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I Hate Required Access Codes! (JAWM)


Crimson Wife
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A lot of foreign language texts have codes now & that's how I saw them the first time. When you used to have an "audio lab" where you went in & listened to tapes & filled out worksheets, you now have an online website tied to your account where you listen to the mp3 files & fill in the "workbook pages" on the website. (DD's Spanish teacher the past three years started asking them to buy the physical workbook instead of using the online workbook entry. The online system gives you a second try & sometimes hints of what was wrong with your answer (missing a word, for example). The teacher didn't want some kids getting a second try while others only had one try (from a fair grading perspective).

 

The tests were also through the website (with code). It made it easier to submit them than printing it, filling it out by hand, scanning it, and emailing it to the teacher. DD was able to use the same text/code for three years before it expired. (I didn't realize the code was only good for three years!!! Good thing I didn't have another kid coming right behind her that was expecting to use the same text/code.)

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Wow. When I was in college FT over a decade ago, my book bill was about $500/semester, and I don't even remember ever having to use a code (though I did have Matlab for a class once). 

 

Ds is an English/Writing major - no physics. We rented his biology book for around $20. Rentals have lowered the price tag on college books pretty dramatically, but they are usually used books and don't include codes.

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Another update.  He ended up needing to drop the class.  It is possible he will take it next semester, but at this point he is looking at transferring next semester, so I doubt it.  But he already opened it, so we can't take it back.

 

ARGH!

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I despise access codes and prefer to teach my students without them.  I personally think they are a waste of money and time, because there is nothing an access code can do for a student that they cannot do for themselves.  I'm especially unimpressed with the "self-check" online quizzes that just teach students the right answer to parrot back on an equally unimaginative, test-bank-generated exam.

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Exactly this.

Over $1,000 on books and codes for dd's freshman year! Codes were as much as books, and I think they were actually more. Both of them needed some in DE, but that's a definite record. 

 

The beginning foreign language ones drive them crazy. It's super simple stuff that could be done with a $10 workbook. It's an insanely expensive way to spoon feed the students who won't study on their own. 

 

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This is exactly why they are pushed by publishers.  It's a feature of the system, not a bug.

AGREED! ESPECIALLY those classes that SAY it's required... but when the class actually happens, they never use the d@mn code. WTH?!?! We don't have money to just throw to the wind like that!!!

 

The cost difference for one of dds classes (anatomy) is a $17 used textbook vs $299 with the code. We're waiting to buy it at the school bookstore if she can find out if she really needs that code or not. We did buy the statistics book that was $250 with the code vs $45 without. :cursing:  For a MATH book?!? MATH DOESN'T CHANGE!!! There's no reason for a $250 MATH book!

 

I don't get it. DD says there are quizzes, etc that they are supposed to do. I have a feeling she didn't even bother last year (even though she used the codes, I didn't investigate how much she utilized the activities - but they really sound like "optional" or "enhancement" activities, which she usually doesn't need).

 

How did teachers manage to teach BEFORE this without these stupid programs? There used to be checkpoint quizzes IN THE TEXTBOOK! Why aren't those good enough??

 

growl. It makes the books ridiculously expensive and zaps the resale value to $0.

 

(obviously grouchy because we just finished paying for a whoppingly expensive semester as far as books go... :glare: )

 

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Look closely at what that special edition is, and see if you can substitute for it.  Our college uses a special edition textbook for general biology, but all the special edition is is 1/2 the regular text for Bio 101, and a second specialized text for Bio 102, with our college name printed on the cover.  So if students take a full year of biology, buying 2 halves of the book is more than buying 1 new textbook, and a lot more than buying 1 used textbook.

Yep, one of the bundles DD had to buy this semester was a special campus edition. Looseleaf even :cursing:  She has been warned not to open the package until after the 1st class in case she doesn't actually need it.

 

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I should have known.

 

Bought the book and code shrink-wrapped at the college. The code had the same title as the book. So DD unwrapped it and tried to get it set up just like her professor said.

 

Nope. The bookstore packaged about half of them with the wrong code.

 

They're working on it...

 

We finally got it straightened out Tuesday. The provost intervened, and I returned the text and opened code for a full refund.

 

Then when I tried to buy the correct code, they were out of both the correct code and paper text. So we went home and bought the code from the publisher online. I told DD to try the e-book, and we'd have to get the text elsewhere if she needs it. She likes the e-book because it's integrated with the problem sets. So we got by with $60 instead of $200 in the end.What a mess though.

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We finally got it straightened out Tuesday. The provost intervened, and I returned the text and opened code for a full refund.

 

Then when I tried to buy the correct code, they were out of both the correct code and paper text. So we went home and bought the code from the publisher online. I told DD to try the e-book, and we'd have to get the text elsewhere if she needs it. She likes the e-book because it's integrated with the problem sets. So we got by with $60 instead of $200 in the end.What a mess though.

If she does want a hard copy of the text, you may try checking back at the publisher's site.  I know that some of the publishers will send an "upgrade" paper copy for an additional charge once you have purchased online access which is often cheaper than buying a new text elsewhere (but not as cheap as buying a used text if you can find one).  

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