The doorbell rings and it is UPS delivering your textbooks for your online course.  Half-holding your breath, you sign for them, realizing that what you will pay for books during the time you are studying for your degree would have bought a brand-new Mercedes Benz back in the 1970s. 

With your $125 psychology textbook resting on your lap, you begin to flip through it.  How can you get the most from your investment?  How can you succeed?  Your course is online, and you're not quite sure how the book will relate to the material you'll be expected to master online.

The answer to these questions has a lot to do with what kinds of supplemental materials your textbook provides, and how well your course aligns with the materials provided by the text and the book itself.

Learning is facilitated by materials that many textbooks provide online.  While some textbooks provide little more than an outline or a synopsis of the book, others provide full suites of reviews, interactive quizzes, multimedia (movies and audio), Powerpoint presentations, and supplemental readings. 

Question – will you need to purchase supplemental materials in order to leave the course with the knowledge you will need to succeed in future courses or on standardized exams?  Do the textbooks have free activities that will help your comprehension of concepts?  Are the activities of high quality?

A sense of the range in textbooks can be seen if one takes a look at some of the introductory textbooks that are being used by online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses.  Below is a brief review of a few of the best-selling psychology textbooks.  As you read, be sure to follow the links and to take a look at the kinds of texts you are likely to encounter.  Pay special attention to the range and variety of approaches to the same course (Introduction to Psychology). 

You will see that some textbooks believe that learners profit from "skill and drill" interactive quizzes, multiple choice tests, and lists of concepts, with glossaries.  Others take the approach that learners achieve learning goals when they engage with the text in a substantive way, and when their personal experiences and stories align with the narratives they are reading.

You will also note that some textbooks include many resources for the price of the text, while others "bundle" them in a higher-priced package.

If your textbook is one of the ones with extensive online resources provided for free to students, it is easy to see why the cost of the textbook is so high.  It is not an inexpensive proposition to develop robust supplemental instructional activities.  Further, it is expensive to undertake the extensive review and collaboration that a textbook involves. If you take a look at the credits, you'll see that each textbook has at least 20 contributing authors and reviewers. The result of so much investment is generally a very high-quality textbook, but one that frustrates students and colleges alike when it changes editions often and when the price continues to ascend.

Review of Introductory Psychology Textbooks used in Online Courses (Full versions)

Regular Textbooks

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher

Gray                                                 5                       2006                     Worth

What differentiates this psychology text from the others is the way it emphasizes active learning.  The fundamentals seem to be the same.  If your course requires this text, be prepared for an almost dizzying array of supplemental media.  It’s not clear how much extra the media-enhancements cost.  It may be included in the price of the textbook.  There should be a media key that allows online access to the enhancements.  As is the case with all textbooks with interactive components, if you buy your book used, you may have to pay extra for the media access (if the key has been lost).  The interactive media includes simulations as well as streaming media and interactive review quizzes.  I did not see downloadable powerpoint slides.  That is probably a blessing in disguise if the professor is not emphasizing the same elements in the text.

What seems to make this textbook more intriguing than others is the set of 42 "PsychSim" psychological simulations.  There are no previews, so it is hard to see what they are about.

What the course seems to lack is a series of interactive quizzes over key terms. However, the introduction describes a very sound pedagogy with outcomes focus and clear guided questions.

http://www.worthpublishers.com/graypreview/gray_psychology.html

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher

Smith et al.                                      14                       2003                    Wadsworth

This textbook presents the fundamentals, core concepts and underpinnings of psychology while presenting results from the latest research.  It is a good strategy for engaging students and making the concepts seem relevant.  There is an extensive companion site, with quizzes.  Unfortunately, they follow the old computer-based training model of pre-test, test, post-test, which may not be very engaging for all learners. Interesting research design media with interactive lessons.  There are boxes to fill out in response to questions.  The site provides the option to fill out the professor’s name and e-mail address and email the results.  It sounds good, but I have yet to receive a student mailing from these sort of textbook-sponsored forms.  It’s best to fill out the questions and e-mail them as a word document, or perhaps have the same prompts on a discussion board.  That’s actually a pretty good tactic for inspiring debate and discussion, and building a sense of community.

http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M2b
&product_isbn_issn=0155050699&discipline_number=24

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher
Barker                                              2                       2005                     Prentice Hall

Nice interactive multiple-choice tests for each chapter – key concepts and key terms. Critical thinking essays, too.  This could be useful for the student who benefits from multiple choice tests and repetition of key concepts and terms. However, if the course assessment involves essays and short answers as well as analysis and synthesis of concepts, the textbook's online activities may not be very helpful.

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_barker_psychology_1/0,2307,14729-,00.html

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher
Bernstein                                           7                       2006                    Houghton Mifflin

http://college.hmco.com/psychology/bernstein/psychology/6e/students/

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher
Gazzaniga & Heatherton                    2                                                    Norton

This is what the website has to say:  Adopted at nearly 200 colleges and universities, the First Edition of Psychological Science was the most successful new introductory psychology text published in over a decade. Building on its unique strengths—a rigorous and scientific treatment of contemporary psychology, a clear writing style, and a focus on principles rather than encyclopedic detail—the text has been meticulously revised and reorganized for greater balance and accessibility. The Second Edition offers significantly expanded coverage of cultural and social psychology, strengthened integration of contemporary and classic studies, an enriched emphasis on critical thinking, and groundbreaking new multimedia learning tools.

http://www.wwnorton.com/COLLEGE/titles/psych/psychsci2/

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher
Mynatt & Doherty                             3                        HM                     Allyn & Bacon

The desire to differentiate oneself from other textbooks results in several competing approaches.  This one is quite interesting because it focuses on illustrating ideas and concepts with humorous, often memorable examples.

The organizing principle is the story or the narrative, and the goal is for the reader to connect the stories to his or her own experience(s). This book contains  44 short chapters that sketch out the science and evolution of human behaviorr.

According to the publisher, this is not to be considered a typical text.  Each short chapter is organized around a single idea that relates to psychology and lifelong learning skills. With an organization that roughly corresponds to a typical introductory psychology text, the book engages the student by ideas and concepts and doesn't overwhelm with lists and terms.

http://www.ablongman.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0205332986,00.html

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher

Nairne                                              4                        HM                     Wadsworth

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher

Santrock                                           7                       2005                    McGraw-Hill

Presents a balance of big ideas vs. supporting detail, breadth vs. depth, and research vs. application, all framed by a pedagogical system that effectively guides the student through the key concepts of psychology.

New learning goals launch each chapter and serve as the organizing mechanism for the text and supporting materials, focusing students' attention on the big ideas of psychology. Rich applications and current research from Canada, the United States, and other countries support the big ideas so that students emerge with an understanding of the key concepts, not a collection of details.  Has Online Learning Center

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072937769/information_center_view0/

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher
Franzoi                                             2                       2003                     Atomic Dog

Atomic Dog is a publishing enterprise dedicated to making textbooks more affordable.  The following text is taken from the website: Professor Franzoi explains how psychology has expanded our understanding of people’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior. This approach to teaching psychology encourages students to consider the relationship of psychological knowledge to their own lives, thereby making learning about psychology more personally relevant. By making these connections, students are better able to retain course content and acquire insights that can be applied to daily living.

* Self-report questionnaires commonly used by researchers promote the study of psychology. These questionnaires ask readers to consider how the specific material relates to their own lives.

* Discovery Boxes connect the science of psychology to interesting questions and topics, enabling students to see the relevance of studying psychology.

* Questions throughout the text – in the body and in figure and photo captions – reinforce the internalizing of information. Each chapter has Journey of Discovery Questions that require critical analysis of current discussions topics.

* Issues of diversity and unity provide students with perspective on cultures other than their own. These issues are illustrated via individualist-collectivist analysis or other relevant cultural factors. The human development chapter contains new material on gender socialization, ethnic identity development, and research on self-esteem among Mexican Americans versus white and African Americans, and authoritarian parenting among ethnic minorities.

Paperback + Online Edition: $39.95

http://www.atomicdog.com/BookDetails.asp?BookEditionID=113

Textbook Author                          Edition                   Year                     Publisher
Sdorow & Rickabaugh                      6                         M                       McGraw-Hill

Sdorow PSYCHOLOGY, 5th edition, takes students on a journey of scientific discovery through psychology. This elegantly written and balanced introduction to Psychology is brimming with interesting examples and empirical research that are inclusive with regard to gender and culture. With a strong historical context and an emphasis on the research that defines psychology, Sdorow provides faculty and students with a winning combination of content, readability, and interest.

Sdorow promotes critical thinking and an appreciation of psychology as a science by exploring the research that defines the discipline. Research processes are examined in depth in the "Anatomy of a Research Study" section in each chapter from 2 to 17. "Thinking Critically About Psychology" and "Media and Psychology Versus Common Sense" sections delve into important concepts and topics in ways that are both engaging and easy to understand. The book presents the major perspectives of the discipline in a balanced and scholarly manner, with attention to, but not excessive, detail and up to date coverage of major research studies.

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072358327/

 
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