- Reflecting back on our work this semester, in what ways are textbooks a challenge for students? It might be helpful to review The Textbook Manifesto and your initial discussion board post about it.
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge for students is the astronomical cost of textbooks. One has just finished paying a hefty tuition when, surprise, it’s immediately time to part with another small fortune for textbooks. It can be more aggravating if professors require the latest edition of a textbook, when the difference between one edition and the next is minute; they are virtually indistinguishable from one another. It’s just another evil of capitalism. I imagine the publishers/marketers are offering generous kickbacks to professors/departments for meeting certain sales quotas of their books.
- What is one way OER addresses these challenges? What is one way OER fails to address them?
OER makes the textbooks equitable and accessible to all, not just to those who have. Thanks to OER, textbooks the average student will not have to agonize over whether they should try to survive the course on Powerpoints alone or buy books they really can’t afford.
- Should students evaluate textbooks as part of their regular classwork/education? Why or why not?
Although it appears that that last thing on university administrators’ minds is students’ opinions, regular textbook evaluations should be implemented. Undoubtedly, some professors do care how students feel about their textbooks and why some students may not be performing as well as others (because they can’t afford the exorbitantly-priced textbook). Regular textbook evaluations just may help to reduce educational disparities to some degree.
- Imagine you are a professor choosing a textbook for your class. What are three important ideas to consider when selecting a textbook for students?
As a professor choosing a textbook for my class, I would consider the price firstly. After carefully pondering many different textbooks, I would certainly choose one of the more economical options. I also would choose a book that does not overburden the student with endless details. I have a book like that right now and I would love to tell the faculty how I feel about. Along the same line, I would choose a book that is not too large or heavy because they can also seem overwhelming to students. I would NOT constantly change the edition required for the class!
- What is the most important thing you learned from this seminar?
Learning about the OER initiative and getting a chance to evaluate textbooks has given me hope that people are actually advocating for students and want to improve their college experience by providing more relevant effective and affordable textbooks.
