5 ms·

My community college chooses books that cost $15-$20, it was nice. Then at the University levels they hit me with $200 books. As for new editions, I understand

by lxbui 18y ago

My community college chooses books that cost $15-$20, it was nice. Then at the University levels they hit me with $200 books. As for new editions, I understand that Biology changes frequently, and the books might need to be changed periodically, but classes like Calc I shouldn't be updated every other year.

silencio 18y ago
Unless you're in pretty advanced bio classes, it doesn't change every year like the textbook editions suggest. Also I have had community college classes where the text cost upwards of $200. I've also had classes where the used book cost $5 and the prof was willing to buy it herself if you couldn't afford even $5...
- yummyfajitas 18y ago
  The material doesn't change, but the homework problems do...or at least the order of homework problems/chapters may change.
  - silencio 18y ago
    But the material isn't changing, which then begs the question as to why the hell the professors and teachers believe that using a brand new edition is a good idea. That's the key point. Homework problems don't need to be changed, unless you're worried about people cheating from folks who've taken the class before - in which case, change the exams, and change which homework problems are being assigned. Even then it's their loss/problem if they decide to cheat. And it's not that the problems were incorrectly written - corrections are usually minimal - it's that if the problems change, what happens is that it's fundamentally the same question except numbered differently. I've seen this happen so many times and I'm sick of it because the likes of all my intro classes from chem and physics and bio to calc and CS have not fundamentally changed SO much that it is impossible to use a text that is a couple years old.
    - yummyfajitas 18y ago
      I completely agree with you: it's a scam. But we, the profs, don't have a lot of choice in the matter. Problem 1: we need to assign a text which is available to all students, and I can't guarantee availability of enough copies of the old editions. I'd love to use this book (http://store.doverpublications.com/0486457710.html http://store.doverpublications.com/0486457710.html) costing $20 for calc, but that brings up problem 2: I have to use the book the department assigns. Changing this would require joining a curriculum committee, turf wars, academic politics, etc. Yuck, I'm a scientist, not a politician. I usually work with my students to save them some money (copy problem pages, etc), and I bought old editions when I was an undergrad. But that's about the best I can do. I have given the problem some thought, and have a startup concept (with some code). If I can overcome some technical issues, I'll go live with it.
      - silencio 18y ago
        With problem 1, wouldn't the old edition still be cheaper than the new? Or would the publisher just stop publishing the older edition? Even with new editions I've come across situations where the bookstore was having an impossible time ordering enough to meet demand. And the second...I just guess I don't understand why new editions have to be adopted so quickly sometimes. I taught myself all sorts of subjects out of used books I got at garage and library sales. Years later actually taking the classes with a brand new edition of a text, nothing's changed. Only the price..used books would be dirt cheap and the new edition would be $120. So the department assigns a book, why do they have to assign it? Kickbacks from the publisher? My question above about the publisher discontinuing the older edition? I guess I'm ultimately mad about this whole situation (and yes, I was a textbook torrents user although they never had the texts for my classes). I even had one class at a CC (I think it was anatomy) where the class itself was only somewhere around $70 but the materials and mainly the text|online access|workbook were in the $300 range. I about flipped out then.
        kleevr 18y ago
        >And the second... Several times in my experience the only difference between editions was that the publisher had changed the work problem (and maybe fixed some typos) for the sole purpose of making the students buy new books.
Zev 18y ago
I'm taking Calc I at my community college right now to get it out of the way instead of taking it next semester. The textbook costs $110, used. I cant remember how much it would have been if it was new. Probably around $150. Then on the flip side, I've got a class next semester that has 4-5 books required that cost a total of $50. So it's not dead set "Community == cheap, University == expensive" Its closer to "((University || Community) == expensive)" :\

by lxbui 18y ago

silencio 18y ago

Unless you're in pretty advanced bio classes, it doesn't change every year like the textbook editions suggest. Also I have had community college classes where the text cost upwards of $200. I've also had classes where the used book cost $5 and the prof was willing to buy it herself if you couldn't afford even $5...

yummyfajitas 18y ago
The material doesn't change, but the homework problems do...or at least the order of homework problems/chapters may change.
- silencio 18y ago
  But the material isn't changing, which then begs the question as to why the hell the professors and teachers believe that using a brand new edition is a good idea. That's the key point. Homework problems don't need to be changed, unless you're worried about people cheating from folks who've taken the class before - in which case, change the exams, and change which homework problems are being assigned. Even then it's their loss/problem if they decide to cheat. And it's not that the problems were incorrectly written - corrections are usually minimal - it's that if the problems change, what happens is that it's fundamentally the same question except numbered differently. I've seen this happen so many times and I'm sick of it because the likes of all my intro classes from chem and physics and bio to calc and CS have not fundamentally changed SO much that it is impossible to use a text that is a couple years old.
  - yummyfajitas 18y ago
    I completely agree with you: it's a scam. But we, the profs, don't have a lot of choice in the matter. Problem 1: we need to assign a text which is available to all students, and I can't guarantee availability of enough copies of the old editions. I'd love to use this book (http://store.doverpublications.com/0486457710.html http://store.doverpublications.com/0486457710.html) costing $20 for calc, but that brings up problem 2: I have to use the book the department assigns. Changing this would require joining a curriculum committee, turf wars, academic politics, etc. Yuck, I'm a scientist, not a politician. I usually work with my students to save them some money (copy problem pages, etc), and I bought old editions when I was an undergrad. But that's about the best I can do. I have given the problem some thought, and have a startup concept (with some code). If I can overcome some technical issues, I'll go live with it.
    - silencio 18y ago
      With problem 1, wouldn't the old edition still be cheaper than the new? Or would the publisher just stop publishing the older edition? Even with new editions I've come across situations where the bookstore was having an impossible time ordering enough to meet demand. And the second...I just guess I don't understand why new editions have to be adopted so quickly sometimes. I taught myself all sorts of subjects out of used books I got at garage and library sales. Years later actually taking the classes with a brand new edition of a text, nothing's changed. Only the price..used books would be dirt cheap and the new edition would be $120. So the department assigns a book, why do they have to assign it? Kickbacks from the publisher? My question above about the publisher discontinuing the older edition? I guess I'm ultimately mad about this whole situation (and yes, I was a textbook torrents user although they never had the texts for my classes). I even had one class at a CC (I think it was anatomy) where the class itself was only somewhere around $70 but the materials and mainly the text|online access|workbook were in the $300 range. I about flipped out then.
      - kleevr 18y ago
        >And the second... Several times in my experience the only difference between editions was that the publisher had changed the work problem (and maybe fixed some typos) for the sole purpose of making the students buy new books.

Zev 18y ago

I'm taking Calc I at my community college right now to get it out of the way instead of taking it next semester. The textbook costs $110, used. I cant remember how much it would have been if it was new. Probably around $150. Then on the flip side, I've got a class next semester that has 4-5 books required that cost a total of $50. So it's not dead set "Community == cheap, University == expensive" Its closer to "((University || Community) == expensive)" :\