your reserves request three weeks before classes begin to allow sufficient time to process materials, and to purchase titles not owned by the library. You can also submit your requests in person at either library, using their printable form or by picking up a form at the Circulation Desk.

Desk copies

Publishers require instructors to order their desk copies.

Procedure:

• Visit your textbook’s website to request a free desk copy.
• Policies on ordering multiple desk copies vary across publishers.

If you need more copies than the publisher is willing to provide, please work with your department on purchasing.

Course reader (custom textbook)

A course reader can include:

• lab manuals
• lecture notes
• answer keys
• a course syllabus
• a reading list and schedule
• additional reading materials (such as reprints of copyright text or illustrations, or original, unpublished text or illustrations).  

If you need more than 50 copies per student for your course, we suggest creating a  course reader instead. Please work with your department manager on this process.

High School Students

If your course does not have prerequisites and restrictions, eligible high school students may be enrolled. We will let you know if you have high schoolers in your class, but we won’t be able to identify them by name. 

Instructors are discouraged from communicating with or friending students on any non-educational platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.

Purchases (for courses or field trips)

Instructors should work with their department managers on course support needs. 

No Personal Reimbursements:

Summer Session cannot process personal reimbursements.  

Guest speakers

Per University policy, Summer Session cannot provide monetary compensation to guest speakers using state or federal funds.

Our office can, instead, provide a complimentary thank you bag containing UCSC and Summer Session merchandise as a token of our appreciation. There is a limit of up to three individual thank you bags per course, per session. 

What do you need to do?

• Submit requests through our Summer Guest Speaker Request Form.

We will mail them a thank you bag at the end of the summer quarter using the current mailing address for each speaker that you provided on the request form.

Travel Arrangements

• Visitors and guest speakers should make their travel arrangements to UC Santa Cruz. 

Making copies

Starting for summer 2025, our office will no longer manage or fund a copier program specifically for summer courses. This includes discontinuing specific summer divisional copier codes for Ricoh copy machines and copy center orders.

Instead, departments and colleges will be responsible for these costs using their annual divisional fund allocation, just as they do during the fall, winter, and spring quarters.

Below is general information. Instructors should work with their department managers on how to order copies for their summer courses.

Ordering Copies:
For copy jobs, including academic copies like syllabi, quizzes, exam, flyers, and handouts, email copy@ucsc.edu with a file to be printed and the details of the job.

Note: For the FOPAL, please contact your department manager. 

Teaching and Learning Center

Teaching Resources for Summer Instructors

Slack

You can get quick answers to all of your questions about teaching and technology on the TLC’s Slack, a chat space that’s open to anyone in a teaching role at UC Santa Cruz. 

Drop-in Office Hours

Instructional designers and technologists are eager to support you during drop-in, virtual office hours each weekday, Monday through Friday (check current hours here). They are ready to connect with you about using learning technologies (like Canvas, Zoom, YuJa, Gradescope, Hypothesis, and more) for in-person and online courses. 

Individualized Consultations with Education Specialists and Instructional Designers

Instructors and TAs alike are encouraged to seek out 1:1 consultations with members of the TLC team, which includes education specialists and instructional designers who have different specialty areas. The team can provide support for assignment (re)design, making accessible course design choices, creating community with students, increasing student engagement, and more. Reach out to tlc@ucsc.edu to request a 1:1 consultation.

The UC Santa Cruz Guide to Teaching, Logistics, and Technology

This guide includes information about what to expect from your department or college, how to work with your extended teaching team, how to submit grades, and many other important topics. 

Additional Online Resources

Learn more about additional TLC resources available to you, like structuring effective courses, using equity-minded teaching practices, implementing active learning, and effective group work, and practices for making course materials accessible. Our website also provides helpful overviews and deeper dives into teaching with learning technologies. 

Unlocking classrooms

Custodial Services is responsible for opening classrooms. If your room is locked, immediately call Campus Facilities at 459-4444.Summer Session Staff do not have keys to buildings or classrooms. Custodial Services plans to open all in-use buildings and classrooms by 8:00 a.m.

Media equipment and access code

On-Campus Media

Media Services gives Media Access Codes directly to instructors. The system is not able to send emails for courses where the instructor is listed as “staff”. If you have not received your code by two days before the start of the session, please use the online Classroom Media Code Request Form or contact Learning Technologies.

• Classroom Media
• FITC, Instructional Design, and Course Website Development

To report a problem, go to Slughub, open a support ticket, search on the keyword “classrooms” and select “classrooms(General Assignment)” or call the phone number posted on the classroom media cabinet. For all other requests, open a ticket or call 459-2117. 

Please do not change rooms because of media equipment – we have over 400 classes at varied times, and there are conferences scheduled all summer. Contact Summer Session, and we can search for available rooms that meet your media needs at your class time slot.