'Netflix' for Textbooks

Qhue

Qhue

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https://www.cengage.com/unlimited

Cengage Unlimited is the first-of-its-kind digital subscription that gives students TOTAL AND ON-DEMAND ACCESS to all the digital learning platforms, ebooks, online homework and study tools Cengage has to offer - in one place.
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I've seen a bunch of those 'pay what you can to learn Javascript' etc. bundles from various entities before, but this is the first time I've seen a major textbook publisher offer up an all-you-can-learn package.

Thoughts?
 
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Skanda

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My thought is all the major college textbook publishers will probably fight this tooth and nail so they can keep the ridiculous price scam train rolling. I also don't see any way on that website to check and see if they have a book you need before you have to spend the $120 per semester to sign up.
 
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Qhue

Qhue

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Cengage is one of the major college textbook publishers. They are like number two behind Pearson. I teach a class that uses a Cengage textbook (with WebAssign) and I know they use a Cengage textbook for Calculus (also with WebAssign) so between those two and especially including the costs of WebAssign the students will save a bunch. If they can then pressure the English or Psych or whatever departments to also use Cengage products...
 
Gravel

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I'd guess this is to combat the textbook rental business. That said, I kind of figured they had won that battle by incorporating the "one time use" codes for whatever online access or other bullshit they came up with. That really crushed the used textbook market.
 
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TJT

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Textbooks are such a fucking racket. Man I hated that shit. I never bought any unless I absolutely had to. Just steal them off of libgen.io man!

One time use codes weren't so popular when I was in school but I imagine its only gotten worse today.
 
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wormie

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Meh, its one publisher. People will continue to rent from amazon.
 
Qhue

Qhue

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Saw that Cengage and McGraw-Hill are now merging. US education groups McGraw-Hill and Cengage announce an all-stock merger Looked at the financials and it would seem that Cengage is treading water which is amazing in that industry as everyone else is sinking like a rock.

I'm using a Cengage title this semester (not my choice) but the students were all fired up because many got it 'for free' since they had already gotten the Unlimited thing as it was cheaper than their single book for a different class.
 
AngryGerbil

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People who want their ideas to influence the zeitgeist do not charge top dollar for them. Just regular dollar.

The price of textbooks is directly related to their bureaucraticness and uselessness.
 
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Big Phoenix

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AngryGerbil said:
People who want their ideas to influence the zeitgeist do not charge top dollar for them. Just regular dollar.

The price of textbooks is directly related to their bureaucraticness and uselessness.
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Amazing how all these oversight committees and advocacy groups never manage to change anything of any actual importance.

I just dont understand why the people at large havent fucked over .gov drone who okays this Pearson's bullshit.
 
Borzak

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Again I guess I'm in the super minority. The entire time I went thru college I think I bought 3 textbooks. One was reference and I still use it on ocassion. Most of the material we studied in my major was studies done by someone or stuff loaned out to students for one particular class. You signed out for it, if you lost it or didn't turn it back in no grade. The other 2 textbooks were for stuff not in my major like statistics and some other class I don't even remember.
 
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Leadsalad

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You are in the minority. Books are a money scam for the school/teacher these days.
 
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Aldarion

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Such bullshit. Almost no professors earn money from textbook sales (close enough to zero to ignore this altogether), and universities make only a typical profit margin.

Textbooks are overpriced*, but if you want to blame someone, blame the publishing houses only.

(*just like software, video games, movies, music, and anything else that can be digitally copied)
 
Araysar

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So whats a good place to get cheap/free/pirated textbooks these days?
 
Araysar

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For anyone who might need free textbooks, i found this site that has thousands of textbooks for free with easy downloads (no hoops to jump through)

Anna’s Archive

The world’s largest open-source open-data library. Mirrors Sci-Hub, Library Genesis, Z-Library, and more.
annas-archive.org annas-archive.org
 
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TheBeagle

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Araysar said:
For anyone who might need free textbooks, i found this site that has thousands of textbooks for free with easy downloads (no hoops to jump through)

Anna’s Archive

The world’s largest open-source open-data library. Mirrors Sci-Hub, Library Genesis, Z-Library, and more.
annas-archive.org annas-archive.org
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This might be helpful in a year when the kiddo starts her freshman year at college.

Ten years ago when I went back and got my Bachelor's I found a few cheap, earlier edition textbooks at Half Price Books, particularly the big one in Dallas off NW Highway for any DFW folks.
 
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