Zogby Nationwide Survey Finds Overwhelming Faculty Support for College Textbooks, New Teaching Technologies

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- American publishers today refuted
 assertions by a Public Interest Research Group study released Tuesday on
 textbook prices, citing its flawed methodology, selective use of data and lack
 of acknowledgement of recent research data that offer a different point of
 view. "I am concerned that PIRG is failing to focus on the real needs of
 today's college students, ignoring new professional research, using selective
 numbers and making apples and oranges comparisons to draw conclusions that
 misrepresent the facts," said Patricia Schroeder, president and chief
 executive officer of the Association of American Publishers.
     Schroeder said there are two key factors PIRG needs to focus more upon
 when addressing higher education issues.  "First, we must recognize the
 changing landscape of higher education that needs to be addressed today.
 Tuition and student fees have gone up at a much faster rate than textbooks.
 Graduation rates are dropping.  Dropout rates are increasing.  Fewer students
 are graduating in four years.  In fact, studies show that, in several state
 university systems, as many as 50 percent of incoming freshmen are not
 prepared for college level math, reading or writing," Schroeder noted.
     "Second, professors and publishers are creating the tools, the textbooks
 and other instructional materials that are helping students improve their
 college success rates.  Based on studies by Zogby International and others, we
 know these efforts are beginning to pay off," she added.  Today, when students
 purchase their course materials, they are paying for an entire learning
 program that enhances the quality of their education."
     "Eighty-four percent of faculty believe their students cannot pass their
 classes without a textbook, and 75 percent require or recommend their students
 use supplementary books or digital materials in their classes," she said,
 referring to a nationwide survey of 1,029 faculty carried out last month by
 Zogby International.  A Zogby press release on the survey findings can be
 accessed at http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=950.
     "PIRG knows, as we do, that faculty make the ultimate decisions on what
 textbooks and instructional materials are best for their students' education.
 Textbooks represent only a fraction of the overall cost of higher education.
 According to the College Board, the average student spends about $2.23 per
 class day on their textbooks.  This equals about 6 cents of the educational
 dollar," she noted.
     "We want to work with PIRG.  We've shared the Zogby research with PIRG.
 We have discussed with them the hundreds of choices for individual courses
 that faculty have to choose from, everything ranging from customized books to
 basic texts to fully loaded, highly illustrated textbooks packed with learning
 and study aids.  These textbooks are supported by an extensive array of
 supplemental materials, such as study guides, lab manuals and digital media
 like CD-ROMs, online tutorials, self-assessments and digital libraries.  These
 are 21st century tools used to prepare students to succeed in today's world,"
 Schroeder said.
     Schroeder noted a study by the Center for Academic Transformation showed
 that students using electronic learning tools have seen marked progress in
 their test scores.  At the University of Alabama, the passing rate for an
 intermediate algebra class doubled from 40 percent to 80 percent when the
 class was redesigned to rely heavily on supplemental materials, online
 practice exercises and interactive tutorials.
     "Professors are keenly aware of the investment their students are making
 and are doing all they can to provide a solid, world-class education for their
 students.  Publishers are working with faculty to provide the gold standard of
 content that students deserve.  Our goal is simple:  success in school and in
 life," Schroeder said.
 
     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  Association of American Publishers