Inclusive Access
Inclusive Access (IA) is The University Store on Fifth’s course material program that provides deeply discounted digital course materials through Canvas. Students registered for participating classes are automatically enrolled in the program and have access to their course content on the first day of classes. Students are able to opt out of the program during each term’s Add/Drop period.
The cost of Inclusive Access materials is posted to students’ accounts in PittPAY and appears as a course materials fee on the Account Activity tab. If a student chooses to opt out of the program, the fee is reversed, and the student becomes responsible for acquiring physical copies of any necessary course materials.
The University has partnered with RedShelf to provide students with Inclusive Access materials using cloud-based versions of publisher textbooks.
The RedShelf cloud e-book reader works directly in web browsers. Students have the ability to take notes, highlight, annotate, and keyword search within each RedShelf e-book, and they can access their books on any device connected to the internet.
RedShelf e-textbooks also give students the ability to create flashcards, study guides, and collaborate with their peers. Depending on the individual publisher, portions of course materials are accessible offline and portions of some texts are available to print.
The University Store on Fifth will offer discounted print upgrades of these materials to registered students, if they prefer a printed version of the materials instead of or in addition to the digital version.
**If your instructors haven’t set up the necessary links in Canvas for you to access your material, you are still able to access the material this way:
1. Navigate to https://pitt.redshelf.com/
2. Login/create credentials using your Pitt.edu email.
You will likely be asked to create/request a new password if this is your first visit.
3. Select your name in the top right corner, then navigate to "My Shelf"
4. The textbook should be populated and ready to access.
Whenever the instructor adds the links to Canvas, the book will be available through the course shelf after the RedShelf tool has been added and the process above will no longer be necessary.
Inclusive Access FAQ
Click on the header of each question to expand the answer.
An innovative program that offers deeply discounted digital course materials. No waiting in line with a heavy, expensive book! Inclusive Access converts physical course materials, such as textbooks, into instantly accessible, totally interactive and adaptive digital content, while drastically reducing the cost to students. The program’s main goals are to reduce the cost of course materials and to improve educational outcomes for students.
Simply log in to Canvas and navigate to the course page for each participating class. The materials will be available on or before the first day of classes.
*IA in Canvas is not compatible with the Safari browser. Please use Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Edge browsers.
Digital course materials are available at the discretion of the course instructor. Date of availability will vary from course to course.
Participation in Inclusive Access is voluntary and is determined by individual professors. Class participation may vary by semester.
The price varies depending upon the course materials chosen by the instructor, but Inclusive Access prices are on average 50% to 70% off the cost of the printed text.
The cost of the materials will appear as a charge on your student account in PittPAY. Balance Due Notifications are sent to your Pitt email periodically; be sure you log into PittPAY from the Student Payment Center to make your payment online by the due date shown on the Account Summary tab.
If you do not wish to participate in Inclusive Access, you have until last day of add/drop to opt out of the program online. If you opt out by the deadline given, access to the online content will be turned off and the charges will be reversed from your student account within two business days. If you are owed a refund from your student account, it will be processed automatically.
You can opt back in prior to the last day of add/drop by logging in to Canvas and navigating to the course page for each participating class.
Yes. All students who are enrolled in a course using Inclusive Access are automatically considered part of the program. To avoid having the charges posted to your student account, you must opt out online by that term’s add/drop deadline.
Students who drop the course prior to the add/drop deadline will automatically be “opted out” and the charges will be reversed from your student account. If you are owed a refund from your student account, it will be processed automatically.
You will have access to the digital course materials one to two business days after being added to the class. If you are dropped from the waitlist without getting in, you will be automatically opted out.
Please contact our e-textbook provider’s customer service team here.
Charges will be posted to your student account within two business days of your enrollment in the class and are due by the due date in PittPAY.
All enrolled and wait-listed students are emailed about the program. If it is not in a spam folder or was accidentally deleted, email the Inclusive Access team at [email protected] for access instructions.
If your question wasn’t answered in this FAQ, please email [email protected] for more information.
Inclusive Access
Inclusive Access is The University Store on Fifth’s course material program that provides deeply discounted digital course materials through Canvas. Students registered for participating classes are automatically enrolled in the program and have access to their course content on the first day of classes. Students are able to opt out of the program during each term’s Add/Drop period.
The cost of Inclusive Access materials is posted to students’ accounts in PittPAY and appears as a course materials fee on the Account Activity tab. If a student chooses to opt out of the program, the fee is reversed, and the student becomes responsible for acquiring physical copies of any necessary course materials.
The University has partnered with RedShelf to provide students with Inclusive Access materials using cloud-based versions of publisher textbooks.
The RedShelf cloud e-book reader works directly in web browsers. Students have the ability to take notes, highlight, annotate, and keyword search within each RedShelf e-book, and they can access their books on any device connected to the internet.
RedShelf e-textbooks also give students the ability to create flashcards, study guides, and collaborate with their peers. Depending on the individual publisher, portions of course materials are accessible offline and portions of some texts are available to print.
The University Store on Fifth will offer discounted print upgrades of these materials to registered students, if they prefer a printed version of the materials instead of or in addition to the digital version.
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