The policies below are Dr. McCord's - other instructors policies may vary
eBook? 6th edition? 5th edition? Other books?
Can I use ________________ textbook for this course?
So Many Questions
I get this question constantly. Can I use the old book? Can I use the actual real 6th edition hardbound book? How 'bout the "international" version. Do I HAVE to use the eBook? I have a 5th edition, is that OK? I have another chemistry book completely, can I use it?
The Quick Answer
The answer to all these questions is a simple YES! You can use whatever book you want as far as I'm concerned. Yes, ANY good general chemistry book will have ALL the subject matter that we will cover in this class. So any good textbook will do. You see how your grade is determined in the syllabus - NOWHERE does it say a percentage of your grade is determined by making sure you have the right book. Heck, I've known some students that never even got a book and made it through just fine.
There's More to it than That
Having said all that now, I will let you know this. First, you're probably NOT that student who didn't even have a book and you'll probably feel better about your study time if you have a book.
I teach "CHEMISTRY" and I will constantly be making references to many of the major topics within chemistry. I know the chapters for Zumdahl's book pretty well. I will quote chapter and section for you out of Zumdahl. However, we ARE trying to get away from the whole "book" thing. We are building better and better online resources and hopefully someday will be brave enough to teach with "no official book". We're not quite ready yet though. Every subject I teach and test you on is "out there" waiting for you to find it - incredibly easy with the internet and google searches. USE YOUR RESOURCES!
The old 5th Edition
If you do get a 5th edition, your task is easier than those with completely different books. The 5th and 6th editions have the SAME Chapters. So all my Chapter references will still work. The sections will work 95% of the time, and the page references will pretty much NEVER work.
The 6th Edition IS the EASIEST to Follow Along In
Most students find that the course is difficult enough to not have to worry about WHERE we are in the book. So if I say Chapter 5, section 3 in class... you know exactly where that is. Most students prefer to have the same book as the instructor. That book is the 6th edition.
What about the eBook? or CLEbook (that's Cengage Learning Electronic Book) Why you MIGHT want the eBook.
The eBook (CLEbook as Cengage calls it, ISBN-10: 1-133-53241-1, or ISBN-13: 978-1-133-53241-5) is a customized version of the 6th edition and is our "official" textbook for the course. The eBook is nice to use because of its portability and other clever things they put in it (videos and some very helpful learning modules). It also has lots of little quizzes along the way for you to test yourself on. It has video demonstrations of concepts and experiments. It's a more "alive" book than just a paper book. You can get the eBook in two ways:
(1) You may go directly through the publisher, Cengage, and purchase from their website at: http://www.cengagebrain.com/micro/utchem You're buying the eBook directly from Cengage. They will ship the hardcopy (the loose leaf printout) to you for free.
(2) Go to the University Coop Bookstore located at 2246 Guadalupe St. or to their website at: http://www.universitycoop.com/ You'll have to navigate through the Textbooks menu to our class on their website. The Coop will sell you the eBook as well although they will already have the loose-leaf hardcopy for you to take. You'll also receive an access code to gain access to the online eBook.