Is it something you buy with a textbook?

Yes, most of the time its custom courseware, where the prof takes couple of pages from a textbook and comprise it into some booklet and sell it to you. Therefore, you don't have to buy the entire book.

Custom Courseware is usually for your labs. It'll have the outline of each of your labs in it. Other times its just certain things that your instructor has photocopied from another textbook and compiled into a booklet.

AKA an expensive pain in the ass.

Originally Posted by Colin

Custom Courseware is usually for your labs. It'll have the outline of each of your labs in it. Other times its just certain things that your instructor has photocopied from another textbook and compiled into a booklet.

Not always true. I don't have any labs and I have CCW for four of my classes, two of which they are the only text we use.

Originally Posted by jujumiste

Is it something you buy with a textbook?

For complete details about what courseware is, refer to this link:
http://titles.mcmaster.ca/text/ccw.htm
Basically, courseware is something that your prof feels is required in addition to your text. This can be, for example, print out of all your lab manuals, additional readings, which are photocopied from other texts etc. You can buy this from titles with your book if it is required for your course. Also note that the courseware cannot be returned unlike the textbooks, so make sure you will be staying in the course before buying the courseware

Is required coursware listed under a course's material listings in Titles?

Originally Posted by jujumiste

Is required coursware listed under a course's material listings in Titles?

Yes. Under your course listing, it will say "Required Materials" and then the text/courseware/material or "Optional".

So, if no courseware is listed, it's safe to assume that you do not need it for the course?

That's right if no courseware is listed than there is none needed for that course.

Thank you =)

Just make sure you want the class you are in. Courseware cant be returned, unlike actual texts.

Also if your Custom Courseware is listed under optional double check with your instructor to see if it'll be available to print online via ELM or course homepage. I know for my particular course this was the case, so I don't have to spend money on something I can print myself.

course ware is very expensive... i bought my indig. studies course ware for a bit over 100 ... I thought they would be relatively cheap

One of my classes had CCW for the lab manual, but we had to go buy it at some other store (can't remember which one but its on Sterling) I think the prof did that to save us some money.