How do you get them to actually read the required readings?
A survey of undergraduates on 23 campuses by the National Association of College Stores, expected to be released on Thursday, found that students spent an average of $563 on course materials during the 2014-15 academic year, compared with $638 the year before.
The decrease is due in part to the rise of textbook-rental programs, which cost less, association officials note. But of those students who did not buy textbooks, the report noted, a greater percentage than in the past said it was because "they believed them to be unnecessary."
Another recent survey of college students, by the Book Industry Study Group, found a similar change in attitude, says Nadine Vassallo, a project manager for the group. "Students say, We see the materials as recommendations rather than requirements," she explains.
A separate survey of professors on the same campuses, meanwhile, found that they almost never see the course materials as optional. "What we think is happening is students are waiting to see how much the material is used before they buy them," Ms. Vassallo says.
via chronicle.com
I'd like to see these results correlated with student grades because it is my hunch that if you don't buy/read the book then either (a) you don't learn as a much and will do poorly on exams or (b) you aren't inclined to do well in college anyway (i.e., sample selection).
