Quick Guide: Creating Instructor Resources

Instructor resources increase the value of learning materials and provide adopting instructors with tools to help them effectively incorporate a new textbook into their curriculum. The most commonly requested instructor resources are PowerPoint decks and test banks. They may also include solutions manuals, sample syllabi, instructor’s manual, adoption letter, discussion questions, sample activities, and more. Instructor resources are provided free of charge to instructors who adopt your text.

Cognella will provide you with templates, guides, and samples to facilitate the creation of effective instructor resources. Where applicable, our production team will lightly format the content, complete a licensing review, and prepare materials for distribution. The content is distributed digitally to each adopting instructor and is advertised on our website once cleared for release on the national market.

• Write your manuscript first. Your manuscript will likely undergo changes and revisions throughout the publishing process. Because instructor resources should complement the final content of your book, creating instructor resources after you develop your text ensures all related resources are cohesive and accurate.
• Instructor resources should address the specific needs of professors who adopt your text. What challenges might adopting instructors have in using the book or teaching the course? How can adopting instructors best assess subject mastery? What types of discussion questions will result in meaningful dialogue and deep consideration of the subject matter?
• Instructor resources may be used by adopting professors throughout the nation at any given time. Therefore, avoid references to your specific institution or references that will be out of date quickly (e.g., instead of “last month, the President said…” write “in October 2016, President Obama said…”). Aim to create materials that can be used at any higher education institution.
• Third-party materials, including images, require proper attribution and will need to be approved by the Cognella licensing team or possibly removed.
• We encourage collaboration. If someone assists you in creating, editing, or reviewing instructor resources, please provide your Cognella rep with their contact information. We will send any and all collaborators a contributor release form, which is required for licensing purposes.