| Tip 1: What are others
using?
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Several years ago when our department was considering
a textbook change for a research course, the program director
placed an inquiry on a professional educator listserve to inquire
what other programs were using and their satisfaction or dissatisfaction
with the choices they had made. From this information we were able to
begin scouting out specific textbook publishers. You may also consider
the possibility of emailing individuals who could provide specific
feedback and ask them questions related to the text choice related to
your needs.
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Tip 2: Examine what
you want from the course text
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What are content areas that you feel must be
included in the text, what areas would be nice to have included and
what is not so essential to be included. Make a list of items you feel
are essential in a text you are looking for. Think about how you would
like information to be presented within the text. Do you feel that graphics,
drawings and pictures are of assistance in conveying the information?
Make a checklist of what you would feel is acceptable, marginally acceptable
and unacceptable.
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| Tip 3: What is out
there?
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In the age of electronic communication, nearly
every textbook publisher has a webpage. Many publishers offer the course
instructor the opportunity to download chapters of a text, view the
table of contents and even peruse the instructors manuals that are available
for the text(s) that you are considering online. The first tip to save
yourself time is to bookmark the publishers websites. Here are some that
may be of assistance. Realize that this list is not exhaustive--just some
places to begin.
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Tip 4: Be
organized
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Save all of the fliers that textbook publishers
fill your mailbox with on a regular basis. Saving them in a file folder
could be of benefit when you want to look at potential text options while
sitting at a soccer game, at the veterinarian’s office or while in the
car (someone else driving of course). Keeping these items is not only of
assistance to me in choosing a course text, it also assists our department
in choosing what items we would like to include in our yearly library order.
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| Tip 5: Watch out
for gimmicks
|
An article in “The Scientist” (March 30, 1992)
reported that some textbook companies offer “money back” offers to departments
or free equipment such as videodisk players if you choose their text(s).
The money has to come from somewhere and these offers may in fact inflate
the cost of the text you choose and students end up paying more. Be
certain if you select a text that you know who the bookstore will be ordering
the text from. As reported by Kathy Cameron, SAU bookstore manager, the
publisher is not always the first source of purchasing texts, therefore
these gimmicks may not be available to you depending on where the bookstore
purchases the text(s) from.
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| Tip 6: Order examination copies
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Much of this can be accomplished online. Most publishers list the
textbook representative(s) email address on their webpage. You can communicate
with them with ease electronically to ascertain what texts you would be
able to review. Utilize the checklist you developed in Tip 2 to assist in
making an objective decision about the texts you receive and review.
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| Tip 7: What else do you need and what else is available?
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Consider not only the text when you review the examination copies,
but also consider the “additional” things that come with the text. Does
the publisher provide an instructor’s manual? Are there computer disks
with exam questions available for use? Are there supplements that are available
for students use? Are these supplements included in the cost of the text
or is there an additional cost for the supplement?
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| Tip 8: What is the cost?
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Although some may argue this point, as responsible faculty members we
should consider the cost of the text and the potential resale value. How
often are you do you plan to use the book? Are you going to use the textbook
daily? Are the students going to have a few readings from the text or will
they be using it on a regular basis, will test questions come from the book?
Students should be advised in the beginning of the course how you chose
the text and why you feel it is important for them to purchase the text.
Students do not mind purchasing an expensive text if they can see the value.
According to Kathy Cameron, SAU bookstore manager, students complain at
book buyback time when they have purchased a “required” text and have never
opened it because there were no assignments from the text.
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| Tip 9: Tell the textbook publisher what you want.
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If you are currently using a text, and are pleased with most features
in the text but would like additional content or some area of the content
to be revised, advise the textbook representative. I have found this can
be helpful in assisting the publisher in determining what needs to be included
in a revision or new edition of the text.
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| Tip 10: Offer to serve as a reviewer for a text.
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Make your textbook representative aware of your interest areas and your
desire to serve as a textbook reviewer. This is one way in which you can
have an impact on the content in a text you use that is being revised
or that of a new text you are considering.
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Christine Malaski
OccupationalTherapy
cmalaski@sau.edu
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