College and university bookstores frequently ask these questions about lab kit vouchers.

Vouchers are purchased by the bookstore and then resold to students. Each voucher contains a unique redemption code and instructions on its use. Vouchers allow the bookstore to sell Carolina Distance Learning® lab kits without having to stock the actual kits, which may contain perishable materials that would not benefit from long-term storage.

No. Each Carolina Distance Learning® lab kit is assigned a six-digit SKU. The voucher has the same SKU with the letters “DV” at the end. Once the instructor has returned a signed lab kit proposal to Carolina Distance Learning®, the kit and voucher SKUs can be assigned. It may take several days, however, for the voucher SKU to become active so that vouchers can be sold to the bookstore.

The voucher’s cost depends on the lab kit’s contents. Carolina Distance Learning® takes a build-your-own approach to lab kits, so that instructors choose only the investigations they want in a kit. The cost is agreed upon by the instructor and Carolina Distance Learning®. Each voucher’s cost includes standard (ground) shipping of the kit to a student in the continental United States. Other areas are subject to extra charge. The bookstore’s cost is the suggested selling price to the student; the vouchers are not discounted.

Once the instructor has returned a signed kit proposal to Carolina Distance Learning®, we will reach out to the bookstore to see how many vouchers are wanted. Once the number of kits has been decided upon, a quote will be generated and sent to the bookstore, which will then send payment (usually in the form of a purchase order) to Carolina Distance Learning®.

Paper vouchers typically ship by the next business day after the purchase order or credit card information is received. Most bookstores receive their vouchers within a week; those in Alaska or Hawaii may take longer. Electronic vouchers are a faster option, since they do not need to be shipped. They are usually emailed to the bookstore by the next business day after the order is received.

If you find that you haven’t ordered enough vouchers, just contact Carolina Distance Learning®. We will check to see if your original voucher quote needs to be expanded to cover the additional vouchers, and then ask you to send a new purchase order. Please be aware that, if you need additional vouchers because a new class section has been added, Carolina Distance Learning® needs to be alerted by the instructor so that the necessary kits can be produced in time for students to place their orders.

If the student has purchased a paper voucher, there will be instructions inside for redeeming the voucher code online. Note: Paper vouchers that have been opened may not be eligible for a refund, so there is a notice on the outside of the voucher informing students not to open it if they are contemplating dropping the course. If you have opted for electronic vouchers, then your codes will come with an email containing instructions for students.

Paper vouchers are easy for students to purchase by visiting the campus bookstore in person, and they are small enough to be inexpensively shipped, especially if they are included with other items ordered from the bookstore. However, if your online students tend not to visit the campus bookstore, and mailing the vouchers would take too much time, you may wish to use electronic vouchers.

Although a student may purchase their voucher from the bookstore as soon as you have them in stock, it may not be redeemed online until 10 days before the course start date as specified by the instructor. This is to ensure that kits are in stock for students to order.

If the instructor has chosen to make this option available for students in their class, then students may use a credit card to order their kits directly from Carolina Distance Learning® via a dedicated URL. The URL is created by Carolina Distance Learning® and provided to the instructor for distribution to students. Students can also order their kits by calling Customer Service at 800.334.5551 or 336.446.7600 and providing their credit card and shipping information to one of our representatives.

Please contact:
Carolina Distance Learning®
distancelearning@carolina.com
866.332.4478