Students in an introductory soil science course are encouraged to offer suggestions to improve both the format and the content of the textbook used in the course and authored by the course instructor. Students frequently offer both types of suggestions. The range of suggestions includes improved access to specific types of data and reduced pricing. Students consistently assign the locally authored book a higher rating than the average assigned to other textbooks. Student opinions regarding their contributions to the book are also noted. In general students express positive feelings regarding their engagement in the process of producing the book.