changes resulting in drops
We recently changed our books that are used in class and as a result experienced high stress from the sutdents who wanted the books they were origianlly using.
They felt unimportant and that we should have asked them before changing books. I believe we lost some trust from not preparing the students in advance for the change.
We experienced a high drop number which could have been elimlinated by handling the situation from a student centered approach vs a what's good for the school approach.
Text books routinely are a source of frustration and dissatisfaction. Most students [properly]feel the books are overpriced and somehow feel the school is responsible.
Does your bookstore offer used books? Some companies actually send representatives to buy books for re-sale. There are also many online outlets that a student can investigate. They do have to be very careful to get the correct edition of the text.
Hello,
We have also changed textbooks to keep them updated with new and current information. If the change was done mid term by the publisher (a new edition) we exchanged the textbooks with the students at no cost. If the textbook change was done at the end of the term by the school (a new book) and the student had changed their schedule, when they entered the class they were responsible for buying the new textbook.
Because this situation created unexpected stress and financial difficulty when the student took the class we tried to provide possible solutions 1) sell the old textbook and use the money to buy the new one, 2) put up a sign asking other students who have completed the class if they want to sell or giveaway the textbook, 3) borrow the textbook from the library if it is available.
No solution was perfect or immediate but we tried to show the student this problem could be overcome.
Thanks Jay,
I hope Cecelia gets to check back in and let us know a little more about the textbook example she referenced.
John Maloney
Hi John and Cecelia, thanks for your observations and comments! The interval review and updates for texts should, in fact, be part of an overall plan to ensure, based on Advisory Board and/or employer feedback, that the skills we are teaching match and exceed the needs of our employment communities. As you reference, any change of resources in the middle of a term can be frustrating to students.
Jay Hollowell
RT101 Guest Facilitator
That's interesting Cecelia,
I can't imagine that your school changed books in the middle of a term? If so, I would for sure understand the students being unhappy. Assuming that wasn't the case, I would suggest that the job of a school is to ensure that we are teaching our students with current information so it is incumbent upon the school to upgrade their textbooks periodically. Perhaps the administrative team didn't do a good enough job informing the students of the reason for the change?
Thanks!
John Maloney
