College Success
I found the text to be very thorough and comprehensive. It covers important areas that are crucial to the success of 1st year college students, especially those who may not be completely ready for the post-secondary experience. Its length may be daunting ,however all the topic covered are relevant and essential for the student enrolled in a College Success course.
I did not any errors in the text.
In comparison to the text the department has been using for a number of years, the content was both relevant and timely. I did not personally check all the hyperlinks, however the ones that I did were current and active. this is an area that would need and hopefully receives regular maintenance for accuracy.
I found the text clear and easy to follow. The challenge of a college success type book is to able to reach and engage students at various levels. College Success does this. Chapter One set the tone and provides a sound foundation for the chapters that follow.
The uniform structure is carried throughout the book. While not written at a high academic level, the text's language is consistent and is written at a level that readers at different levels will be comfortable reading. The different sections within each chapter provide opportunities for instructor's assessment, self-assessment, and feedback to measure progress.
Each chapter stands on its own merit. While every subject covered is important, it can be difficult to adequately cover all as thoroughly as necessary. The book allows for customizing, enabling teachers to tailor instruction to individual classes.
I found the text easy to follow, with clear divisions of topics. Chapters are divided into very manageable sections. The user can easily jump from section to section or chapter to chapter. The layout is clear, logical, and easy to follow. Although there is a link at the the top of each page to return to the table on contents, the inclusion of an index would be beneficial.
It is easy to navigate your way through the book. Links to move back to the table of contents are helpful. the breakdown of each chapter simplifies the user's search for a particular topic. In spite of the book's length, it is not difficult it identify and locate individual topics.
There were no grammatical errors that I was able to identify.
The book is culturally and gender neutral. It discusses diversity of culture and beliefs and respecting diversity of opinions and is relevant to a diverse college audience.
The book compares very well against the expensive text that was previously being used. The layout is clear, topics are covered thoroughly, and it with the exception of frequently needing to check and update links, it has the staying power to be a credible book for several years. I find it refreshing that the book handles the non-academic topics of "Taking Control of Your Health" and "Taking Control of Your Finances." These are two areas that are seldom covered sufficiently, yet can be crucial to a student's success in college. As the Department Chair, I was excited to find alternatives to expensive print textbooks. College Success does an excellent job of presenting the material while eliminating the financial burden of buying a high priced book.