tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post6209425540240102997..comments2024-03-22T01:06:23.845-07:00Comments on Confessions of a College Professor: Students Will No Longer Own The Books They BuyDoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-89401432171366049912014-09-08T19:00:49.894-07:002014-09-08T19:00:49.894-07:00Thanks; I'm not convinced I'm so hated...I...Thanks; I'm not convinced I'm so hated...I barely register, I'm sure. I have no illusions about how long I'll remain anonymous if I ever I become even a minor irritant to the folks running these many scams.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-35069680013435761192014-09-08T06:06:31.048-07:002014-09-08T06:06:31.048-07:00Professor "Doom", I read your articles ...Professor "Doom", I read your articles enthusiastically whenever I come upon them. They are like a Light in the Darkness, exposing Deception (and the Deceivers) for what they are. No wonder they hate you!! All who are exposed to the TRUTH, are changed for it, even if by a tiny increment. Even the parasitic deceivers are changed a little. No wonder they don't want it available through you and others like you!! Please keep up the good work and remain Anonymous... John Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02561616372001172569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-32792406948365249532014-06-05T19:33:10.182-07:002014-06-05T19:33:10.182-07:00Having to return a book may not be enforceable but...Having to return a book may not be enforceable but there might be a way to persuade the university or the professor to require that. However, potential sellers or buyers of used books would risk being sued, and that's where some legal enforcement could realistically happen (when a sale is made or attempted, not when the student simply keeps the book). Because of the illegal nature of the activity combined with the fact that a legal supply of books is available, some students would find buyers, but at reduced prices. While some professors would likely not care, it would be possible to use some kind of device attached to all legal copies and that expires after a few months (in theory, books without that would be banned from the classroom). I'm not even talking about tracking the actual location of the book because that seems exaggerated and people could just get rid of the tracking device. But then, over time, that could become more feasible.Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-88268058571953407562014-06-05T18:24:18.796-07:002014-06-05T18:24:18.796-07:00I noticed many of the things you mentioned during ...I noticed many of the things you mentioned during the years I was teaching.<br /><br />One problem I had was that none of the publishers had books that were exactly what I was looking for. Either they were oriented towards university undergrads or were at a level just above that of a colouring book.<br /><br />Often, the content changes between editions were minimal, but the real scandal was the added frippery that was often introduced. For example, new editions might include computer disks (floppies at first, CD-ROMs later) which were generally of no relevance to the course material I was teaching. Then came the change from black and white line sketches for diagrams to full-colour pictures. In some cases, the worked examples had lots of the latter, complete with actual pictures of the keys on the calculator that the students were supposed to press when completing the calculations. It was as if publishers really believed that the students were too dumb to figure that out by themselves. All of this added to the costs and, unfortunately, we were forced to buy those newer editions.<br /><br />But did publishers actually correct any errors that were found? In one case, no. I started teaching a certain course with the 2nd edition of the textbook. When I taught it for the last time, several years later, the 4th had come out. Changes between editions were minimal but certain glaring errors were copied from one edition to the next, despite the fact that we notified the publisher's representatives about it during that time.<br /><br />On the whole, it was a dreadful book, particularly as the way it handled the material was atrocious. However, we were stuck with using it year after year. Why? Because that's the one the students liked, even though we tried other titles, though finding one that adequately presented the material at the level they worked at was difficult.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.com