Would U Rather Have Hard Copy Textbooks?

Having dealt directly with the transition to ebooks--including training faculty on how to work with students regarding them--I'm on both sides of this issue.

I recognize the value of a regular text. But the expense! Textbooks for a course can run $200 or more. Out-of-touch professors can gin up reading lists that require the purchase of entire books in order to use one or two chapters; students can end up purchasing several books for one course. That doesn't include the costs of purchasing other copied reading materials created by professors and sold in the college bookstore, which can really add up.

UoP charges about $50 or $60 per course (I don't know the exact figure anymore) for its "rEsource" materials. Yes, the texts are electronic. But students pay a flat rate, not matter how extensive the reading. Also, if UoP requires readings from several texts, students are provided the required readings, whether in excerpts or complete texts. And each course comes with many other electronic support services, like links to relevant library articles (full text at no extra charge), other electronic documents, as well as multimedia simulations. It's really a bargain.

The biggest complaint, however, is ergonomic. Studying while looking at a computer screen isn't always comfortable. Highlighting and re-studying highlighted material is awkward-to-nearly-impossible. And while materials can be downloaded to one's personal computer--negating the need for an internet connection just to study--portability is an issue. You have to have a laptop with you to study where you want--if you have one. Or you have to print up the matierals, negating somewhat the argument for electronic documents (and increasing your costs substantially).

On the other hand, one has access to course materials anywhere an internet connection and a computer can be found, making studying at work (or in a library, or somewhere else) easier if you don't have your laptop with you.

I think students are, on balance, much better off with "rEsource" than with hard textbooks. I think the benefits outweigh the negatives. But the benefits don't make the negatives disappear, and student complaints are certainly well-grounded. But if they were given the option of paying for all the materials they're given under "rEsource," I suspect they'd continue with what they have, rather than writing that check for an extra hundred bucks (or more) every 5 or 6 weeks.

(NB: Let's not ignore the genesis for these things: profit. UoP is rapidly becoming the largest educational publisher in the country by writing their own materials--and by licensing. I'm sure "rEsource" is a money-maker for them, and I imagine they'll someday sell this to other schools.)

(NB: Having taught at a large state university, I can say with confidence that the book situation has run amok. Professors have absolutely no conscience when it comes to reading lists, requiring purchases of full texts when they're barely used--book lists are sometimes outrageous. This is a common scene when one party--students, in this case--is underwriting the spending of another (professors), and has no say-so in the process.)

 

I would rather had pdf versions of books on CD. I usually don't read word for word anyway - simply using them for reference. With a pdf format, I can search for what I am looking for without having to go through all of the fluff.

Has anyone ever used one of those on-line book depositories? It is worth it? Do you think they have any good books on Stats or Ops Research online?

W.

 

The best method is to download the text material in whatever form directly into my cerebral cortex...