I’m now being conned by Cengage. I recently discovered that the “all course materials” that I paid $79.99 for are essentially a broken textbook. Even the textbook I paid for is unavailable to me. They told me that even if I reiterated what they had said to them, I would still need to pay an extra fifty bucks to complete my online tasks. all course materials refers to both the textbook and the assigned readings. I’ve had enough of Cengage. They’ve taken so long to attempt to figure this out that it’s week three of class, and I’m not even allowed to turn in my homework.
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Yes, Cengage is a legitimate educational company that provides learning materials, textbooks, and digital platforms for students and educators. They offer a range of educational resources and tools to support learning in various disciplines, including digital solutions for online learning and interactive course materials.
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Cengage is really awful. I swear I’ve been there myself - paid a ton for an “all access” pass that turned out to be a dead end. I definitely recommend looking elsewhere for your course materials. There are often free options available online, or through your school library. They might have digital copies you can access, or even lend out a physical textbook. Don’t give Cengage another dime.
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“My friend” worked at the Cengage Customer Service Center for a few months, and let me tell you, it was a shitshow. The authors (who write the textbooks) would call in, unable to communicate with Cengage about their published works. The page numbers of physical books differ when they are converted to eBooks. As a result, when students attempted to locate specified reading or sighting sources, they would naturally call in very puzzled. They did not update their courses and book materials to function without Flash!
But now I’m back at school. For reference, I am a Cyber Security student.
My classes are all online, with no video lectures or meeting times. The instructor completely relies on the Cengage Book and the online course that they created.
The book’s content is not organized in the order that I believe it should be. It goes from issue to topic, and I find it easier to just watch a YouTube video about the subject. That generally explains things much better. Sometimes the text does not elaborate on an important topic and instead says “For more information, go to this link”. The link is always to a website that appears to be a paid promotion.
I find their lab simulations unpleasant. The Live Virtual Machines are constantly down. There isn’t enough context for the labs.
Cengage is a trustworthy educational resource provider. Their textbooks and learning materials are made by expert authors and carefully reviewed to make sure they are accurate, up-to-date, and match the curriculum.
True enough, I had to purchase Cengage for a class. Although it’s legitimate, I wouldn’t say it’s worth paying because it’s just been four months and, to be honest, I didn’t read anything at all.