http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47969316/?__utma=154396583.1840531908.1337797800.1339601644.1340755003.4&__utmb=154396583.0.10.1340755003&__utmc=154396583&__utmx=-&__utmz=154396583.1340755003.4.4.utmcsr=msnbc.msn.com|utmccn=%28referral%29|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/id/47969316/ns/technology_and_science-security/&__utmv=154396583.|8=Earned%20By=newsvine|technology%20%26%20science=1^12=Landing%20Content=Original=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=technology-science.newsvine.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Internal%20to%20Original=1&__utmk=85157849[/url]


I hope this link comes up right, I had to edit it a couple of times to just get the useable part of it up.


College is proving itself more and more all the time to be a catch-22, nobody can afford it, but everybody needs it so they can get jobs that most of them could've been gotten 10-20 years ago WITHOUT a degree necessary, so they can work the rest of their lives to pay off the students debts they had to go into to maintain a college education so they could work in the first place. And this just further seems to confirm that idea.

I said it before and I'll say it again: College is a ripoff. We'd be better off if less people went to college and that's the sad but harsh truth.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

I said it before and I'll say it again: College is a ripoff. We'd be better off if less people went to college and that's the sad but harsh truth.

Indeeeeeeeed, I should know, I did a 5 year sentence in there, and for nothing.

I can't say it's for nothing for me yet, but I can say that about half of my classes are a waste. If I only took the classes I needed for my certificate (just over half of what I need for my AA), I'd be confident that I had a sufficient college education meriting an AA for my field of study. College, IMO, is probably it's own worst enemy.

It's actually a better option than creating a new edition with very minor changes every other year. At least buying the code will still be cheaper than buying a whole new book. Plus this only factors in for classes where professors require online discussion. It wont' be effect 100% of college courses.

At the end of the day, those publishing text books are still book publishers. They want to make money too. Since it totally sucks to spend so much on college texts, it is a good thing to have them sell these codes rather than putting out new editions. It's a way they are indirectly endorsing the sale of used text books but still making money.

This would be completely dumb. I looked forward to selling my books back at the end of year, even though I didn't get nearly as much as I paid for them. If you don't need the book any more, you should be able to sell it or share it.

Yeah, the looming student debt crisis isn't large enough. Let's tack on as much as possible.

Red, does it say that this will be replacing new editions? It seems to me that there will still be frequent new editions. These codes are just an attempt to make even MORE money on books by preventing students from selling used copies in-between new editions.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

Red, does it say that this will be replacing new editions? It seems to me that there will still be frequent new editions. These codes are just an attempt to make even MORE money on books by preventing students from selling used copies in-between new editions.

Really! It's like something my friend in Canada told me about they're thinking of making all video players now so they will only work for one TV, so then if you get another TV you have to get another video player, it's stupid as hell and just a shameless attempt to get more money.

It's all crazy exploitation. And as colleges go, they're all too happy to play right along into this. IMO, they are worse than the textbook manufacturers because they essentially leave students trapped.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

Red, does it say that this will be replacing new editions? It seems to me that there will still be frequent new editions. These codes are just an attempt to make even MORE money on books by preventing students from selling used copies in-between new editions.

No, it didn't say that, and I just assumed that would be a positive that came with the change for some publishers. Without knowing what these access codes will cost, it is impossible to guess if the codes will generate enough money to equate to publishers not doing so many minor revisions to create new additions.

And that's why I'm having mercy on my students, this September, and having one required chemistry textbook, which I'll use year to year. I also listed 2 optional books that the students can buy if they want, and if not, I'll be photocopying relevant parts out of my own copies of those, as well as anything else I'll be teaching that doesn't appear in the main textbook.

I have 4 different chemistry books which I'm working out of, and I chose what I think is the best one for students, based on it being user-friendly. Regardless, though, all the assignments/homework answers can be found online, so even if someone really can't afford the book, there's still a way to get the information.

And regarding the professor who is the topic of this thread, he's just on a power trip, because I know he got all his copies of the books for free--all you have to do is call the publisher and tell them you're a teacher and request a desk copy of whatever text you want, and they say "Sure, no problem! What's your address?" <---that's how I got my chem books.

I know young woman who had to pay $500.00 for one book. Sorry but no paper with binding should cost that much. Its a book she will likely use for the rest of her working life, but still to expect a student to pay that much is too much.

RedBedroom wrote:

No, it didn't say that, and I just assumed that would be a positive that came with the change for some publishers. Without knowing what these access codes will cost, it is impossible to guess if the codes will generate enough money to equate to publishers not doing so many minor revisions to create new additions.

I'd love to believe that they'd trade new editions for codes. But I suspect it'll be both. And college will lose one more avenue where a few bucks could've been saved for students.