Access Programs Tracking Report
What this report does: The Access Programs Tracking Report gives publisher representatives a section-level view of adoptions across Course Access (CA), Total Access (TA), and Flex Access (FA) programs. It is your primary operational tool for confirming that your titles are correctly adopted, pricing matched your expectations, and enrollments are tracking as expected each term.
Use this report at three key points in every term cycle: before the term starts to validate adoptions, at term start to confirm activation, and after the term ends to reconcile enrollment data.
Note on program naming: Inclusive Access (IA) has been renamed Course Access (CA) and Equitable Access (EA) has been renamed Total Access (TA). You may see both naming conventions depending on when data was recorded.
⚠️ What this report is NOT for: This report is designed for adoption tracking and operational monitoring — it is not intended for financial reconciliation. For revenue and invoicing data, refer to the Financial Statements section in Manage or your applicable financial reports.
Accessing the Report
Step 1: Log in to VitalSource Manage at manage.vitalsource.com. From the homepage, click Analytics & Insights.
The VitalSource Manage homepage. Click Analytics & Insights to access the reporting library.
Step 2: In the Analytics & Insights library, search for the report title or browse to locate the Access Programs Tracking Report (categorized under Operations). Click View to open it.
The Analytics & Insights report library. The Access Programs Tracking Report is an Operations report.
Understanding the Filters
When the report opens, it will default to your company's data. The filter bar at the top controls which sections are displayed. All filters work together — applying multiple filters narrows results to only rows matching all selected criteria.
The full Access Programs Tracking Report interface, showing the filter bar and section-level data table.
Available Filters
Filter |
What it controls |
Best practice |
|---|---|---|
Term |
The academic term (e.g., Winter/Spring-2026, Fall-2025). Defaults to the most recent active term. Note that terms are normalized across institutions — a section marked "Fall-2025" may have varying actual start dates depending on the school's academic calendar. |
Always set this first. Pre-term: select the upcoming term. Post-term: select the just-completed term. |
Term Start Date |
Filters by when the term officially begins. Useful for isolating a specific window of adoptions. |
Leave as is any time unless you need to isolate a specific start date range. |
Section Status |
Filters to Active or Inactive sections. Both are selected by default. A section is Active when it is live and students can access materials. A section may appear Inactive if the term has ended, the adoption was removed, or the section was cancelled by the institution. |
For adoption validation, keep both active. To focus on live sections only, deselect Inactive. |
Publisher (Parent) |
Your parent publisher entity. Auto-populated based on your login credentials. |
Do not change unless you manage multiple publisher entities. |
Publisher |
Filters to a specific imprint or sub-publisher within your parent organization. |
Use to drill into a specific imprint if your catalog spans multiple. |
IPEDS ID |
The federal identifier for an institution. Use this to filter to a specific school. |
Useful when investigating a specific account. Cross-reference with your CRM for IPEDS values. |
Parent Institution |
The top-level institution name (e.g., a university system that contains multiple campuses). |
Use for large multi-campus accounts to see all related sections at once. |
Institution |
The individual campus or school name. |
Use alongside IPEDS ID to pinpoint a specific location. |
Content Type |
Filters by format (e.g., courseware, eBook). Useful if your catalog includes mixed formats. |
Leave as is any value for a full view. Filter to a specific type when troubleshooting format-specific issues. |
💡 Tip: The report refreshes based on your filter selections. The timestamp in the top-right corner (e.g., "just now", "3m ago") shows when the data was last pulled.
Reading the Data Table
The report table has more columns than fit on screen at once. Scroll horizontally to see all fields. The columns are organized into three logical groupings: section identification, pricing & content, and enrollment metrics.
Section Identification Columns
The left side of the data table shows how each section is identified and how students receive access.
Column |
What it tells you |
|---|---|
Term |
The academic term for this adoption record. |
Access Program |
The program type: CA (Course Access), TA (Total Access), or FA (Flex Access). |
Participation Model |
Whether the section is Opt-Out (student is automatically enrolled and must opt out) or Opt-In (student must take action to enroll). |
Student Experience |
How the content is delivered to students. Common values: Access Code Delivered, Publisher Delivered, Publisher Delivered + VitalSource eBook SSO. This confirms students can actually access the material. |
IPEDS ID |
Federal identifier for the institution. Use to cross-reference accounts. |
Institution |
The school name, often including the bookstore partner (e.g., "Barnes & Noble Education - University of..."). |
Campus Name |
Specific campus within a multi-campus institution. |
Department |
Academic department code (e.g., MATH, ENG, BUS). |
Course Code |
The course number within the department. |
Section ID |
The specific section identifier within the course. |
Section Status |
Active or Inactive. Active sections are live for the term. |
Instructor |
The faculty member assigned to the section. |
Content & Pricing Columns
Scroll right to see the adopted ISBN, title name, program pricing, and LMS connection status.
Column |
What it tells you |
|---|---|
Adopted Item |
The ISBN adopted by the institution for this section. |
Matched Item |
The ISBN that was matched and fulfilled. Should align with the adopted ISBN. If they differ, verify whether this was an expected substitution (e.g., a newer edition matched to an older adoption) or something to investigate with Publisher Enablement. |
Content Type |
Format of the matched content (e.g., courseware, eBook). |
Item Name |
Full title of the adopted product. |
Publisher |
The publisher associated with the matched item. |
CA Program Price |
The Course Access price being charged at the institution level. A ø symbol means no CA price is set for this section. |
CA Price Type |
How the CA price was determined: Custom (institution-negotiated price), DLP (Digital List Price, the standard list price applied when no custom rate exists), or blank if not applicable. |
TA Program Price |
The Total Access price in effect for this section, if applicable. A ø symbol means no TA price is set. |
TA Price Type |
How the TA price was determined: Custom (institution-negotiated price), DLP (Digital List Price), or blank if not applicable. |
LMS Course ID in Connect |
The LMS identifier linking this section to VitalSource Connect. A populated value confirms the LMS integration is active. |
Term Start Date |
The official first day of the term for this section. |
Term End Date |
The official last day of the term for this section. |
| Item Created Date | The date the item was created in the Connect system. |
| Item Updated Date | The date any value associated with the item's table in Connect was last updated. This does not necessarily indicate that the data visible in this report has changed. |
⚠️ Pricing check: If both CA Program Price and TA Program Price show ø for a section that should be in a Day One Access program, pricing may not be configured correctly. Contact publisherenablement@vitalsource.com immediately — pricing must be active before the term starts.
Enrollment & Opt-Out Columns
The enrollment columns are the most important for monitoring active terms and reconciling post-term data.
Column |
What it tells you |
|---|---|
Opt-in/Opt-out Date |
The deadline by which students must opt in or opt out. |
Invoice Date |
When the institution was or will be invoiced for this section's enrollments. |
Enrollment (To-Date) |
Total number of students currently enrolled in the program for this section. This is your primary volume metric. |
Opt-In (To-Date) |
Number of students who actively opted in (for Opt-In sections). For Opt-Out sections, this typically matches Enrollment. |
Continuation (To-Date) |
Students who were enrolled in a prior term and continued automatically. Positive continuation numbers indicate strong program retention. |
Opt-Out (To-Date) |
Number of students who have opted out of the program for this section. Compare against Enrollment to gauge program acceptance. |
Opt-Out Rate |
Opt-Out ÷ (Enrollment + Opt-Out), expressed as a percentage. Rates consistently above 15–20% may signal a pricing or adoption issue worth investigating. |
💡 Interpreting opt-out rates: Some opt-out activity is normal — students who already own the material or have financial aid restrictions may opt out. However, if the opt-out rate is consistently above ~20% for a title, consider whether the price point is competitive, whether an instructor substituted a different resource, or whether students are experiencing access issues. Use the Opt-Out Rate alongside the Enrollment column to prioritize which sections need follow-up, and contact your VitalSource account team if you see an unexpected spike.
Downloading the Report
Step 1: Apply your desired filters to narrow the data, then click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the report and select Download.
Step 2: In the Download dialog, select your preferred format (default is Excel Spreadsheet). Under Number of rows to include, select All results to ensure you capture every section — not just those visible on screen.
The Download dialog. Always select All results when exporting for reconciliation to avoid missing sections.
Step 3: Click Download. The file will save to your default downloads folder. Column truncations in the on-screen table are resolved in the export — all full values (ISBNs, institution names, etc.) appear in full in the downloaded file.
💡 Data values tip: For most operational use, leave Data values set to Formatted. If you are running the data through a pivot table or formula-based analysis, switch to Unformatted to avoid issues with special characters in numeric fields.
When to Run This Report (Recommended Cadence)
Based on operational best practices, pull this report at these three points each term:
Timing |
What to check |
Action if issues found |
|---|---|---|
1–2 months before term start |
Are your titles correctly flagged as CA or TA? Is pricing active (no ø symbols)? Are expected adoptions appearing? |
Contact publisherenablement@vitalsource.com immediately — pricing deadlines are March 1 (Summer/Fall) and September 15 (Winter/Spring). |
At term start |
Are Section Statuses showing Active? Are Enrollment (To-Date) numbers populating? Is the Student Experience column showing a delivery method? |
If sections are missing or show Inactive unexpectedly, contact your VitalSource account team. |
After term ends |
Did final Enrollment numbers meet expectations? Are Opt-Out Rates within normal range? Did volume exceed retail benchmarks? |
Use this data to inform your next pricing cycle review and to identify titles for strategic expansion. |
🔔 Pricing deadline reminder: Pricing changes for Summer and Fall terms must be submitted by March 1. Changes for Winter and Spring terms must be submitted by September 15. If your publisher's terms note different pricing deadlines, please follow your terms. Missing these deadlines can result in your titles not being available for adoption. Submit all pricing updates to publisherenablement@vitalsource.com.
Related Reports
The Access Programs Tracking Report is your core operational tool, but two additional reports complement it for strategic decisions:
Report |
Category |
Use it to… |
|---|---|---|
Sales |
See which institutions are already operating CA or TA programs. Use before sales cycles to prioritize accounts and identify where you can activate titles immediately. |
|
Sales |
Identify existing retail adoptions that could convert to Course Access, or CA accounts that could expand to Total Access. Run 2–3 times per year during planning cycles. |
FAQ
Why are some price fields showing a ø symbol instead of a dollar amount?
A ø symbol in the CA Program Price or TA Program Price column means no program pricing has been set for that specific section. This can happen if: (1) the title is adopted under a program type that does not use that pricing column (e.g., a TA section will show ø in the CA column), or (2) pricing has not been configured for this ISBN. If you see ø for a section that should have active pricing, contact publisherenablement@vitalsource.com to investigate.
Why don't I see my titles in the report at all?
If no data appears, first check that your Term filter is set to the correct term and that your Publisher filter reflects your company. If the Term dropdown doesn't show the upcoming term yet, it may not have been created by institutions in the system yet — check back as the term approaches. If your titles should be adopted but are not appearing, confirm with your Publisher Enablement contact that your content is properly set up in Manage with accurate ISBNs and that CA/TA pricing is enabled.
The Institution column shows a bookstore name (e.g., "Barnes & Noble Education") rather than just the school. Is this correct?
Yes, this is expected. Many Course Access and Total Access programs are administered through a campus bookstore partner. The institution name in this report typically follows the format [Bookstore Partner] – [Institution Name]. Use the IPEDS ID column to uniquely identify the school regardless of the bookstore partner name.
What is the difference between "Adopted Item" and "Matched Item"?
The Adopted Item is the ISBN that the instructor or institution submitted as the required course material. The Matched Item is the ISBN that was actually fulfilled through the program. In most cases these will be identical. When they differ, it typically indicates a format substitution — for example, a print ISBN was adopted but a digital ISBN was matched for fulfillment. This is expected when a newer edition is available and has been mapped; it becomes something to investigate if the substitution is unintended or if students are receiving a different product than the instructor selected.
I see "Access Code Delivered" vs. "Publisher Delivered" in the Student Experience column. What is the difference?
This distinction is primarily relevant for online resources (courseware, access code-based products) rather than eBooks. Access Code Delivered means the institution or bookstore partner is importing single-use access codes into Manage (see Import Access Codes to an Asset in Manage), which are then distributed to students. Publisher Delivered means the publisher is managing access fulfillment directly on their own platform — VitalSource is not involved in the delivery step itself, only in tracking the adoption and enrollment. Publisher Delivered + VitalSource eBook SSO means students also receive SSO access to the VitalSource eBook version alongside the publisher-delivered resource. The delivery method is set at the institution/program level and does not require any action from you as a publisher representative.
Who should I contact if I find an error in adoption or pricing data?
For pricing configuration issues, missing adoptions, or content setup problems, contact Publisher Enablement at publisherenablement@vitalsource.com. Include the specific ISBN, institution IPEDS ID, and term in your message to speed up resolution. For general questions about the report itself, reach out to your VitalSource account team.
Q: What does Item Created Date represent?
A: Item Created Date indicates when the item was first created in the Connect system.
Q: Does Item Updated Date mean the data I see in this report has changed?
A: Not necessarily. Item Updated Date reflects when any value associated with the item's table in Connect was last updated — this could include fields not visible in this report. It is not a direct indicator that the specific data shown here has changed.