Student Success Dependent on Textbooks According to Survey of 1,029 College Faculty

The vast majority of college instructors -- 84 percent -- believe students absolutely need a textbook to complete their courses, according to a Zogby International survey of 1,029 U.S. college faculty released last week.

"This survey confirms the conventional wisdom that next to the professor, the text is the most critical tool students have to ensure academic success," commented Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers.

"The results underscore the critical role that updated textbooks and sophisticated learning tools play in college students' success," Ms. Schroeder said. Eighty percent of survey respondents say it is important for textbook materials to be as current as possible. In addition, three-fourths of instructors polled either require or recommend the use of supplementary materials in addition to textbooks. In fact, the longer a professor's tenure, the more likely he or she is to require other sources: 49 percent of those with 26 or more years of experience say they require supplements.

At the community college level, 63 percent of instructors are using supplemental teaching materials, such as CDs, online self-assessment tests, interactive learning tools and online homework, to teach their students. Overall, 55 percent of instructors use these and other high-tech teaching tools.

"There is a growing body of proof of the positive impact of the newest learning tools. At the University of Alabama, for example, the passing rate for students taking an intermediate algebra class was only 40 percent. When the class was redesigned, relying heavily on supplemental materials and instructional software, such as interactive tutorials and online practice exercises, the passing rate doubled to 80 percent," Ms. Schroeder noted.

The Center for Academic Transformation, in a separate study, showed the value of combining books and electronic learning tools for the benefit of all students. The Center's work with 30 colleges and universities showed that students using electronic learning tools have seen marked progress in their test scores.

"As the cost of higher education has risen, American publishers want to ensure that all students have access to our world-class content," Ms. Schroeder continued. "We have to face facts. Graduation rates are dropping. Dropout rates are increasing. Fewer students are graduating in four years. John Zogby said it well, 'We're in the Information Age. Textbooks are no longer just paper and cardboard. Professors see value in a multiple-media learning experience for their students.'"

Other Zogby study results bolster the case that textbooks are key ingredients to college learning. Among the findings:

   * Of those college instructors expressing an opinion, 58 percent are
     satisfied with how frequently new textbook editions are released, or
     say they are not released frequently enough;

   * More than 70 percent of professors require students to read and study
     at least half of textbooks they assign for a particular course;

   * Three-fourths of professors advise their students early in the course
     that using the textbook is necessary to get a better grade; and

   * Instructors at two-year institutions are more likely to agree that
     students absolutely need a textbook, and are more likely to tell them
     early in the course that they need to use the book.

Zogby, an independent polling and research firm based in Utica, N.Y., conducted the poll of 1,029 U.S. college faculty via online interviews between Dec. 8 and Dec. 20, 2004. The random sample included professors at four-year, two-year and other institutions, with the vast majority of responses (817) coming from instructors at four-year institutions.

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP's approximately three hundred members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and nonprofit publishers, university presses, and scholarly societies.

For information on the Association of American Publishers and research and data on textbooks and e-learning technology, please visit http://www.publishers.org/highered/index.cfm. Results of the Zogby study can be found there as well.

SOURCE: The Association of American Publishers

CONTACT: Bruce Hildebrand
202-220-4542
bhildebrand@publishers.org

Web site: http://www.mheducation.com/
http://www.publishers.org/highered/index.cfm