Any college student can adamantly describe their frustration to learn that they’ve just paid $90 for a textbook in which they will only be using chapters 5, 6, and 7. While there are many professors that do use material from every chapter in a textbook, you will find many who simply pick and choose a few significant chapters. For the student, paying $30 for each chapter ($90 total divided by the 3 chapters used) is excessive and unreasonable.
If you receive your syllabus early enough and know that you will only be using a few chapters out of the textbook, you may find it beneficial and cost effective to purchase eChapters. Rather than paying a total price of $90 for the entire textbook, you may be able to purchase each required chapter for $1.99-$7.99.
CengageBrain.com, one of the world’s leading providers of tailored learning solutions, offers used textbook purchases and rentals, eChapters, digital versions, flash cards, and supplemental study material. Their main goal is to provide a wide variety of formats that are customized to fit the student’s individual needs.
Therefore, if you need only a few chapters, purchasing those 3 eChapters for $3.99 each can save you over $70 on that textbook. However, because it is relatively new, eChapters and eBooks can be a confusing concept to many students.
CengageBrain.com requires the user to first download their Unsealer viewer software. Once your software has successfully downloaded, eChapters and eBooks will be delivered in a sPDF file format. This is basically the same format as a traditional PDF file. The only exception is that the secure (s) format enables secure distribution and prevents illegal distribution of the content. Be sure to check out their system requirements to ensure that the software can be properly installed on your computer.
After the sPDF file is downloaded, you can choose to access your content online and offline. The content will be available for 60 days offline. After this time period, you must log online to reauthenticate your license. Generally, the content will be available online for an entire semester period.
My first concern was that many students do not want to read material solely on a computer screen. Also, most classes require that the student brings the material with to class for discussion. Well, CengageBrain.com allows you to print out the purchased eChapter or eBook before the end of your content expiration date. You can then add marginal notes to a hard copy that can be transported to class. However, don’t try to print out multiple copies for friends. Your copy will have your name stamped on it and the supplier does monitor printing to avoid illegal practices.
If you have one desktop computer on campus and one at home, you will be allowed two licenses to your content. It is important to note that many shared computers, such as the school’s computer lab, may not allow the download of Unsealer software. It is best to download and access your content from your own personal computer. Also note that if you choose to drop a class, CengageBrain.com will not refund the price of any digital media.
If you are tired of purchasing an entire textbook only to find that a few chapters will be used, consider purchasing eChapters. They can save you a great deal of money and can even be printed to allow for a hard copy. Currently, the distributor offers over 15,000 titles to search and choose from.
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