Content Selection Process Among College Professors

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Running Head: CONTENT SELECTION PROCESS AMONG COLLEGE PROFESSORS
The Process of Content Selection Among College Professors, a qualitative study
Max Vinson
McDaniel College

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Abstract
This study takes an in depth look at how professors at a four-year college select content for
their course. Its purpose is to discover how college professors select content that their
students will use to reinforce their knowledge on subjects being taught in class. This
research sheds light on the importance of content and the degree of effort that goes into
the content selection process that is generally hidden from student view. Four pathways to
content selection were found. They included tradition/authority, common sense/intuition,
rationalism, and time.
Keywords: tradition, authority, common sense, intuition, rationalism, empiricism, selection
process, time

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The process of content selection among college professors
We live in an information age. Today’s society is dominated by facts, news, social
media, figures, and widely publicized personal opinion. So much of how we decide to do
things is based on the fact that we cannot escape knowing. Before this information age was
upon us, ways of knowing and deciding were limited. Times have changed now and there is
an abundance of methods to determine if a choice is a good one. One example of this is how
professors at higher learning institutions select content for their classes. According to Janet
M. Ruane (2016), there are scientific ways of knowing, and non-scientific ways. The
scientific ways tend to be superior, and less prone to errors, but because professors are
humans and humans make mistakes, the non-scientific ways of knowing will be the point of
reference. Ruane points out 6 non-scientific ways of knowing. They are tradition, authority,
common sense, intuition, rationalism, and strict empiricism. All of these are sources of
knowledge, and are the determiners of what pieces of content a professor selects.
“With traditional knowledge the mere passing of time provides the basis for claiming
knowledge or making knowledgeable assertions about the world…this knowledge is rooted in
our learning this adage from parents who learned it from their parents who learned it from
their parents and so on” (Ruane, 2016, p.4). Tradition is something that’s passed down, and
sometimes it is hard to know when knowledge of this source is credible. If it stands the test
of time, why second guess its reliability? True or false, this type of source is one that’s
repeated and planted in our everyday stack of understandings. There is one key flaw with
this source of knowing though, just because it has survived the test of time, does not make
the fact or detail true.
The Authority source of knowledge comes from leading experts in the field of
whatever is the subject. In a way, this source of knowledge is similar to tradition. It is

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tradition to follow and respect what so called experts have to say on matters in various
fields. When experts stay in the field in which they are considered experts, the information
tends to be more reliable. Someone who hires a plumber has to respect what that plumber
has to say about their system. This is because this person supposedly had intensive training
on the matter and is more trustworthy than your average Joe. It is similar in the world of
content selection. There are leading experts in various academic fields that write books and
articles, and some professors may lean on the authoritative source of learning to select the
content that experts are cranking out.
Although these experts have credibility, and that most are reliable sources of
information, this source of knowledge can be misleading. Ruane explains that experts can
distort information when they have interest in doing so” (Ruane, 2016, p.7). “Starting in the
1950’s, the tobacco industry spent over several decades denying the health risks of
cigarettes despite the fact that its own research was showing the opposites to be true”
(Ruane, 2016, p.7). Another way a source of authority can be misleading is when experts
step outside of their area of training or expertise. “It was not until the early 1900’s hat the
American Medical Association was able to effectively limit the practice of medicine to those
with a medical degree” (Ruane, 2016, p.7). The source of learning stemming from
authority is reliable way of knowing, due to the experts in the field. It also has its
weaknesses.
Ruane explains that the next sources of knowledge, common sense and intuition, are
riskier sources of knowing. Common sense is a term that most people should be familiar
with. This source of knowledge comes from a person’s own personal experiences. Common
sense is not an error free source of knowing, but can be a powerful and significant source.
This is especially true when the person looking to common sense has “been there, done
that”. In a way, this is the act of referring to yourself and your past experiences because
you are an expert and you have “been there, done that”. Ruane states (2016, p.8), “Young

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mothers will ask their mothers what to do with fussy babies. Younger siblings will often rely
on older, more experienced siblings for advice about dating” (Ruane, 2016). Leaning on
self-common sense and others common sense, although powerful, is sometimes not the
best basis for generalized knowledge. Because the common sense is unique to the
individual, not everyone’s common sense can be used as a general source of knowledge.
Like common sense, intuition is not an error free source, but it is still a capable and
powerful way of knowing. Ruane defines this source as “direct access knowledge; it refers to
a way of knowing that operates on gut feelings” (Ruane, 2016, p.9). Many people have
probably been steered away from making bad decisions, or turned towards a good situation
that might seem risky. Professors can use this source of learning to take a risk and bet on a
form of content that they might use for a class. Like the other non-scientific ways of
knowing, there are flaws. Intuition is sometimes hard to explain and understand. Most times
the best explanation might be that a person had a funny feeling before they made a
decision, so they changed their mind. Ruane points out that, “intuition operates outside the
realm of intellect and reason” (Ruane, 2016, p.9). In good cases though, combined with
common knowledge, this source has the ability to let one take a risk based off a good
feeling, and this opens up possibilities and new ideas that will be added to common sense.
If one sticks with tradition, or authority, and doesn’t take risks, new ideas and ways of
knowing cannot be formed.
The last two sources of knowledge tend to be more on the practical and concrete
scale, Rationalism and Empiricism. Ruane defines the rational source as, “knowledge
derived from the power of reasoning to deduce logical conclusions about reality” (Ruane,
2016, p.9). Ruane (2016) also explains that this way of knowing can be found in its use of
deductive syllogism. This closed system of reasoning leads to a logical conclusion. One
reason that this source of knowledge is used is because it is very close being a fool-proof
way of knowing.

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Strict Empiricism is, “knowledge based on sensory evidence: seeing, hearing,
touching, tasting, and smelling” (Ruane, 2016, p.10). This source is close to absolutism in
the fact that we only believe in that we can sense in the observable world. This is very much
a “seeing is believing” approach. Although this sounds like another fool-proof way of
knowing, it has flaws. An example of a flaw to this source is when someone thinks they see
or smell something, predict what the object is, but when revealed it is something entirely
different than what they expected. Rational knowledge and strict empiricism both have
flaws, but both can be used as credible sources of knowing.
Content can range in how important it is to the learning environment. The
importance largely relies on how effective the content is. What are the characteristic traits
of good content? Badua, Sharifi, and Mendez believe that good content has consistently the
greatest proportion of technical issues, and a focused topic selection (Badua, Sharifi,
Mendez, 2014). The content needs to address the specifics of a lesson that is trying to be
taught. In their research, Badua, Sharifi, Mendez found that instructors adopt a text that
prepares the student for more specific, technical, scientifical tasks encountered at work
(Badua, Sharifi, Mendez, 2014).
Not all textbooks or other forms of content will have content. Publishers decide what
gets in, and what stays out. Dutch, S. I. (2005) explains that a project can, in many cases,
pass through numerous hands before completion and publishing. In the publishing world, a
lot of the motivation to publish the content comes from money. “Why should they accept
the risk of selling an unorthodox text when they can have the near certainty of successfully
marketing a conventional one? The quality of textbooks will not change until publishers’
sense a powerful enough market demand to offset their ingrained fear of unorthodoxy”
(Dutch, S. I. 2005, p.38). This can be an issue when it comes to what students need to
know. A good textbook, maybe one a publisher took a risk on, can be the difference
between knowing and not knowing. Fitzhugh (2006, p.43) states that, “the problem is that

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students must know facts, dates, and the viewpoints of various experts and authors to write
their college term papers”.
When a textbook or any other form of content is created with intent to be distributed
to higher learning institutions, the content needs a full and proper evaluation. This step is
crucial to the credibility to authors and publishers releasing the content. Selecting a
textbook, or other forms of learning content, is a process. This process is most likely
overlooked by the people that will be most affected by the content chosen, students.
Students will be using whatever content is selected for them by their professor. Even when
the choice seems logical and is not hard to find, a great deal of evaluation and thinking
should be involved in the selection process.
A textbook should be in the position of offering advice to the reader t hat intends to
improve practice (Allen, Preiss, and Burrell, 2006). Each part of the literature being
reviewed is important in making a relevant text. Mahmood (2006) explains that the
evaluation of both individual material and a complete instructional programs is a key to the
success of any instructional activity. These evaluations are completed in many forms. Some
publishers rely on surveys to get the data they need. Other companies may rely on reviews
conducted by “governmental organizations and non-profit associations that train evaluators,
to apply standard criteria, checklists or rating scales, to examine the materials and produce
reviews in a highly structured format” (Mahmood, 2006). In this situation, an “expert”
reviewer is trusted to know what should be in the content. The problem with this is that
sometimes the experts can bring in bias, leading to a faulty review of the content.
So who is reviewing the reviewers? Dutch, (2006, p.38), found that, “if bad
reviewing is a major impediment to improving textbook quality, and reviewers reject papers
that criticize the review process, how exactly is the problem ever to be identified and
corrected”. Sometimes the authoritative figure can be unreliable and that is just how the
world works occasionally. Hopkins and Long (1987) found that when they wrote a piece of

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content, and it was getting reviewed, the judges weren’t actually looking at the message
and learnable content they were trying to teach. Their piece was rejected due to bad
language, racial slurs, demeaning parodies- and themes dangerous for students to
contemplate, making the book potentially harmful to students and teachers (Hopkins and
Long, 1987).
Without proper evaluation, content can be effective in the learning environment or it
can impede on how effectively a class can learn. Bartlett and Morgan, (1991) found in their
research that more careful selection of textbooks can improve student learning and make
teaching easier for faculty. Careful examination of prospective texts is essential to the
increased efficiency of today's colleges. Muther (1985) explains that there really isn’t a
perfect textbook in the sense. Everybody has demands and it’s up to the publishers to get
everything in that they can without offending anybody. Many times it is up to the consumer
to respond to these publishers and demand something else, something more specific to
their needs, otherwise the textbooks they order will continue to be filled with unnecessary
information. This becomes even more important when evaluating and select ing content for
diverse learners. “State, district, and classroom selectors commonly use readability
formulas and checklists to evaluate, compare, and choose textbook series” (Chambliss,
1994, p.360). Any way the content gets evaluated, whether its reading from cover to cover,
or analyzed by graphic organizers, “evaluating textbook materials is an important task.
Whether diverse learners can comprehend textbooks in social studies and science
depends at least in part on the caliber of the books chosen for them” (Chambliss, 1994).
Selecting content is consistently a process. At the end of this process, content has the
ability to make changes in what we know. Ho and Hsu, (2011) found that textbooks are the
key to curriculum development, and therefore, textbook adoption process is one of the
major ways curriculum content is changed.

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Another essential part of the content selection and evaluation process is determining
the learnability of the literature. Britton, Dusen, Gülgöz, Glynn, and Sharp, found that the
integration of accurate learnability judgments into the process would be beneficial. Britton
et al (1991,) state:
First, if more learnable textbooks are selected, more learning will occur.
Second, once learnability judgments are routinely used by textbook selectors,
then the publishers, following the demand of the market, will try to attend
more effectively to the learnability of their textbooks. They can use
learnability judgments to choose between alternate versions of their own
texts (p. 44).
This is all under the assumption that the textbook selectors/reviewers are knowledgeable
and understand what learners need in their textbooks. After determining the learnability of
a piece of content, it is key to understand what the students understand about the subject
before choosing content. Durwin and Sherman, (2008, p. 30-31) explain, “in choosing a
textbook, an instructor needs to consider the students’ background and knowledge level”. It
makes it hard for professor to choose a piece of content, but for good reason. Instructors
are quick to select another textbook when the chosen textbook fails to meet the needs of
students in the course, especially when students voice their opinions on teaching
evaluations” (Durwin and Sherman, 2008). But when content is chosen that succeeds
expectations, the professor tends to stick with it even with all the competing sources in the
same field. This proves that when a risk is taken and rewarded with understanding, the
teacher will now traditionally use that content bec ause it worked in the past. But the
question that needs to be asked is whether or not a form of content can effect a student’s
learning. Durwin and Sherman (2008) found that a great textbook provides the essential
information in a way that students can truly understand without much background
knowledge.
Institutions of higher learning were once thought of as a place to find and have
access to various sorts of information that the public didn’t have access to. That era of
thinking is now over with, and most people on the planet can access infinite amounts of

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data and material on countless topics. Content, once a hard to attain but important resource
to higher learning, has become a commodity. Does this mean that textbooks and other
forms of content are irrelevant now? Chatman and Goetz (1985) believe that One of the
most important decisions a professor will make is the selection of a textbook. A well-chosen
textbook allows the instructor to elaborate on or reinforce what students are learning
(Chapman and Goetz, 1985). Content can help the message that is attempting to be taught.
In some cases, the content can drive the student to a better place of understanding. In that
sense, a professor needs to find something they think the students will appreciate as well as
themselves. Gess-Newsome, (1992) states that in some cases, personal and student
interest seemed to be the prime motivation behind content selection and implementation.
Allen, Preiss, and Burrell (2006) suggest that issues or problems involved with the
decisions the professor makes can have an impact on the effectiveness of that instructional
method. Any issue can lead to problems with how the content is taught and received by the
students. The ability to teach the content is something a professor needs, but good
learnable content can aid in the pursuit to teach. When a textbook or other forms of content
are chosen wisely and with the user’s opinions in mind, “it becomes not only a source of
information and a tool for pupils, but also an orientate guide for parents and teachers”
(Lalau, E. 2014). The argument can be made that a single piece of content can pair with a
class and be an excellent guide, but argument have been made against this practice. Healey
and Ilbery (1993) found in their research that over 90% of student participants agreed or
strongly agreed with the statement that having a textbook similar to the course is a great
help. They also found that this practice leads to disadvantages. “Students are in danger of
being exposed to just one viewpoint. This is a danger if a textbook is used which advocates
one philosophical approach or methodology to the subject matter” (Healey and Ilbery 1993,
p.126).

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Students should be exposed to multiple viewpoints about different subject matters.
This negative goes hand in hand with the research from Ruane that suggests sometimes an
authoritative figure can be wrong. This is just another example as to why content needs to
be reviewed, and evaluated multiple times. Chapman and Goetz (1987), have a three stage
plan that they felt would fully prepare a professor for choosing the right content. First, a
quick, inexpensive, objective screening procedure such as the textbook search reduction
procedure, surveys reviews, or content analysis is used to identify texts for further
consideration. Second, the texts identified are subjected to more intensive and time
consuming analysis such as readability calculations, examination of text features, and
student ratings. “Finally, a professor needs to read the text before adopting the content ”
(Chapman and Goetz, 1987, p. 151). A professor also needs to understand the subject
matter and the best way of getting knowledge about the subject to the student. “Certain
subjects have rather diverse features. While the acquisition of the contents of a book on
biology, physics or the history of art is unimaginable without illustrations, a teacher of
mathematics can very well do without these” (Czeglédy and Kovács, 2008, p.17).
Of all these sources of knowing, price and money is not covered in depth. Money is a
huge factor in the textbook selection process, or at least it should be. Students tend not to
be of the wealthiest consumers. This may be a problem, according to Ben Popken (2015,
p.1), “textbook prices have risen over three times the rate of inflation from January 1977 to
June 2015, a 1,041 percent increase”. In an interview with Ariel Diaz, CEO of Boundless, a
free and low-cost textbook publisher, Popken found that professors are not price-sensitive
and they then assign and students have no say (Popken, 2015). Ultimately though, “once a
book is adopted, the distracting effect of pretty pictures fades, and its accuracy, relevancy,
and ability to reflect the current educational trends determine whether or not it will be used
for a second go-round” (Lewis, 1992).

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Students are the most important variable in this equation because without them,
what is the content for? Professors select content based on various reasons, but the main
reason has to be to help their students learn. Content can be an effective course driver, and
can inspire students to higher levels of understanding and discussion. For these reasons, it
is important to discover and truly understand the process of content selection that c ollege
professors go through. In order to discover more about the college professor content
selection process, this study asks the following research questions:
RQ1: What is the process that professors go through in selecting content?
RQ2: What are the influencers that determine what content a professor selects?
RQ3: How important is content to the classroom?

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Methods
To understand the process of content selection that professors go through in
selecting content for their classes, I took a phenomenological approach using semi-
structured interviews of 8 current college professors, as well as observations during
professor’s classes. This study took place at a small liberal arts college, and involved several
of the colleges teaching faculty, as well as faculty from other colleges.
The nature of the study called for semi-structured interviews with college professors.
Phenomenology is a procedure that helps find and define specific experiences that
individuals have. Creswell explains, “a phenomenological study describes the common
meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon”
(Creswell, 2013, p.76). This is important because to fully understand someone’s
experience, one must fully understand his or her point of view and understanding. In order
to comprehend, and truly appreciate the experiences of the faculty, I conducted eight in-
depth interviews with college level professors. Before conducting the interviews, I informed
the participants that everything they disclose would remain anonymous. The interviews
consisted of 15 in-depth open-ended questions formed to provoke the most useful
information relating to my study. The questions also hoped to incite an image of the staff’s
views on the content selection process. For example, can you explain how you selected a
specific piece of content your using in this class? How important is content to your class?
A list of all the questions asked can be found at the end of this research paper in the
appendix.
As a member of the student body, and a participant in the selected professor’s
classes, I was able to observe the end results of what these educators went through
throughout the content selection process. Being in the classes enabled me to experience the
content they chose, and gave me more insight into the content they chose and why they

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might have chosen it. Students can have a great influence on why a textbook is chosen, and
being a student only increases my knowledge of the content selection process.
When it came to selecting a sample for interview, I used random purposeful
sampling to gather individuals who can communicate an understanding of the
phenomenological phenomenon that is the selection process. I mainly chose professors that
I had taken a class from. I also utilized grounded theory to constantly build on the study
and continuously build towards theory. I took information from my data collection and
compared them to emerging categories in a process called constant comparative method of
data analysis. The group I wanted to study was already fairly foc used, so it did not take
long to find the participants. The professors selected have been teaching anywhere between
5 and 31 years. There were six males and two females interviewed. To make sure the
information was presented in a true form, I bracketed my assumptions. Bracketing
assumptions is a process that allowed me to identify the assumptions of the phenomenon
that I already had before the study, and hold them to the side as to not disrupt research.
The observations that comprised some of my data for the study helped to paint a picture of
the culture that is unique to the faculty at this small college. I found the customs and the
unique language used by the professors to be very interesting as well as useful in collecting
and interpreting data. I wrote down what the respondents said verbatim.

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Analysis
This study intended to discover the process of content selection that college
professors go through. It is mostly a hidden process to the students, and they are who the
content is meant for. Understanding how college professors select content can help with
understanding how important content is, and how the selection process could be improved.
Through my semi-structured interviews, I was able to collect data in the form of
comments about the process in which college professors select content for their classes.
After sorting, shifting, and re-sorting the data, four themes emerged that categorized the
process of content selection that professors go through. These themes emerged from the
various in depth, semi-structured interviews and observations that were completed. I
grouped the statements gathered according to similarities in feelings, ideas and
experiences. Data that followed the pattern of selecting content based on knowledge rooted
in the past, or the expert in the field fell into the theme identified as Tradition/Authority.
Comments that related to gut feelings, own personal experience, and trial and error fell into
the theme identified as Common Sense/Intuition. Statements that focused on reading many
sources and making deductions based on sound logical reasoning fit into the theme of
Rationalism. Lastly, data that related to decisions based on time constraints fell into the
theme identified as Time. All of these themes are influencers in t he decision making process
and dictate what a professor selects.
Tradition/Authority
After doing several interviews, it became evident that tradition and authority were
very central to the content decision making process. At first I believed them to be separate
entities, but grouped the two because of how much they work together. Tradition is
following knowledge that has been rooted over time in what has been passed down. I
realized that following and respecting experts in the field on what they have to say is a
method that has been passed down over time. One participant stated that they t end to

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stick with what’s working and that the book they were using has changed additions so
there’s no stagnant feeling, it keeps current and relative. A book that’s been around for a
while usually can be a good source of content. More times than not, it being around for a
long period of time means that it has been reviewed a lot, and has stood the test of time.
Some people say that if somethings not broke, why fix it. This seemed to be a shared idea
as most of the participants had similar comments. One professor explained that, “what
other teachers are using, and other sources that I’m familiar with (are big influencers on
content selection). Sometimes I go back to sources I have used in the past”. This statement
was an example of a professor looking towards tradition and authority to make a decision.
Another professor said, “I want them (students) to hear from the most informed expert I
can find, and I want students to interact primary sources as much as possible”. Professors
at the college level should be looked at as experts in their respected fields, so when one
professor references another, they are looking towards authoritative figures. One more
professor said that they heard about a textbook from another professor, so they got the first
edition and really liked it. This is another example of looking towards an expert or
authoritative figure for guidance in selecting content for a course.
Common Sense/Intuition
This theme was based on comments that reinforced the idea that knowledge comes
from your own personal experience. Intuition is when you have a gut feeling or just a
feeling that leads you towards taking a risk or backing away from one. Having this intuition
comes from having personal experiences, because otherwise that feeling is based on
nothing and should be considered credible. One professor, when explaining the process of
textbook selection, said that, “I thought some authors were intelligent, some were stupid. I
look for things that are more valuable and more useful than other stuff”. This c omment is
an example of a professor taking what they know from their past experiences, and making a
personal decision based off that common sense. Another professor responded that they

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base the decision off of their past experiences. “It’s about experience, every semester I’m
tweaking stuff, adding material, deleting material, it’s a process and it should be.
Sometimes you have to fail and realize some content won’t work”. Trial and error was a
huge part of this theme. One more professor said:
It’s a trial and error, the first time you introduce new content, you don’t know
how far it’s going take you, so you learn from that. You learn if it’s enough or
not enough. The second time you teach the course you know if you need to
enhance or probe more discussion questions.
One professor said that, “a lot comes from my own experience and piecing together what I
know with how it reacts with the real world. Like watching the ancient romans using the
Pythagorean theorem to make really strait roads”. In saying that, t his professor showed
that the choice was influenced by their own past experience and how they thought it would
fit with the class. This involves a good bit of risk. Sometimes a professor has to make a gut
call and avoid what tradition has to offer.
Rationalism
Rationalizing was the idea that to understand something, or to reach a decision on
content, one must do research, make deductions and base your decisions on sound logical
reasoning. This theme came up when professors said they researched the topics and read a
bunch of source material before making their final decision. One professor stated that they
looked at so many different books before making a decision. They had to read these books
and review them before deciding what to use for class. This can take a long period of time
but must be done to fully understand each source and what they bring to the table content
wise. Another professor explained that they, “looked around, and tried to find the best
books available, it was a tedious search process, trying to find high level sources”. This
tedious process involves hours of researching and trying to figure out what piece of content
goes best with your class. One more professor described their process as, “classic library
research on related pieces of content on the topic. I read it and also looked for what people

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have done with the research. In what ways have they studied love styles”. Taking all the
possibilities and making deductions based on those findings was a commonality that
participants shared outside of the other themes. It was something that no matter what
influenced their decision, they had to be logical and make deductions about the sources
Time
Based on reviewing the literature, I wasn’t sure if time would be a big reason to why
certain pieces of content are selected. It turned out that was a factor in what content got
thrown out and what content got implemented. Time constraints are something every
person has to deal with. One professor explained, “I start out with too many readings, and
then you find out over time what’s good and current to teach. Then I may dump some
content and substitute it out. It’s all about how much I can get through during the class
time”. Another professor said something similar, “It’s better to have too much than too
little. I generally plan for the optima amount, but it is open to revising, and that means
possibly deleting content from the syllabus”. Time influenced both of these professor’s
decision making process. It dictated how much content they would have at the beginning of
the semester and how much would be takin out during. Time is an important factor in
deciding what the students learn, and what content drives the learning process. Another
professor talked about a content hierarchy and how that effects t he class. “There’s always
stuff you have to throw out to make room and time to cover the important stuff. It’s an
informal hierarchy of content and information”. Over time, professors fine tune their
selections, as well as selection process to optimize what the students are getting out of the
lessons.

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Discussion
Four themes emerged from the data; Tradition/Authority, Common Sense/Intuition,
Rationalism, and Time. The outcome of these themes was a theory grounded in the data
that explains the experience college professors have during the content selection process.
These four elements of the process are what influences the decisions that professors have
to make when it comes to content.
In this module, content is the goal that professors are trying to reach, and the four
different influencers are the pathways to this goal. The arrows represent equifinality. This
CONTENT

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concept means that there are multiple pathways to a common goal. This idea was key in
coming up with the theory that these four influencers are what dictates content that
professors select. Each one of these pathways has its strengths and weaknesses.
Tradition and Authority were easy influencers to identify. Most participant explained
that they used these pathways to get to a decision on content. Because following authority
was traditional, the two entities were grouped together. Ruane (2016) states that, “the
mere passing of time provides the basis for claiming knowledge or making knowledgeable
assertions about the world”. Making a decision because the expert in the field made the
content is a similar to the traditional path. Both pathways lead content, and both pathways
take time to gain credibility. Tradition and authority do not just happen overnight. They also
share similar weaknesses. Sometimes traditional pieces of content and experts in the field
can become irrelevant, out of touch, or simply wrong. One professor explained, “I know
who the main thinkers are in the field and I’m current with what’s happening in the fields
that I teach…I thought some authors were intelligent, some were stupid”.
Common Sense and Intuition proved to be equally identifiable influencers. Even
though they are riskier pathways to knowing and selecting content, they showed that they
can be effective and reliable influencers. Ruane (2016) describes intuition by saying, “it
refers to a way of knowing that operates on gut feelings”. Without common sense, a gut
feeling amounts to nothing. One must have a collection of past experiences to trust the
intuition. This is the reason that these two influencers are grouped together. The strength of
this pathway is that the people making the decisions have had a lot of experience, and can
usually trust their instincts. One professor touched on this subject by saying, “Sometimes I
just feel like some content wasn’t written by an intelligent person. If I can say something
irrelevant, I’m not going to use it. In those cases, I’ll use a little content and lecture on the
rest because I am an expert in the field. There a bullshit meter in there somewhere”. The
main reason that these sources aren’t sure fire ways of selecting content is because

ContentSelection 21
common sense is unique to the individual, not everyone’s common sense can be used as a
general source of knowledge.
Rationalism is probably the one source or pathway that is most similar to scientific
ways of knowing. When a professor sits down, and reads multiple texts or articles, they are
making deductions based on sound logical research. This influencer involves heavy research
into what content fits in best with a class. A professor explained, “I asked publishers form
different companies to send me books on inclusions. I looked for books that covered key
issues”. It also might help that professors can get many textbooks for free because
publishing companies will send their books out in hopes that the teacher will adopt their
content. One professor said, “Every company has reps that market the books, so I
occasionally get emails from them asking if I’ve considered a book that’s new”. Another one
stated, “I know that companies contact me multiple times a year trying to see what book
I’m using and trying to get me to use another”. The fact that publishing companies are
willing to send out copies of their books for free enables professors to collect many sources
of content, weed some out, and decide what the final piece of content will be for their class.
That decision needs to careful though. Bartlett and Morgan (1991), explain that, “careful
examination of prospective texts is essential to the increased efficiency of today's colleges”.
Time is a factor in almost every decision a person makes. It was very natural that
once I had the data, time became a key theme and influencers for how content gets
selected among professors. Students may see a college semester as long and grueling, but
that’s because they don’t already have the knowledge that the course is trying to teach.
One professor explained, “a semester might seem slow to students but those weeks go by
pretty fast for professors. I want to provide content that is current and thoughtful but the
field is always changing”. Professors have the knowledge that students need, so much so
that they need strategies in place in case they run out of time or the content falls out of
time. Another professor stated that, “I start out with too many readings, and then you find

ContentSelection 22
out over time what’s good and current to teach. Then I may dump some content and
substitute it out”. Just like common sense and intuition, some of these strategies for
selecting content based on time constraints relies on trial and error.
Limitations
The main limitation I faced in this study was a small sample size. More data is always
something to strive for, but the sample size collected was enough to collect data and find
patterns in the information. Another limitation would be time constraints. Just like the
influencer that professors face, time was an issue throughout this study. Having more time
would have meant more follow up interviews and maybe more glimpses into the decision
making process. If this study were to start in the Summer or Winter, professors could have
shown the process first hand. Having a real life example of that process taking place would
have been detrimental in explaining what the experience of content selection among
professors is like. This study has paved the way for similar studies to be done in the future.
It can now be researched from a more quantitative approach which will yield more diverse
answers and results.
Conclusion
It goes without saying that students are a very important part of this process. It may
not be included as one of the four influencers, but it is who the content is intended for. With
out the students, what is the content for? Content can be a course driver, and source of
inspiration for students in various different classes. This is an important discussion because
all of the professors interviewed agreed on the fact that content is important to their
classes. Understanding that professors mainly draw from 4 influencers, this research will be
able to help professors fine tune their selection process, and improve the learning
experience for their students.

ContentSelection 23
References
Allen, M., Preiss, R. W., & Burrell, N. A (2006). What to Do in the Classroom? Evaluating the
Advice. In B. M. Gayle, M. Allen, R. W. Preiss, & N. A. Burrell, Classroom
Communication and Instructional Processes (pp. 405-420). Mahwah, New Jersey:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Badua, F., Sharifi, M., & Mendez Mediavilla, F. (2014). What Makes a Top-Selling Textbook?
Comparing Characteristics of AIS Textbooks. Journal of Education For Business,
89(5), 257-262.
Bartlett, L. E., & Morgan, J. A. (1991, July 1). Choosing the College Textbook: A Textbook
Selection Checklist for Instructor Use. Curriculum and Program Planning.
Britton, B. K., Dusen, Lani V., Gülgöz, Sami, Glynn, Shawn M. & Sharp, Laury (1991).
Accuracy of Learnability Judgments for Instructional Texts.
Journal Of Educational Psychology, 83(1), 43-47.
Chambliss, M. J. (1994). Evaluating the Quality of Textbooks for Diverse Learners. Remedial
And Special Education, 15(6), 348-62.
Chatman, S. P., & Goetz, E. T. (1985). Improving Textbook Selection. Teaching of
Psychology, 12(3), 150-52.
Creswell, J.W. (2013.) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five
Approaches (3rd ed.).Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.
Czeglédy, I., & Kovács, A. (2008). How to Choose a Textbook on Mathematics?. Acta
Didactica Napocensia, 1(2), 16-30.
Durwin, C. C., & Sherman, W. M. (2008). Does Choice of College Textbook Make a
Difference in Students' Comprehension?. College Teaching, 56(1), 28-34.
Dutch, S. I. (2005). Why Textbooks Are the Way They Are. Academic Questions, 18(3), 34-
48.
Fitzhugh, W. (2006). Where's the Content?. Educational Leadership, 64(2), 42-46.
Gess-Newsome, Julie. (1992) Biology Teachers' Perceptions of Subject Matter Structure and
its Relationship to Classroom Practice: January 10, 1992.
Healey, M., & Ilbery, B. (1993). Teaching a Course around a Textbook. Journal Of
Geography In Higher Education, 17(2), 123-29.
Ho, H., & Hsu, Y. (2011). Improving the Textbook Adoption Process in Taiwan. International
Education Studies, 4(4), 92-98.

ContentSelection 24
Hopkins, M. F., & Long, B. W. (1987). Responses to a Textbook: A Real and Imagined
Account. Communication Education, 36(4), 393-96.
Lalau, E. (2014). Teachers', Pupils', and Parents' Opinions on Primary Textbooks: Their
Selection, Quality and Use. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 7(3), 59-71.
Lewis, Ricki. (1992). Textbook Adoption: How Do Professors Select The Right One?. The
Scientist. March 30, 1992. .http://www.thescientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo
/12260/title/Textbook-Adoption--How-Do-Professors-Select-The-Right-One-/
Mahmood, Kahlid. (2006). The Process of Textbook Approval: A Critical Analysis. Bulletin of
Education & Research. June 2006, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp.1-22
Muther, C. (1985). What Every Textbook Evaluator Should Know. Educational Leadership,
42(7), 4-8.
Popken, Ben. (2015). College Textbook Prices Have Risen 1,041 Percent Since 1977.
Freshman Year. http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshman-year/college-textbook-
prices-have-risen-812-percent-1978-n399926
Ruane Janet M. (2016). Introducing Social Research Methods: Essentials for Getting the
Edge. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

ContentSelection 25
Appendix
1. Interview Questions
2. Informed Consent form
3. Data

ContentSelection 26
Interview question sheet.
1. How long have you been a professor?
2. Tell me about the classes you teach?
3. How long have you been teaching ________? (Specific class)
4. What forms of content do you use for this class?
5. Can you explain how you selected a specific piece of content your using in this class?
6. How important is content to your class?
7. How do you choose content based on the constraints of time management?
8. How do you know what’s relevant when selecting content?
9. What is the selection process for selecting a specific piece of content?
10. What do you know about how publishing companies select content?
11. Is the system you use to rank content your own raking system or someone else’s?
12. Do you use other pieces of content as an example to rank the pieces you chose?
13. Did you learn these criteria when you were a student?
14. How do you weed out content?
15. What’s that decision based on?

ContentSelection 27
Informed Consent
My name is Max Vinson, and I am senior at McDaniel College. I am inviting you to take part
in this study for my Senior Seminar capstone course in Communication. Participation is
voluntary. The following information will explain the purpose of the study. If you have any
questions about this study, I would be happy to answer them.
With this study, I am interested in learning more about how professors select the content
they use in their classes. In order to gain this information, I will be asking you to answer a
variety of questions that relate to your decision making process when choosing a textbook
or other forms of content for a class. All the information you provide will be kept confidential
and anonymous. Individual responses cannot be identified in this study.
From this research, the benefit is that you will be providing me with information that will
help with determining how important content is to your class, and determining the methods
in which professors at McDaniel college select content.
There aren’t any associated risks with participating in this study beyond what would occur in
the normal course of life. At any time, you are allowed to withdraw from the study without
being penalized. Additionally, if you have any further questions about this study, please
contact me at mdv001@mcdaniel.edu or Dr. Robert J. Trader at rtrader@mcdaniel.edu.
If all your questions have been answered and you would like to participate in this study,
please sign this form and the interview will commence.
_________________________________________-date-________________

ContentSelection 28
Data
Professor 1
How long have you beena professor?
AT McDaniel I have beena professor for20 years
Tell me about the classesyou teach?
There’sa range of coursesthatI teach,coursesthat are traditional tothe discipline.Introductory
throughadvanced.
How long have you beenteaching________? (Specificclass)
A course I update isthe interpersonal course,itmighthave similartopicstoanotherinstitution,butthe
contentI use to discussthose topicsisalwayschanging.WhetheritssomethingIsee inpopculture,a
journal,orjust byobservation.Ihave beenteachingitfor20 years.
What forms of contentdo you use for this class?
I don’tuse a book,I usedto but notanymore.If I do use a book itnot a textbook.Iuse film, clipsfrom
television,websites,newspaperarticles,observations,experiences.Thoseare mygo to besides
traditional researcharticles.
Can you explainhow you selecteda specificpiece ofcontentyour usingin this class?
Researcharticles,Itriedtoselectthose thatwouldbe interestingbutnotthat complex,whichisa
challenge. Iwouldprobablyhave readthemalreadyatsome point,orjustdoingbackgroundresearchon
somethingIwouldstumble acrossthe content
How important iscontent to your class?
Its veryimportant, it’sthe keypartof whatyou do.Studentssee throughyouif yourcontentsucksor is
outdatedor weak.Soitsveryimportant.Ithinkdiscussionisanimportantpart butcontentiswhat
drivesthe discussion.Youcan bringanybodyoff the streetfora conversation,butif youcant linkitto
goodcontent thanwhat’sthe point
How do you choose content basedon the constraints of time management?
It’sa trial and error,the firsttime youintroduce new content,youdon’tknow how faritsgunna take
you,so youlearnfromthat. You learnif itsenoughor not enough.The secondtime youteach the
course you knowif youneedtoenhance or probe more discussionquestions. Italwaysworksout,
sometimesbetterthanotheroccasions.
How do you know what’s relevantwhenselectingcontent?
That’s all apart of stayingabreastinyour field,andpop culture.You’re lookingatwhat’scomingoutof
the journals,andtextbookspeople have,butthattoo isa part of pop culture.
What is the selectionprocessfor selectinga specificpiece ofcontent?
Ive alwayslike the conversationof love styles,cuzstudentscanrelate.Ilookedatthe researchdata,and
saw howthese stylesare inculture/film/television.Iwasfamiliarwiththe topic,butIwantedmore.
Classiclibraryresearchafterthaton relatedpiecesof contentonthe topic.Iread itand also lookedfor
whatpeople have done withthe research.Inwhatwayshave theystudiedlove styles.
What do you know about how publishingcompaniesselectcontent?
Most of yourjournal articlesare peerreviewedsoitscompetitive,textbooksare usuallywrittenby
professors.
Is the systemyou use to rank contentyour own raking systemor someone else’s?
I don’treallyrankthe contentI use;I justhave more favorable contentsometimes.Ilookatwhatother
people have writtenandhowrelevantitis.There’s contentthatwaspart of the course 20years ago

ContentSelection 29
that’snot intoday,your constantlyadjusting.Itsreallyanexperiment,sometimestheygowell,
sometimestheydon’t.
Do you use other piecesofcontent as an example torank the piecesyouchose?
----------------------------
Are there other ways you use to rank content?
No notreally,itsjustan ongoingexperimentandthathow I decide whattoshow.
Did you learn these criteriawhen you were a student?
No,its bengraduate school thathelpedme be able tobuildwhatyouuse,and how to buildalesson
that’salwayschanging
How do you weedout content?
It justbecomesnotas timelyasitonce was.A filmclipform2000 wontbe relevant.Referencing
somethingfrom1995 wontbe relevantin2016.
Alsoif I gettiredand thinkitsjustnot interestinganymore,Iweeditout.
What’sthat decisionbasedon?
My readingandobservingcommunicationworld
Professor2
Im finishingmy6th
year
I’mwiththe cinemaprogram,3 tiredprogram, we emphasize writing,history,andproductionasthe
final leg.Iwashiredbecause of my expertise inall 3.I teachhistorytheoryandcriticism, introto
cinema,filmanalysiscourses,cursesonscience fiction,andfilmsof AlfredHitchcock.Writing,Iteach
scriptwriting,where studentscomplete a90 pluspage script.Seniorcapstone,where studentsmake a
film,narrative filmproductionwhichiskindof a precursorto the capstone.FYScollege life incinema
class.
Introto cinema,I have beenteachingthisclassfor 6 years,Icreatedthe classactuallyandteachitevery
fall.
I use a textbookthat’supdatedeveryyear.We alsouse 16 feature filmsandhundredsof shortclipsthat
we studyand analyze duringclass.
Filmart textbook,well,Bordwell andThompson(authors) are well respectedinthe filmfield.It’sthe
authoritytextbookonthe subject.Itwaswell organized,writtenbyhighlyregardedscholars.Of 40or 50
otherbooksthat I wassent,I likedthisone the best,Ithinkso.I was veryfamiliar withthe authorsand
respecttheirwork.Theyhadhandson and theoretical knowledge aboutthe filmindustry.Manyother
booksdidnot make the cut. Im notup on everysingle textbook,Itriedtopickwiselyandsometimesyou
have a misfire butthistext workedout.Imreallycomfortablewithmychoices.Iwenttograd school
where Bordwell graduatedfrom.Name recognitioncouldalsobe partof the process.
Withscriptwritingclass,the authorisalwaysupdatingthe book.Itsnotthe mostbrilliantbutits goodfor
teachingthe business.
Its all part of a picture,outside readingisone part,readingtextisanotherpart,discussionisimportant,
viewingfeaturefilmsisimportant, Alwaystryingtoteachthe storytelling.Iwannashow studentstoday
that the stuff fromyearsago is still veryimportant. Contentisveryimportant.Itcan drive aclass.
Discussionisimportantbutwhatsthe pointif yournot looingatwhatsgoingon and whatscurrent and

ContentSelection 30
theories/howthingswere.Contentisthe majorimportantthingtoa class.It takesmany forms.Factual
material isof most vital importance.
A semestermightseemslowtostudentsbutthose weeksgo byprettyfastfor professors.Iwantto
provide cntentthatiscurrent andthoughtful butthe fieldisalwayschanging.
That’s a judgementyouhave tomake asan expertinthe field.Muchof it dependsonourstyle andwhat
we want to teachthe students.Whatstandsout to youand whatdo you wannaleave studentswith.Im
learningnottocram studentswithcontent,some thingsneedtobe sacrificedforotherdeeperideasto
immerse.
I’mcontinuingtolearnand I’malwaysrethinkingwhatIamteachingabout,and what’smostimportant.
I wantthingsto stick.I ask myself,whatare some of these keythingswe wantstudentsto remember
yearsfrom now.Some contentgetspushedbacktomake room for more importantinfo. Forscript
writing,the pathchanges,butconstantlyI’mthinkingaboutmyownexperiencesandhow Ican applyit
to the lesson.
Scriptwritingforinstance,the firstdayafterintroductions,Idraw a map of a screenplayform beginning
to end,we breakthe screenplayintothree sections.
The publisherstryandkeepthe same stuff theyhave used,butalsointegrate new andcurrentexamples
that can be taught. Theyhave to pushout whattheythinktheiraudience wants.
It comesdownto experience andgutfeelingsaboutthings.ItcomesdowntowhatI know and whatmy
skillsare andhowto bestteach studentsaboutmyexperience.
I am an expertinthe field
In the initial choice,of the textbooksthatIgetsentand I research,Imalwayscomparing.There always
otherpiecesof contentandyou have to reathe booksandreview themtodecide whichtouse inclass.
Rankingmaterial issomethingI’ve learnedovertime asIhave beena professor.Ilearnedaboutmaterial
incollege,butnotabouthow to be a professororhow to choose contentforthat matter.
The fact that there’snotrainingprogramto be a professor,hasalwaysbeenfascinatingtome.
SometimesIjustfeel like some contentwasn’twrittenbyanintelligentperson.If Ican say something
irrelevant,I’mnotgoingtouse it. Inthose cases,I’ll use a little contentandlecture onthe restbecause I
am an expertinthe field.There abullshitmeterinthere somewhere.
Whats that decisionbasedon?
Professor3
Ive beenat McDaniel for16 years,ive beeninhighereducationlongerthough,about28 years
Ive taughta range of classeshere.Ive taughtedu101 teachingina diverse society,edu1150 intro to
special ed,sed572 issuesininclusive education, sed500, introto special educationwhichisa grad class.
Both the 500’s were online gradclasses.Ive taughtothersbutsed513 bilingual special educationwas

ContentSelection 31
As well Psych2209 developmental psychology.
Sed572 issuesininclusive education,Iteachit everysemester.Itstotallyonline andInevermeethe
stuednts.Theyrunfor8 weeks.Ive beenteachingthisclassaround8 or 10 years.
I use online articles,atextbook,linkstovideos,asite calledthe iriscenterthathasvideomodulesand
questionsforstudentstoreflecton.If theresa specifictopicIwantthemto learnI mightdirectthem
there.Studentswillalsodoa collaborativeonline projectthatisvirtual.Ima big supporterof universal
designof learning.Ibelieveitsimportanttogive differentmaterialsthatcan reachstudentsindifferent.
I like tosetup a place online thathasa bunchof additional informationincludingmyownnotes,linksto
articles,andforeach chapterof the classive providedsupplemental informationthattheycanreferto.
Teachingonline ismuchmore laborintensivethanface toface.I had to created(thisonline classroom)
aheadof time.Discussionboardsandforumsisnecessarybuttough.
I do have a textbookforthe class,calledteachingstudentswhoare exceptional,diverse,andatriskin
the general educationclassroom, the classisopentoanygrad student.Itcoversa range of topics.The
otherbookai use iscalledan anthropologistonmars,it’sa trade book/collectionof essaysfrompeople
withdisorders.Itgivesalookintohowthese people withissuesinteractwithworld.Iaskedpublishers
formdifferentcompaniestosendme booksoninclusions.Ilookedforbooksthatcoveredkeyissues.I
reallylikedthe textbooksoIkeptit.Someone elsewasteachingthe classone yearandtheypickeda
differenttexttouse.AftertheyleftIwentrightbackto the one I liked.Igauge how studentsrespondto
the text,askthemif itcoverswhatsrelative towhatwere studying.I stickwithwhatsworking.This
bookhas changedadditionssoIdon’tfeel like itsstagnant,itkeepscurrentandrelative.Ireadabout10
bookson inclusion,notverymaytextsoutthere onthe subject.Itshard tolookand say,isthisbook
betterthanthat one?Pickingtextbookscanbe a tough thing.Ineedto thinkabout the different
backgroundsof the studentsIteach and how theycan take it back to theirenvironments
It’swhat drivesmyclass.Noteverytextbookisperfect,soIwill supplementwithinfothatIthinkis
relative tothe classwithmyown materials.Whenanissue isn’tcoveredasindepthinthe textIwill use
othercontent.
EverysemesterIrecesswhatI’maskingstudentstodo.Its basedon how well studentsdothe
assignmentsandtheircommentsaboutwhatthey’velearned.Ibelievethe amountof thingsimasking
studentstodo isfine.There’salwaysone ortwothat sayit’stoo much butusuallythere’smore ontheir
plate.
Its aboutexperience,everysemesterI’mtweakingstuff,addingmaterial,deletingmaterial,it’saprocess
and itshouldbe. Sometimesyouhave tofail andrealize some contentwon’twork.Ifeel comfortable,
at leastwiththiscourse.Afteryearsof teachingthe classyouget comfortable.
I readlike crazy,I listentonpr and if somethingsrelevanttothe classill researchitand maybe findmore
scholarlycontentonthe topic.If there’sa studyI wantto bring intothe classI go lookfor those studies.
I like toreada lotof journals.If itsrelevant,Imightkeepitinthe class.Ifoundan article three yearag
and I’mstill usingitto thisday.
Everycompanyhas repsthat marketthe books,so I occasionallygetemailsfromthemaskingif I’ve
consideredabookthat’snew.I helpedwriteawell know textbook.Iwrote achapteron diversityina
behaviormanagementbook.I’ve alsobeenareviewerof textbooks.Theywouldsendme abookor

ContentSelection 32
chaptersof a book.Theyhave specificthingstheywantyoutolookfor.Beinga reviewer,Ilikedbeing
part of that process.I’malsoonthe executive boardforreviewingtwootherprofessional journals.
Whensomeone wantstowrite anarticle for these journals,the reviewerswrite
comments/recommendationsthatwill getthe piece published.
No notreally,notstandardizedatleast.Iuse my ownbackgroundexperience.Iwouldn’tteachaclassif I
didn’tthinkIcoulddo a fantasticjobat it.
I pull contentformmanydifferentresources.It’sall relatedtowhatIMdoinghere.Icompare textbooks
to othertexts,butmostlyImake course objectives,andIlookto see if thattextwill helpmeetthe class
objectivesasmuchas possible
Doesthistextor otherform of contentmeetmygoals.
Its mostlytrial anderror,stuff I’ve figuredoutoverthe years.
The contentneedstomatch my goalsfor the class.I like the textsthatI’mapart of butI don’tchoose
contentbecause I’mapart of it,I just needtoknow if it will fitthe class.Ialsolookat the textitself and
what’sinit. Isit too busy,Isit comprehendible?Iwantnotdry,well written,graphicinformationtokeep
studentsattention.LastlyIaskaboutstudent’sopinionsonthe texts.
My goal isto be a facilitator,Idon’twantto getup and lecture all the time.Iwantto be a guide.Iwant
themto think,notregurgitate andcome to theirownconclusions.Ialsolookatprices.Publisherslike
Pearson,theyabsorbedothercompaniesandwhatthey’re doingisnolongerusingboundbooks,and
usingmore online.Notall mystudentslikeonline textssoIhave to lookat that before selectingcontent.
This(content) ispart of the course,not the whole class.It’sthe basementpartof the class thatbuildon.
Professor 4
5 years
Foundational andintroductioncourse inmathmatics
Mathematicsforconstructionmanagement,1year
I use a textbookforproblems,butnota lotof contentcomesoutof it.I use mostlymyownknowledge
and experience butuse the bookforbackupand problemstouse.Itsbasicallyareference.Ialsouse
documentariesonboringdays,like easyshit,andhow ancientromans,orEgyptiansusedit.
It was alreadypreselected.Iteacha verydepartmentspecificcourse,incoordinationwiththe
engineeringdepartment.The bookwe use isn’tverydifferentfromotherbooks,butitsfree online soit
worksout forthe students. Itsa free resource thatreallynice forstudents.
Its 99% of my class.I take a lot of time knowingwhatthe contentis,butalsohow it flows.Ilike the info
to snowball intoatheoremthatthe studentsunderstand,like astory.There isa lotof infothatstudents
needtoknowbefore havingthe discussion.

ContentSelection 33
For me,I tendto have a fast lecture pace,2 or three daysof intense lectureandthana restday, like
watchinga YouTube videotosee o=howthingsworkinthe real world. Imeetwithstudents5hours
everyweek,soIdon’tfeel thattime pressure veryoften.WhenIfeel the crunchIusuallysendhome a
takehome exam.
A lotcomesfrom myownexperienceandpiecingtogetherwhatIknow withhow itreacts withthe real
world.Like watchingthe ancientromansusingthe Pythagoreantheoremtomake reallystraitroads.
I take my ownpast experiencedandapplyittowhatI’m selecting.
I getsentstuff often.We’ve adoptedPearson,butIcan requeststuff andtheywill senditforfree.
MostlyI don’tcare. Theyare tryingto be as flashyas possible,because itlooksgoodforthe universityto
adopt.If you’re apublishingcompanyandhave agood online presence yourgolden.
I don’tuse a system.I justlookforstudentaccessibility.How the authorwritesthe book.If atextusesa
weirdmethod,Iproblem wontadoptit.Secondisreadability,Iwanta bookthat approachesthe
material ina wayI would.
U can’t teachwithsomethingthatclasheswithyourpersonality.
I’ve beenexposedtoalot of booksovermy studentcareer.Butno, pickingtextbooksissomethingI’ve
learnedasa professor.Collogueshelpandtalkaboutbooks.I douse the booksthatI had while in
college because theywere goodbooks.
Professor5
I have beenhere for10 years,since 2007. I have beena teachersince Iwas 23, and Im54 now,so
31years.
Classes,FYS,informationinthe 21st
century,Interpersonalcomm, publicspeaking,one of myfavorites…
quantitative researchmethods,visual comm, interactivemedia,researchproposal,seniorsem, and
special topicsclasses.Classeslikeinstructionalcomm, onlythoughtthatonce.Alsotaughtclassessuch
as sex safetyandcommunication,Ialsotaughta class ongame design.Twostudentsmade agame
basedoff the game of life thatthoughtaboutrape and sexual violence,andcommunication.One game
utilizedadartboard and whenyouhitthe board withthe dart youwere askeda questionabout
differentcategoriesof rape andsexual violence.Allthe infocame fromthe rape crisiscenter.
How long have you beenteachingInterpersonal / visual content?(Specificclass)
A lotof the contentfromintroclassescomesfromme,inadvancedclasses,the studentsfindthe
contentmore or less.Iwant to letthe studentsdecide whattheirinto.IN visualcomm, Iwantthe
studenttofindwhatcontentprovidesknowledge.Iwanttofindhow to representknowledge,howto
visualize theories,howtovisualize mindmaps.
I have beenteachingintrotointerpersonaleversince Iwashired.Iteachthe class at leastonce a year.
WhenI started, there wasa couple sectionsof interpersonal,soItaught itmultiple times.

ContentSelection 34
Well,Ihave my owncourse notesthat come frommy ownknowledge of interpersonal comm.Thatwas
groundedfromthe handbookof interpersonal commandinterpersonal theory.Ihave usedmultiple
textbooksoverthe yearsandhave takeninformationfromthem.
I use the textbookIcomminthe class.I wanteda textthat wassimilartoI did,but I didn’twantitto
mirrorwhat we were doinginclass.I didn’twantto give studentsthe optionof readingthe bookinstead
of comingtoclass
I use otherformsof contentsuchas videos,like the youtubechannel,A firstlookatcommunication
theory.Theyfilmedinterviewswithcreatorsof interpersonaltheory.Knowingwhattoput intothe class
includesknowingthe subjectandtopicsthatare addressedinthe area.Whensearchingforvideosyou
needtoknowspecificthings,orelse yougetgarbage contentwhenyousearchthe web.
Studentssay whentheysee the videosIchoose,the theoriesbecomeclearandmake sense intheir
heads.
Commis differentthanotherfieldsthoughbecause thereisnotone answertoall questions.There’s
more than one wayto reach an endgoal.Andits alwayschanging
IN the introlevel classes,Ithinkstudentsare lesscapable atfindinggoodclass,andthatshowswhat
higherlevel classesshouldemphasize.Professorsshouldshow studentswheretofindqualitycontenton
there are of expertise.
ICommisthe book.Everyyear,everysemesterIgetpublishingcompaniesemailingme askingif Iwant
complementarybooksoncommunications.Some companiessendme books,mostof itIsgarbage.
ICommisone of the booksthat was sentto me.It wasn’tan exactcopyof whatI was teachinginclass,
so I likedit.Iselectedthistextbasedonhow itwasgoingto enhance studentslearning.Iwantedto
have somethingstudentscoulduse asa reference.
I lookedaround,andtriedtofindthe bestbooksavailable,itwasatedioussearchprocess,tryingtofind
highlevel sources.Iaman expertinyfieldandI wantedthe bestcontent.
Whenyoutake myintro class,youneedtoknow certainthingsthat are standardinthe field,that
doesn’tmeannecessarilythatIagree withwhatthe contentis saying.
RightnowICommis still applicable soIwill probablyuse itfora couple more classes.Will see what
happensinthe field,maybe Ill write myownbookwhoknows.Butmynotesthat I have already,they
are kindof like abook,a bookthat studentsdon’thave topayfor.
Knowledgeisalwaysevolving.
Everyclass isaboutsomething;classesare topicssothe topicsare important.There hasto be a balance
withhowmuch contentisthe focus.It cant be the sole focus.If youronlydoingcontentina class,it will
be boring,there hasto be more.Introclassesare more contentdriventhought.Peopleneedtolearn
howto talk the talk,andwalkthe walk.Itsimportanttolearnthe language inthe discipline.Asyou
progressthroughcollege,itbecomeslesscontentdrivenandmore aboutmasteringthe brain skillsof
the topic.
What wouldthe syllabuslook like?
The syllabusistaskdrivenmostly,notcontentdriven.Youneedtoknow the contenttoaccomplishthe
tasks,but that’son the students.Butinthe intro classes,the syllabusmightbe more contentdriven.
Its easiertohave an excessof contentthandelete thantoaddcontentin the middle of aclass.
Its bettertohave too much thantoo little.Igenerallyplanforthe optimaamount,butitis opento
revising,andthatmeanspossiblydeletingcontentfromthe syllabus.Therecomesapointthough,when
youjust needtosumcontentup. There hasto be dayswhenwe summarize whatwe have learned.

ContentSelection 35
It’san expectation,asaprofessorwe are supposedtoknow whatwe know.We go to conferences,do
our ownresearch,sowe needtoknowwhatotherpeople have researchedonthe topic.Overthe years,
I have gainedknowledge butthatisnowan expectation.The exceptionbeingwhenyouraskedtoteach
somethingoutof yourarea of expertise.
Partlybasedon pedagogical need,doesitenhance the student’sabilitytolearn,andisit the bestof our
knowledge.Doesithave historical value,how importantisthathistorical value.
Its partlybasedonmy owncriteria,I alsouse benchmarks,what otherteachersat otherinstitutionsare
using.Ialso refertofellowprofessorsatmyowninstitution.
Do you use other piecesofcontent as an example torank the piecesyouchoose?Too compare
Yes,what otherteachersare using, and other sourcesthatI’m familiarwith.SometimesIgoback to
sourcesI have usedinthe past. You needtotake risks,trial and error. I relyon metoteachthe class,not
justthe text.
The firsttime I teach a class,I relyonthe studentstofindwhatworksbestforthem.
No,its somethingthatexperience inthe fieldhastaughtme.Idon’tuse a lotof material fromwhenI
was a student.
Its alwaysbasedonwhatthe studentsare gettingoutof this.Isit challengingtheirbrain,isitrelevant.I
wantthe contenttoenhance student’sknowledge,if itdoesn’t,I’mnotgoingtoemphasize itasmuch
or use it at all.
Whats that decisionbasedon?
Selectingthe contentisthe lastthingIdo, I have the goalsof the classand thenthe contenthelpsme
achieve those goals.
Professor 6
20 years
Economicsmostly
For aboutas longas I’ve beenteachingatCarroll
I use a textbookthatI have beenusingfroa while now.Ialsoassignarticlestoread,and we occasionaly
watch movies
Its basicallyjustsomethingI’ve usedforawhile.Itupdatesandcomesout withrelevantmaterial,andI
respectthe authorsand thinktheirmessage isfairlysimilartomyteachingstyle
It’sthe mostimportantpart of my classes.Withoutthe text,orarticle Iassign,discussionswouldbe dull
and wouldn’tcoverthe more complex ideasIwantthe studentsto grasp.
Time isnot reallyanissue forme now.Maybe inmy earlyyearsas a professor,butnotI have my
methodsandcan keepa schedule prettywell.Ilike togoinwithmore than I need,andIcan throwaway
whatI needto.

ContentSelection 36
Beingan expertinthe fieldhelps,butItryto keepupwithwhatscurrent inmy field,Ireada lotof
articlesandsee whatotherexpertsinthe fieldare saying.
WhenI was choosingatextbook,Ireada tonof booksand triedtofindone that soundedinterestingto
me.I wantedhave somethingthatwassimilartohow I teachthe class. Most of the time Ilecture,soI
wanta complementarytextforthe class
I knowI getsentstuff all the time,Lots of free material soitencouragesme toread a lot andkeepup
withwhatsnewinthe field.
I don’treallyuse a systemuse asystem.I justknow whatI like
Notreally
I tosscontentthatdoesntfitwithwhator how I want toteach. Andif it becomesirreleveant,thathelps
the weedingoutprocess.
Professor 7
For 8 yearsI wasadjunct and10 years I’ve beentenured/fulltime atMcDaniel
Introto media,tvproduction,filmanalysis/independentcinema,environmental cinema,senior
capstone, the wire SIS,
Introto media,I’ve beenteachingitsince fall 2003
I startedout tryinga textbookbuttheywentoutof date quickly.Mediaisalwaysevolving.Ilookfor
contentthat I feel haslongevityaboutissuesandsubjects,somethingthatisn’taflashina pan.I lookfor
writingsandinterviews/documentariesthatcontaininfoonkeytheories,inventors,andtheoristsinthe
mediaworld.Articlesinpopularpress/journals.Ialsouse a collectionof linksandarticlesIposton
blackboardthatcover hardcore theorystuff thatstudentscan referbackto.
Documentaries,it’sanexample of agenuine expertinthe fieldexplainingsomething,insteadof justthe
teacher.Example,if yourstudyingrecordingarts,youcan hearactual interviewswithmusiciansand
executivestalkaboutchallengesandconglomerationwithinthe recordingarts.Iwantthemto hear
fromthe mostinformedexpertIcan find,andI wantstudentstointeractprimarysourcesas much as
possible.Like hearingEdwardrmorrowtalkingwithMcCarthy
Sigh,It veryimportant.IN conversationswithcolleagues,thatsaytheythinkdiscussionandparticipation
ismore importantthancontent,Ican’t disagree more.Ithinktheyneedtobe balanced. One person
saidtheywouldthrowpagesof contentout the door if she couldgether studentsinvolved,andIthink
thats the deathof expertise.Itcant all be aboutconversation,ithasto be a wayto conveytheroiesand
conceptsina waythat studentscanuse them.

ContentSelection 37
Theresalwaysstuff youhave tothrow outto make room and time tocover the importantstuff.Itsan
informal hierarchyof contentandinformation.Some thingsdon’tmakthe cut.When youteacha class
your lwayslookingformore recentmaterial touse.Ucant helpbut lookfornew resourcesthatmay
come intothe contentrotation.Alwayslookingfornewermore relevantresources.
You compare it to course descriptionandsyllabus. Ilookforwhat’smostaccessible tomystudents.
Throughoutthe year yousee perfectexamplesthatyoucanbring to the classroom.Sometimesits
studentsthatpointoutthe content.Partof itis that iminterestedinthe topicsIteach.Evenif I wasn’t
teachingitI wouldbe lookingupstuff aboutit.
Theresa guy namedVintonCerf,one of the fathersof the internet.Lastfall Isaw one of hisarticles,
talkingaboutthe dark agesof media,andthe conceptisas techisupgraded,itsnotbackwards
compatible.Sowill we loose photographsthe future?Ifoundthisarticle andthoughtitwouldperfect
for the lat weekof classwhere we talkaboutwhere mediaisheading.SOIhappenedtofindit,andit
endedupbeingperfect.Assimpleasthat.
I knowthat companyrescontact me multiple timesayeartryingto see whatbookimusingand tryingto
getme to use another.Itshard for a companyto keepwiththe timesinacomm course.Its easyto stick
withthe theoryinvolevedbuthardtofindcurrentexamples.
Its notlike a formal rubric,its basedon havingtaughtthe classfor a decade and a half.Itsbaasedon my
ownresearchand experience.
I compare newcontentto articlesIalreadyhave.Ilike toknow if its more recent,more ecxeesable,and
will studentsconnectwithit.Also,isitsomethingthey’veneverthoughtof before.
Ive customizedmymethodandthatmethodevolveseveryyear.Conversationswith collegueshelpsas
well,inthe commdepartmentwere alwaysrefereeingeachothertonew piece of content.
What youlearnis namesof scholarsand majorthinkerssoyouget that knowledge andtryand findwhat
they’ve done recently.
Alwaysamlookingformore recent,more relative example,onesthatthe studentsare aable toconnect
with.
I alsotalk tothe teachersthatteach upperlevel mediacourse andIcheck withthemwhattheywantthe
studentstohave learnedbefore theyreachthose upperlevels.
Professor8
At McDaniel,14 years,in general itsbeen25 years.
An introto media/communicationclass,whichIbuilditaroundthe importance of the firstamendment.I
teachqual researchmethods,insistsstudentslearnanddotheirownqual research,a classon
propaganda.Upperlevel classesare various.Mydoctorate isinintercultural I teach a few 3000 level,
mediaanalysis,mediainculture.Ialsoteachrhetoricbutnot ina while.Rhetorical criticismandanalysis

ContentSelection 38
whichislike the otherupperlevel course butmore withthe spokenword.Lastisseniorsem.With
researchproposal.
I alsoteach Genderincommunication.Ihave beenteachingitfor6 yearsat least.Maybe longer.
I usedto notuse a textbook,inanyclass,Ihad to findarticlesforthe classto use.I founda textbookI
can tolerate,andive useditfora while now.Imokaywithit,theresmanythingsIdon’tlike aboutitbut
it giveseverybodyonthe same page onthe issues.The bookscoverage of mediasucksthough.
Textbookstryandplease a wide audience,andIteachmy classes,veryfew textbookscome fromthe
perspective thatImtryingtoteach.Whena textbookdoesn’tcoverwhatIneedittoo, I go to other
sourcesincludingmyself.The studentsinmyclassneedabasic understandingof the subject.Iuse
Textbook,podcasts,videoclips,youtube,webcontent,andmagazines.Musicvideosaswell,lotsof pop
culture,ads.Speeches,lotsof multimedia,newspaperarticles,chaptersof books(onblackboard).
I lookedatso manybooks.(the fieldof) Communicationsare alwaysevolvingandyouneedtokeepup.
Especiallywithgender. It’salsoaboutun-educatingpeople aboutoldpractices.Itryto finddifferent
approaches.The textbooklaysoutbasicinfoa little bit,butnotasin depthas some articles.
Specifically,the textbook.Iheardaboutit fromanotherprofessor,Igotthe firsteditionthatIlikedalot,
nowI’m usingthe secondthatI don’tlike asmuch. The firsteditionwasa bitto complex andstudents
couldn’tunderstandalot.I hadto dumb itdowna goodbit.The secondhas picturesandthe firstone
didn’t.Withpictures,Ifeel likethey’rejusttryingtodumbdowncontent.My sisterinlaw isalsoin the
industry(textbooks) andsendsme some tolookat.
There’sanotherpartof it(the selectinprocess) alotof effortthatgoesintoplanningacourse,if you can
eliminatesome of the variables,youdon’thave toworkas hard. One of those variablesisthe content.
Communicationsisalwayschangingandsois the content.Butwiththe book I hadsomethingthatwas
constant.I can count on what’sinthere without worryingtomuch.Idon’thave to findtoo manybrand
newarticles.Whenyourpickingarticles,alotof the referencesare oldnews.A textbookhasreviewed
the contentinside italreadysoIdon’t have tospendas manydays findinganarticle.The textbooksaves
me time.
I foundan article recentlyaboutkaitlinjennerandotherpeople,andhow otherpeople refertotheir
body.I mightputit intothe final exam.
Contentissuperimportant;Idon’tsee how it couldn’tbe.It’sabouta balance.You needdetailsabout
topicsto leaddiscussion.Inalotof waysitdrivesmyclasses.Many timesill handsomethingoutfor
studentstoreadand get ingroupsto thencome backand discusswhatthey’ve found.
If everyone readsorwatcheslike they’re supposedto,theywill be able todowhatI wantthemto do at
the endof the semester.Itshouldalwaysbe buildingonwhatwe talkabout.I relyon studentstokeep
up on content.
Theymay not retaina lot,mightnotrememberit,butoverallimrettysatisfiedwiththe discussioninthe
classdrivenbycontent.
I thinkyouhave to knowthe populationyourteachingtoo.Istart out withtoomany readings,andthen
youfindout overtime what’sgoodandcurrent to teach.ThenI may dumpsome contentandsubstitute
it out.It’sall about howmuch I can getthrough duringthe classtime.Whatcontentwill provide the
appropriate understanding.Ialwayshave more thanIneed.I’ll alwayshave somethingtodoif someone
doesn’tunderstandanissue.
How do you know what’s relevant/currentwhenselectingcontent?

ContentSelection 39
I’man expertinthe fieldandIneedto know what’susable.Itryto findthingsthat are topical,
interestingandrelevant.It’susuallymore thanalittle related,needstobe alot related.It’sgotto be
well writtenaswell.Ilike tofindsomething thatletyougetsomethingoutof it.
FirstI map out ideas,startswiththe endandwhat shouldstudentsknow bythe endof the semester.
ThenI breakit intothe weeksof the class.Ill figure outwhatkindof projectI want themto dofor the
final project.ThanI figure outhowI getthemthere.Besidesme whatdotheyneedtosee inorderto
getall the information.ThenIgolookingforthe information.I’ve readthousandsandthousandsof
paperson the subjectsIteach.I knowwhothe mainthinkersare inthe fieldandI’mcurrentwithwhat’s
happeninginthe fieldsthatIteach.I lookat whatI’ve collectedandwhatI’ve taughtbefore andthenI
figure outwhatworks.
I think there’s4 stepstolearning.Forteaching,the space thatI’m learning(observing) andwhatwe see,
than we lookthe differentways,contrastingormakingyourown,andthan representing.
In qualitativeyouhave the study,thanthe final exam.
I usedto workat a college textbookdivisionatscottforsman,Iworkedwiththe editortopublishEnglish
and communicationbooks.The departmentwouldgodifferentconferencestryingtofindauthors that
wouldwrite textbooksforthem.Theywanttoworkwithhighenrollmentclasses.Theywill askfora
proposal andgive a guide.Theywantto compete withsmallercompaniesandgrabtheirsharesof the
industry.They’llgetthe introandsenditout to review,andthendecide whetherornot to follow
through.It’sall about howmuch moneywe canget. Since Iknew aboutthe process,I createdcourse
packs andgave themoutfor free.Igave up doingthat workonce I realizedthe studentweren’treading
them.The textbooknow,kindof justbindsthingstogether.
In texascompanieswrite booksjustforthe creationists.
No,its all myopinion.Itsmysensibilityandexpertise.
Yeah butnot inany formal way,I thoughtsome authorswere intelligent,somewere stupid.Ilookfor
thingsthat are more valuable andmore useful thanotherstuff.A lotof mediatextsfocusontrivia,very
technical uselessinformation.Itryand lookat the biggerquestion,the firstamendment.
I ask myself if itshallowandisituseless?
I don’tremembermanytextbooksfrommycollege days.CharlesBergerwasmyprofessor,creatorof
uncertaintyreductiontheory.We didn’thave atextbookthanbutI earneda lotfromhim, and the
articlesthatwe had to read.We had to readjournal articlesall the time.Ifiguredoutwhata good
article was.
There’ssomuch contentthatyou have to weedout.
There’sa lotof contentthatjustmakessubjectstoocomplex.
If someone’sanidiot,I’mnotgoinguse the content.

Content Selection Process Among College Professors

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Content Selection Process Among College Professors