Beyond TextbooksSolutions for Community College Introduction to Biological Anthropology Classes

PresentersArnie Schoenberg, San Diego City College Adjunct Faculty

Shane Finneran, San Diego City College Student

IntroductionDetriment to student successLegal solutionsIllegal solutionsBlame: bound by the shackles of tradition

Detriment to Student Success

Of the 8 problems students faced, balancing work and school seemed to be the most important, but second on the list was "The cost of textbooks and other fees besides tuition affected me financially" (Johnson 2009:31).

Bookstore Shock: - registration about $70- textbooks closer to $170“if I drop now, I get my $70 back and avoid having to come up with an extra $170”Where does the money go?

Detriment to Student Success

Detriment to Student Success:

Where does the money go?

Where does the money go?Supplements

Where does the money go?

New Editions

Potential Alternatives?Internet…

Detriment to Student Success: Who to

blame?

textbook industry: bookstoreFrom:Bibi Medina <bmedina@sdccd.edu>

Date:Tuesday, February 14, 2012 5:56 PMTo:Arnie Schoenberg <aschoenb@sdccd.edu>, [other professors]Subject: NEW EDITION TEXTBOOK INFORMATION/ANTH 102/CITY & MESA

ANTH 102 Professors, We are sending you information regarding a textbook that you have adopted this semester or in past semesters. Per the publisher, Cengage Learning, the 8th edition of Jurmain, Essentials of Physical Anthropology, ISBN 0-8400-3259-5, has a new 9th edition pending for February 24, 2012. The new 9th edition ISBN number is 1-111-83718-X. This information is for Fall 2012 classes that you may teach. If you need a desk copy of the 9th edition please contact the Cengage Learning sales rep Roge Karma at 619/647-4160 or roge.karma@cengage.com<roge.karma@cengage.com>. Sincerely, Bibi Medina Assistant Textbook Buyer SDCCD CAMPUS STORES - City College Campus Store 619/388-3429 bmedina@sdccd.edu www.bookstore.sdccd.edu/city Your purchase matters! Thank you for supporting the City College Bookstore.

obscurantism: bookstoreFrom: Arnie Schoenberg [arnieds@cox.net]

Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 8:43 PM To: Bibi MedinaCc: Susan Simmons; Melissa Copeland Subject: Re: NEW EDITION TEXTBOOK INFORMATION/ANTH 102/CITY & MESA

How much does it cost?

obscurantism: bookstoreFrom:Bibi Medina <bmedina@sdccd.edu>

Date:Wednesday, February 15, 2012 7:21 AMTo: Arnie Schoenberg arnieds@cox.net, [other professors]Cc:Susan Simmons <ssimmons@sdccd.edu>, Melissa Copeland <mcopelan@sdccd.edu>, Karma, Roge G <roge.karma@cengage.com> Subject:RE: NEW EDITION TEXTBOOK INFORMATION/ANTH 102/CITY & MESA

I am not sure of the cost especially since the book would be used next fall; there probably will be a price increase before the fall semester. I would suggest that Roge contact you for that information. Best, Bibi Medina Assistant Textbook Buyer SDCCD CAMPUS STORES - City College Campus Store 619/388-3429 bmedina@sdccd.edu www.bookstore.sdccd.edu/city Your purchase matters!  Thank you for supporting the City College Bookstore.

obscurantism: textbook industry

From: instructor.eresources@cengagelearning.com [mailto:instructor.eresources@cengagelearning.com]Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 7:42 PMTo: Review, KDCSubject: eSampling Sample Request FormTo order.samples@cengagelearning.com,This message is sent from a central request form, please forward the message to the correct organization if it does not pertain to your organization.The following customer has requested samples from the Service Direct web site. This customer has received samples before.Contact Info:Name: Arnie SchoenbergAccount: San Diego City CollegeDept: AnthropologyStreet: 1313 12TH AVENUECity: San DiegoCounty:ST/Prov: CAPostal Code: 92101Email: arnieds@cox.netTelephone:Country: USASource Code: 13E-AN0071

Comments: Please let me know the cost of the book.Titles Requested:Instructor's Edition for Jurmain/Kilgore/Trevathan's

Essentials of Physical Anthropology, 9th By: JURMAIN/KILGORE/TREVATHANISBN: 9781111838140Review CopyCOURSE: Introduction to Physical AnthropologyEnrollment: 40Decision Dt: 5/15/2012Course Starts: 8/29/2012Thank you

obscurantism: textbook industry

Hello, Good morning,While trying to process your request below I saw that you requested this already on 1/8/2012. This text is scheduled for publication on 2/24/2012 and will be sent to you right away upon

availability. Please let me know if you have any further questions.Thank you,Jeremy BresigerCustomer Service & Faculty Support, Higher EducationCengage Learning10650 Toebben Drive, Independence, KY 41051(o) 800.354.9706 | (f) 800.487.8488 | (e) jeremy.bresiger@cengage.com<mailto:kim.webb@cengage.com> | www.cengage.com<http://www.cengage.com>

obscurantism: textbook industry

From: Arnie Schoenberg [arnieds@cox.net]Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 11:42 AMTo: Bresiger, Jeremy DSubject: RE: eSampling Sample

Request FormHi,I had another question:How much will the book cost?Thanks,Arnie Schoenberg

obscurantism: textbook industry

From: Bresiger, Jeremy D <jeremy.bresiger@cengage.com>

Date: Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:43 AMTo: Arnie Schoenberg arnieds@cox.net Subject:RE: eSampling Sample Request Form Hi,

They are complimentary to instructors.Thank you,Jeremy BresigerCustomer Service & Faculty Support, Higher EducationCengage Learning10650 Toebben Drive, Independence, KY 41051 (o) 800.354.9706 | (f) 800.487.8488 | (e) jeremy.bresiger@cengage.com | www.cengage.com

obscurantism: textbook industry

From: arnieds@cox.net [mailto:arnieds@cox.net] Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 9:23 PMTo: Bresiger, Jeremy DSubject: RE: eSampling Sample Request Form 

How much will the book cost my students?

obscurantism: textbook industry

From:Bresiger, Jeremy D <jeremy.bresiger@cengage.com> Date:Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:36 AMTo: Arnie Schoenberg <arnieds@cox.net> Subject:RE: eSampling Sample Request Form

Hello,On www.cengagebrain.com the book would cost your students

$115.49 as it is on sale right now. The ISBN

for the student edition is 9781111837181. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you, Jeremy BresigerCustomer Service & Faculty Support, Higher EducationCengage Learning10650 Toebben Drive, Independence, KY 41051 (o) 800.354.9706 | (f) 800.487.8488 | (e) jeremy.bresiger@cengage.com | www.cengage.com

Legal solutionsusing older editionsused booksunbundlingpersonal librarieslibrary

reservescheap paperbacksopen source textbooksWikipediaiBooks

Legal solutions: using older editions and used books

Older editions are usually cheaper and have more used copies available.Used books tend to cost about half as much.Used, older editions can go down to a tenth as much as the new, newer editions.

Legal solutions: using older editions and used books

Used books are available directly from student to student using Craigslist and E-bay.There is a used book market dedicated to buying and selling used textbooks.The used books are indirectly subsidized by four-year university students who pay full-price for new books, sell them for 30%-50%, and feed the wholesalers.

Legal solutions: unbundling

Textbook publishers encourage you to include the extras with your textbook.You can go beyond unbundling and make custom books. If you don’t use all the chapters in a book, you can make a custom book that may be cheaper than the entire.You can negotiate directly with the publisher. Haggling is good!

Legal solutions: personal libraries

You can set up your own informal library and lend books to students.Pro: Direct, you have extra books, give them to the students who need them.Con: Hassle to manage a library and track down students to get the books returned.

Legal solutions: library reserves

College libraries will keep books on reserve and students can have free access to them. Most libraries will include options of time limits, or for library use only. Pro: Library deals with the hassleCon: Students compete for limited texts, often limited to library hours

Legal solutions:

cheap paperbacks

lists for $30 new

Legal solutions:

GoogleCan you just give give students the glossary to your textbook and have them look up the words?

No, all kinds of slick “Intelligent Design” websites pop up.

Legal solutions: Open Source Textbooks

Click to add text

Legal solutions: Wikipedia

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Subject:Anthropology shows partial books for cultural anthropology, forensics, ethnomedicine, and paleoanthropologyNo complete textbooks for anthropology.Alex Taube did a lab manual for MERLOT

Legal solutions: Wikipedia

One Picture in the entire book:Neanderthals

Museum recronstruction model of a Neanderthal woman [46]

Legal solutions: iBooks

Illegal solutionsdistribution of review/desk copiesphotocopies.pdf files

“This textbook has been licensed to you, as an instructor, to consider for classroom use only. Under no circumstances may this book or any portion be sold, licensed, auctioned, given away, or otherwise distributed. Distributing free examination copies violates this license and serves to drive up the costs of textbooks for students.”

Illegal solutions: distribution of

review/desk copies

Illegal solutions: photocopies

not greenbulkybarely legible and poor quality graphicsnot that cheap: at the library, copying the Jurmain book would cost $43

Illegal solutions: .pdf

files

Peer-to-peer filesharingStudents already have informal networks:

“hey guys, im having trouble getting the book....the book store will not have any more copies until monday or even tuesday and that will be too late to read chapter 1 and do the assignments that are due sunday. i was wondering if anyone could somehow photo copy chapter 1 and send it to me via email. my email is ________@gmail.com please come through guys!” [Discussion board post from a student 2/7/12]

Who to blame?StudentsFacultyBookstoreTextbook industry???

transferring blame: students blame the

bookstore

transferring blame: bookstores blame the textbook industry

transferring

blame: textbook industry blames the

faculty and

bookstore

transferring blame: everyone blames

studentsIf a student can afford a cell phone why can’t they afford a textbook?

transferring blame: faculty blames the textbook industry

similar to the pharmaceutical industry: large initial investment product easy to replicate (generic=used copies)small window for profit

Cengage sales and marketing training

videos“A lot of times when you're in sales it seems like the customer doesn't need your product, you have to develop that need, but at the core, every professor is going to chose some sort of learning material”“And they're completely accustomed to a publishing rep coming to see them.”“Definitely digital. It's going to be the Wild, Wild, West in publishing”

the shackles of tradition

If we know there is a problem why do we continue? Is there a culture of textbooks?we are underpaid and overworkedthere are people who will do our jobs for us and take the money directly from students

textbook industry: our educational subcontractor

provide faculty with resourcescharges student directlyprivatization of education

solutions?

How about if SAAC sponsors open source textbooks?

SourcesJohnson, Jean and Jon Rochkind, Amber N. Ott and Samantha duPont 2009 With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them: Myths and Realities About Why

So Many Students Fail to Finish College A Public Agenda Report For The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation http://www.publicagenda.org/theirWholelivesAheadofthem accessed 2/28/12

Jurmain, Robert and Lynn Kilgore, Wenda Trevathan 2011 Essentials of Physical Anthropology. 8th ed. Belmont: Wadsworthhttp://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Paleoanthropologyhttp://www.nacs.org/Cengage Training Videos:http://youtu.be/jKkdDAPnA0Q?t=48shttp://youtu.be/2bliynvoD3Mhttp://youtu.be/Mx0k5lu5czk?t=1m12sCengage Brain:http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/Instructors.htmlhttp://als.csuprojects.org/heoahttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=537172Marks, Jonathon

2011 The Alternative Introduction to Biological Anthropology New York: Oxford University