Rant: Why do Professors change textbooks in college?

[Mayfriday0529]

Why do they change texbooks from semester to semester? Is it a deal with Textbook makers to make more money for them and the school?

I know some of you will say, well the edition changes, ok I understand that. But check this out.

I took a class this summer and it had 4 books. Two were pricey about $40 and $80. Two were about $20. I looked on the class schedule for the fall that the same professor was teaching the same class. Great I can resell them to some of the students I thought. But no! the two expensive books got changed and they were not different edition, but completely different. Different authors etc.

Why I ask?

 

[Tobolo]

to screw you out of money! YAY!

 

[waggy]

some colleges get kickbacks to change. also the bookstore is a huge source of revenue for the college.

 

[BigJ]

They probably received free Instructor Editions and found they're a better fit for the class.

 

[kami333]

Originally posted by: waggy
some colleges get kickbacks to change. also the bookstore is a huge source of revenue for the college.

And if the publisher stopped printing the book, it can cause supply issues.

I ended up keeping all my expensive (ie science) books. Good reference later on.

 

[rgwalt]

It depends on how long they have been teaching the course. If you are new to teaching a class, you might switch around books if you think that the last one you used sucked. Also, when new books come out, Profs are often sent copies for evaluation, and if they like the books better than the ones being used, they'll change. Sometimes a professor who has been teaching the same course for awhile just gets bored with the texts and wants a change, especially if the course heavily relies on the texts.

Honestly, the profs don't have deals with textbook companies unless they actually write and publish the books themselves. It maybe that a friend/colleague of the prof just published a new text, and the prof is switching to it as a favor. In any case, they don't get kickbacks for changing texts, at least at the schools I've been to.

R

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: BigJ
They probably received free Instructor Editions and found they're a better fit for the class.

Or the department decided to standardize on one textbook for all sections of a course.

Or the older texts are now out of print.

Professors don't get any kickbacks for making you buy textbooks, in fact it's extra work for them to re-write their lecture plans, syllabus and tests.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: waggy
some colleges get kickbacks to change. also the bookstore is a huge source of revenue for the college.

And if the publisher stopped printing the book, it can cause supply issues.

I ended up keeping all my expensive (ie science) books. Good reference later on.

i kept mine also.

 

[NatePo717]

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: waggy
some colleges get kickbacks to change. also the bookstore is a huge source of revenue for the college.

And if the publisher stopped printing the book, it can cause supply issues.

I ended up keeping all my expensive (ie science) books. Good reference later on.

:thumbsup:

 

[sunase]

If the books changed then the professor probably has to adjust his lectures and assignments as well. Since changing costs the professor some work, it's more likely that he'll only change when it's worth it. Personally, I'd prefer that professors always pick the best books they know. If that means changing every semester and hurting some poor people, so be it.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: sunase
If the books changed then the professor probably has to adjust his lectures and assignments as well. Since changing costs the professor some work, it's more likely that he'll only change when it's worth it. Personally, I'd prefer that professors always pick the best books they know. If that means changing every semester and hurting some poor people, so be it.

see i don't buy the theory that the proff changes to pick the best book. 90% of the time its a change to the newest edition of the same book.

There is no reason to change to the newest edition in math or science.

 

[woowoo]

Because they can?
(Sorta like why does a dog lick his...)

 

[wfbberzerker]

lets see, at my university theres about ~20,000 undergrad. books are about 300 a semester. so, you're looking at 6 million in books per semester, on top of tuition (granted, i'm overestimating, but they're still making a nice chunk of change)

 

[RGUN]

Maybe when the publisher puts out a new edition the old edition is no longer produced? So they are forced to use the new edition since they cant count on everyone to go look for a used edition?

 

[HombrePequeno]

When the supply starts dwindling because the book is no longer in print, professors kind of have to switch books. I don't run into that problem too often. The professors that I take switch their books once every few years (one has had the same book for like 6 years).

Sell your books online. It may take longer to sell but chances are somebody is using it.

 

[dullard]

Why? When I teach a class I want to use the best possible textbook that I can find. Tell me why you want subpar textbooks for your learning? And often times, the book you want is replaced. You can't expect students to buy books that aren't in print any more. So you have to move up to the next edition.

When students are paying $5000-$50,000 for the year, another measly $100 isn't really that big of a deal.

 

[ScottyB]

I only had to buy about 8 text books in college and most of those got 2/3 of the money back when I sold them. Although, I spent around $150 each semester on novels.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: waggy
some colleges get kickbacks to change. also the bookstore is a huge source of revenue for the college.

And if the publisher stopped printing the book, it can cause supply issues.

I ended up keeping all my expensive (ie science) books. Good reference later on.

i kept mine also.

I threw all mine out a couple of years ago. I didnt touch them after college and they took up a lot of space on my bookshelf. It was sad tossing a 120 buck book into the garbage.

 

[Indolent]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: sunase
If the books changed then the professor probably has to adjust his lectures and assignments as well. Since changing costs the professor some work, it's more likely that he'll only change when it's worth it. Personally, I'd prefer that professors always pick the best books they know. If that means changing every semester and hurting some poor people, so be it.

see i don't buy the theory that the proff changes to pick the best book. 90% of the time its a change to the newest edition of the same book.

There is no reason to change to the newest edition in math or science.

they're forced to by the publisher when the older edition goes out of print...

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: BigJ
They probably received free Instructor Editions and found they're a better fit for the class.

Or the department decided to standardize on one textbook for all sections of a course.

Or the older texts are now out of print.

Professors don't get any kickbacks for making you buy textbooks, in fact it's extra work for them to re-write their lecture plans, syllabus and tests.

Maybe not kickbacks, but I recently learned that they'll wine and dine you to get you to switch over to their books

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: wfbberzerker
lets see, at my university theres about ~20,000 undergrad. books are about 300 a semester. so, you're looking at 6 million in books per semester, on top of tuition (granted, i'm overestimating, but they're still making a nice chunk of change)

6 million in book sales hardly compares to the amount the receive in tuition. And if you really want a great source of revenue: room & board. It costs next to nothing to house a bunch of students, 2 to a room, with a community bathroom on each floor. At some schools, room & board is significantly higher than what you'd pay in the community to rent (then again, in some communities, they've figured this out and charge a higher rent to college students)

 

[DrPizza]

Here's an example (from a local college)
St. Bonaventure (western NY, outside Olean) Estimates room and meal charges to be $7,706 per person. For 4 years, that works out to $30,824. If 4 people pooled their money together, that's $123,296

If you look at real estate near St Bonaventure, they could purchase a house within 3 or 4 miles of campus for under $40,000. That leaves over 80 thousand dollars for utilities, food, and whatever else they want to buy.

 

[Dragoon42]

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: waggy
some colleges get kickbacks to change. also the bookstore is a huge source of revenue for the college.

And if the publisher stopped printing the book, it can cause supply issues.

I ended up keeping all my expensive (ie science) books. Good reference later on.

same. I just kept all my accounting books. You can sell it back for more, but it's just good references to have

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Here's an example (from a local college)
St. Bonaventure (western NY, outside Olean) Estimates room and meal charges to be $7,706 per person. For 4 years, that works out to $30,824. If 4 people pooled their money together, that's $123,296

If you look at real estate near St Bonaventure, they could purchase a house within 3 or 4 miles of campus for under $40,000. That leaves over 80 thousand dollars for utilities, food, and whatever else they want to buy.

There is a convinience and safety factor associated with living in the dorm. Students don't have to worry about paying bills, fixing something in a house if it breaks (or hiring the job out), they don't have to shop for groceries or cook, etc.

I've heard of parents buying a house in a college town if they have multiple children that will be going to school there, but at most schools the dorm experience is important for students in their freshman year. It gives them a chance to get aclimated to college life without the pressures of being 100% on your own (you still have someone cooking for you), and it gives them the chance to make friends a little more easily.

However, you are correct, room and board is a great money maker.

R

 

[wfbberzerker]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: wfbberzerker
lets see, at my university theres about ~20,000 undergrad. books are about 300 a semester. so, you're looking at 6 million in books per semester, on top of tuition (granted, i'm overestimating, but they're still making a nice chunk of change)

6 million in book sales hardly compares to the amount the receive in tuition. And if you really want a great source of revenue: room & board. It costs next to nothing to house a bunch of students, 2 to a room, with a community bathroom on each floor. At some schools, room & board is significantly higher than what you'd pay in the community to rent (then again, in some communities, they've figured this out and charge a higher rent to college students)

6 million is icing on the cake, they screw you every which way they can.