I've Just Been Told Which Textbook to Buy. Help!

Now that you have your syllabus, how do you get the tools and texts you need?

So your professor just told you what your required text is for your course. Or maybe you found out by glancing at your course outline / syllabus. You might also have come across this textbook name through your school's online course management system, or even your bookstore or course registration website. Still, the question remains: where do you go from here?

Should you simply buy what you were told, or shop around? What are your options — and what should you avoid?

Maybe you'll head straight to your school's bookstore (or website), and buy exactly what your instructor identifies as the course text — making sure you get what you "need." It's hard to knock this decision, as it's definitely a safe choice. You may end up missing out, though, on more valuable tools that could help you learn effectively and achieve better results in your course. Let's call this first method "whatever the instructor thinks is best."

Or maybe you'll put all your effort into paying as little as possible to get access to anything resembling the assigned textbook. Students have become resourceful when it comes to saving money (a valuable skill to hone beyond your studies!), but you risk sacrificing the grades and understanding that a better learning tool might help with. Let's call this the "whatever costs least" method.

There's also a third option: look for the text or resource that can give you the best chance to succeed while still not breaking the bank. You may be looking for resources that provide opportunities to practice problems (and get question help), or for interactive resources, or learning tools personalized to your specific needs. We'll call this method "whatever will provide the most value."

This all begs the question, if you do want to find the most valuable textbook option — that is, if you're hoping to improve your grades and save some money — how would you even go about your search? With Pearson's resources, it boils down to a 3 step process:

1. You'll need to find out: does your assigned book also have digital options? With digital resources, not only are you paying a fraction of the price, but now most eTexts have highlighting and note-taking features, and many are equipped with videos, audio texts, and other study tools to help you succeed. If your instructor has only told you about the physical book (and it's a Pearson title), head to mypearsonstore.ca/. Once you locate the book, you'll see any "alternative options" (digital resources) on the right-hand side of the page, along with pricing.

2. You'll also need to find out: where and how do you buy access to this digital resource? Besides MyPearsonStore, there are a wealth of options that you can look into to register for your digital resource. For Pearson MyLab, Mastering, and Revel, most bookstores will have either printed access code cards that you can purchase (and then redeem the code to register in your course) or the store will have the ability to generate access codes on the spot. For MyLab or Mastering, you can also visit pearson.com/mylab and register / pay online for instant access. You will need a course code — even if your instructor isn't actively using the digital resource, they'll still be able to provide you the code for access. With Revel, you can actually ask your instructor for an email invitation to the Revel course in order to sign up instantly online.

3. Finally, it's important to know: where can you get support if you need it? For Pearson's resources, you can visit: pearson.com/ca/en/higher-education/get-started/faq.html for FAQs, guides, and other student resources — and if you can't find the answer you're looking for, the page also has a link to Pearson's 24/7 online support.

So remember, if you're looking to get the most value out of your course resource, find out if it has a digital component (e.g., MyLab, Mastering, Revel). Then determine where you can get quick and convenient access to that digital resource — for Pearson's texts, that's either at your school bookstore, or directly online. And finally, keep the support page info handy, in case you ever need assistance with your text and study tools.

Hopefully this will help you in your journey as you start your next semester! If you're looking for more information about Pearson's resources and text options, please feel free to contact: getstarted@pearsoned.com. Good luck with your studies!