Re: book sharing (was: Re: Pedagogy)

[Herbert H Gottlieb <herbgottlieb@JUNO.COM>]

The fact that it costs thousands of dollars a year to attend a college
also means that some students may be very short of the cash needed to
purchase a new $125 physics textbook.  Very few
really "NEW" physics textbooks are published earh year.  In most cases
the
"new" editions are really the old edition with minor changes in
the text and end-chapter problems.

Wouldn't it make sense to require the same physics textbook over a period
of 10 to 15 years?  This might make the textbooks available  at a cost
of $25 or less.  Or are we woried too much about the authors' royalties
and less about the students' ability to pay.???

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Where the real changes in physics textbooks each year
would fit into the space occupied by two or three anti-quarks.)




On Tue, 04 May 2004 10:42:11 -0600 Larry Smith <larry.smith@SNOW.EDU>
writes:
> At 11:34 AM -0400 5/4/04, Michael Edmiston wrote:
> > Worse, we are finding that 50% (sometimes more) of our students
> don't
> > even buy the "required" textbook.  They hope to save money and
> assume
> > they should be able to pass the course simply by coming to the
> lectures.
> > They think the only thing valuable in the textbook is the assigned
> > problems, and they can get those from someone who did buy the book.
>  I
> > keep telling them it makes no sense for them to spend thousands of
> > dollars on tuition and room and board, and then risk this
> investment by
> > not spending an extra $100 for a textbook.
> >
> > Book sharing is also common.  This is causing me to experience a
> fair
> > number of the following student requests...
> >
> > (1) Could I hand in the problems tomorrow because when I wanted to
> work
> > them last night the person I am sharing the book with had the book
> and
> > so I didn't have access to the problems.
> >
> > (2) Can I take tomorrow's exam a day late because tonight is the
> other
> > person's night to have the textbook, so I won't be able to study
> until
> > tomorrow night.
>
>
> At 12:30 PM -0400 5/4/04, Bob LaMontagne wrote:
> > You are entirely
> > correct about the book sharing. Some have even asked me for
> > xerox copies of the homework questions. I give daily
> > reading quizzes on the material I'm going to cover - I
> > require them to read it before the lecture. I'll get
> > comments on the quiz indicated that they were not able to
> > read the material because they don't have a book - and they
> > find the quizzes unfair.
>
>
>
> I find this situation appalling.  I didn't realize it was so
> widespread.  I
> encountered it for the first time this semester.
>
> Sure, textbooks are expensive (and seem to have gotten more so
> faster than
> inflation), but I still agree with Michael that they shouldn't risk
> an
> investment of thousands by not spending the $125 for the textbook.
>
> ics Teachers Unite!  Let's all give daily reading quizzes as Bob
> mentions.  Maybe we can head of this cultural trend (book sharing)
> at the
> pass by united action.
>
> Larry


Herb Gottlieb from New York City
A friendly  place to live and visit