Re:Supreme Court sides with student in case over textbooks
by slaxman on Tuesday March 19, 2013 @12:40PM
(#5401943)
I don't think it is wrong for a professor to recommend his book for his course. But it is definitely wrong for him to force his students to use them. We had a lot of profs in college who had written books and recommended them. But if you attended the classes you really didn't require the textbooks in the first place.
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Re:Supreme Court sides with student in case over textbooks
by fnordfnordfnord on Wednesday March 20, 2013 @07:58AM
(#5406673)
1. If I go to the trouble of writing a textbook, I'd do it because I felt there was something lacking in the other available texts/materials.
2. There is really no way to force a student to do anything.
Disclosure: I list some printed texts and reference books as required on my syllabi. I do this because I give open-book, open-note exams; but I do not allow the use of electronic devices (except pocket calculators).
Re:Supreme Court sides with student in case over textbooks
by slaxman on Tuesday April 02, 2013 @03:48AM
(#5478159)
Very good point. In fact, I have noticed the exam same issue while teaching. We need to refer multiple books. There is no book which covers the entire course in an understandable manner. One has to then resort to writing his own notes for the class.