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That's in part because they typically have less face-to-face interaction with professors compared with on-campus students. With fewer reminders, there may be greater pressure on online students to take the initiative to check the requirements each semester and remember to return rentals.
She says the decision to buy or rent textbooks – either from the school or elsewhere – in part boiled down to whether she planned to continue using the textbook as a career resource once a class finished. If so, she typically chose to purchase textbooks, often in print.
To potentially get some money back, Contento says, “If you know you’re not going to use that textbook after the course, as soon as the course is over, sell your textbook back online. Use the exact same place you bought the textbook from and sell it back.”
Print textbooks are sometimes required but may also be available in the digital format. “More and more, textbook publishers these days are also making digital versions of their textbooks, so that’s always an option that’s available, too,” says Jessie Guy-Ryan, associate director of online learning at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. “And sometimes, that could be more convenient, especially if an online student is someone who is working a lot and maybe wants the convenience of being able to read their book on their commute really easily or something like that.”
When Regina Kizer took online nursing classes in two graduate nursing degree programs, she bought textbooks in all different formats.
Used textbooks can sometimes be cheaper if a student buys them from Amazon as opposed to the school’s bookstore, experts say, though some course materials may only be available through the school.
Requirements and costs aren't always the same for online and on-campus students. Don’t assume that an online student’s textbook requirements and costs will match those of on-ground students, experts say. Make sure you research this information for your class section specifically, and reach out to the professor with any questions.
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