🎓 VitalSource Student Course Dashboard Overview
The VitalSource Student Course Dashboard is designed to streamline the course material experience for students through seamless integration with your campus Learning Management System (LMS). This guide walks through how students interact with the dashboard, opt in or out of materials, and access their course resources.
This short video shows what students will see when accessing their digital course materials through the LMS using the VitalSource Dashboard. It includes opt-out flow, access code retrieval, and how students engage with their eTextbooks.
Prefer to read? View the full transcript below.
🎨 Campus Customization
The dashboard can be custom-branded for your campus. Options include:
- Campus logo
- Custom student messaging
- Color themes
- Custom store links
These enhancements ensure that the dashboard reflects your campus identity and supports a familiar student experience.
📚 Viewing Enrolled Courses & Adoptions
After logging in via the LMS, students are shown:
- A list of all enrolled courses
- An item card for each course material adoption
Each item card includes:
- Course material details
- The deadline to opt out
- Action buttons for opting out or accessing materials
🔁 Opt-In/Opt-Out Features
Students have control over their participation:
- Click "Want to Opt Out" to decline materials
- Follow on-screen prompts to confirm
- Opt back in at any time before the deadline
- Access to materials remains available until the opt-out deadline, even if opted out
📖 Accessing Course Materials
Students can access their materials in several ways:
- VitalSource Bookshelf: Click "Read Now" to access e-textbooks instantly
- Access Codes: Click "Reveal Access Code" to get the code and redemption link
- Custom Instructions: If materials require special steps, custom guidance will appear on the item card
🛍️ After Opting Out: Shopping Options
When a student opts out:
- The item card updates after the opt-out deadline
- Displays purchase options from campus-selected vendors
- Allows comparison shopping for non-Inclusive Access (IA) adoptions
🤝 Need Help?
If you have questions or need support regarding the VitalSource Student Experience, the VitalSource team is ready to assist. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Transcript: VitalSource Student Course Dashboard Video
Accessing the Dashboard – 0:00
In this video, we'll go over the VitalSource Student Course Dashboard. Students access their dashboard through your Campus Learning Management System, or LMS.
The VitalSource team will work with you and your campus LMS administrator to determine the best LMS link placement options for your program. There are several branding configurations available to customize the dashboard for your campus, including the logo, available student messaging, button colors, and store links.
What Students See – 0:29
Once students have accessed their course dashboard through their LMS, they'll see all of the courses they are enrolled in, along with an item card for each adoption.
Each item card contains information about the adoption and the student's deadline to change their participation decision. Students can change their decision by clicking the Want to Opt Out button and following the prompts.
Students can opt back in any time prior to the deadline, and they can continue to access e-textbooks through the opt-out deadline, even if they've opted out.
Accessing eTextbooks and Codes – 1:00
E-textbooks on the VitalSource Bookshelf platform can be accessed by clicking the Read Now button.
If an item requires an access code, students can view their access code by clicking the Reveal Access Code button. Their access code will display, along with the website where they’ll need to redeem it.
For adoptions that may be accessed another way, custom instructions can be added to show directly on the item card.
After Opt-Out and Comparison Shopping – 1:36
If a student chooses to opt out of an item, their item card will update to give them shopping options after the opt-out deadline passes.
Adoptions that aren't part of your Inclusive Access Program can also be made available with a comparison shopping option. This allows students to browse different purchase options from vendors selected by your campus store.
Final Note – 1:57
If you have any questions about the VitalSource Student Experience, please let our team know. We're happy to help.