Information provided from the NDSU Bookstore

If you need to add course materials to a Blackboard Ultra course, visit Add the Bison Ready Course Materials Link to Your Bb Ultra Course KB page.

As of Fall 2025, NDSU’s Inclusive Access program has expanded into the Bison Ready program. Among many benefits, Bison Ready gives your students the choice between paying a flat rate for their required course materials, or paying per-item as they have in the past. Visit the Bison Ready page for program details. Your students are also receiving program details via email leading up to, and through, the start of the semester and can contact the NDSU Bookstore with any questions!

Regardless of whether you are using digital materials linked to your Bb course, our goal is for all Bb courses to post the Bison Ready Course Materials link so that students can access their Bison Ready portal from any Bb course. Making the link is easy! See instructions below.

Before you Start:

• On August 14^th the VitalSource and Pearson LTI tools were updated from 1.1 to 1.3. If you created a VitalSource or Pearson link in your fall Bb course prior to August 14^th, it may need to be redone.
• If you copied over a Bb course from a previous semester, we recommend deleting the Course Materials link from the old course and redoing it
• If you recently merged Bb courses, we recommend creating the link in the merged course and deleting any Course Materials link(s) made prior to merging
• If you are using any of the publisher-delivered homework items below, these instructions will provide access to the Bison Ready student portal, but will not provide access to the homework item itself:
  • Acheive
  • ALEKs
  • Aktiv
  • Connect
  • inQuizitive
  • MindTap
  • WileyPlus
  • OWL
  • Packback
  • Top Hat eBooks
  • Vantage
  • WebAssign
  • and a few others not delivered by VitalSource

Contact our publisher representatives for assistance integrating links for the homework items above. The NDSU Bookstore can provide contact information if needed!

• If you are using any of the VitalSource-delivered eBook or homework items below, these instructions will provide access to the Bison Ready student portal and will provide access to the eBook or homework item itself:
  • eBook-only items
  • Pearson homework items (MyLab, Mastering, Modified Mastering, Pearson+, Revel)
  • LabFlow
  • Cloud Labs
  • Minitab
  • Navigate
  • Oxford Insight
  • Stukent Simternships
  • Top Hat Classroom (clicker app)

Link Instructions:

1. Log into your Bb Course and click either "Syllabus & Textbooks" or "Course Content":
   
   
   • Your Course Materials link can be placed almost anywhere in your Bb course. We recommend one of these two places for consistency for students if possible.
   • Materials link can be placed almost anywhere in your Bb course. We recommend one of these two places for consistency for students if possible. 
2. Hover your mouse over “Build Content” in the upper-left corner, then “VitalSource 1.3 - NDSU” from the menu that drops down:
   
3. Enter “Course Materials” in the Name box.
   
4. Update the Description and Options on that page as desired, click Submit, and you should see this:
   
   
   • If you have multiple VitalSource-delivered digital materials, you only need to make one link for students to access them.
5. Click on your link to test it.
   • A couple of things to note:
     • We often send these instructions right after the item is set up, so it may take up to three hours for Bb to resync and for the below steps to work correctly
     • Make sure we are aware of all of your sections using the item(s). If we are not aware of all sections using an item, and the Bb courses are merged together, the link will not provide access to VitalSource-delivered items for students in the sections that we are unaware of.
   • Your link should bring you to an Instructor Portal/My Courses Home page where you can view your current courses and access instructor resources. If you are using an Bb-embedded eBook, an instructor copy of it will be accessible here:

• • My Courses = your items for the current semester
  • My Library = your items from past semesters
  • Instructor Analytics = you can view student’s usage of VitalSource-delivered items
• When students click on your link, they are forwarded to a similar page that lists all of their course materials that the Bookstore is aware of, for all of their classes.
  • If you are using a Bb-embedded eBook, students can access it by going to their MyCourses area and clicking “Read Now” next to the eBook.
  • If you are using a Bb-embedded homework item from the VitalSource-delivered list above, students can access it by clicking “Launch Courseware” next to the item.
  • If the homework item is from the publisher-delivered list above, students will use the integrated link the publisher has provided you to access it. The integrated link should not ask students to pay or enter an access code.
• If you are not using a Bb-embedded item for your course, students will still be able to see and shop for all of their course materials that the Bookstore is aware of, for all of their classes.

If, after three hours, your link does not bring you to the Instructor Portal/My Courses Home page, or gives you an error message, contact Alicia at alicia.laferriere@ndsu.edu with your Bb Course ID(s). This can be found in the Properties area and typically follows this format: NDSU1 - Term Code - Department/Course - Section # etc…

6. Post information in your Bb course, syllabus, and/or email your students regarding how to find your Course Materials link.
   • Remind students to watch for emails from the NDSU Bookstore regarding Bison Ready program details and the deadline to finalize participation level
   • Informational emails begin going out to enrolled students approximately two weeks prior to the start of the course.
   • If you do not receive your copy of this email, email or call Alicia at 1-9478.
7. If you are using VitalSource-delivered eBooks and would like to link to specific parts of the eBook in your Bb course, that is possible! Make the Course Materials link as directed above, and then visit this info page to learn how to place additional location-specific links to your eBook(s).