Developing an Effective e-Textbook for
CS101 Students at UH Hilo:
An iBook Instructional Module
Helen Torigoe
University of Hawaii Educational Technology
Have you ever used an e-book?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure
Do you own an e-reader device?
If yes, select one device that you use most for e-reading.
A. iPad
B. Kindle
C. Nook
D. Other
E. None
E-book Trends in US
(Source: Mashable, 9/19/2012)
E-readers are on the rise
Ownership for U.S. adults is expected to grow
significantly in the next few years.
approx.
30 million
15.5 million
2012
2015
(Source: Mashable, 9/19/2012)
Do you think all schools should
use e-textbooks?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Maybe
Background
Lecturer
at UH
Hilo
Teaching
CS101 for
5 yrs
Background
Lecturer
at UH
Hilo
Teaching
CS101 for
5 yrs
Microsoft
Office &
HTML
What is
CS101?
Background
Lecturer
at UH
Hilo
Teaching
CS101 for
5 yrs
Microsoft
Office &
HTML
80-100 students:
1st or 2nd year in
college,
Business or
Social Science
majors
What is
CS101?
Background
Lecturer
at UH
Hilo
Teaching
CS101 for
5 yrs
Microsoft
Office &
HTML
80-100 students:
1st or 2nd year in
college,
Business or
Social Science
majors
What is
CS101?
In-house
printed
textbook
Why This Project?
Fewer students
read textbooks
and come to class
prepared.
I’ll Google it
later.
Why This Project?
Fewer students
read textbooks
and come to class
prepared.
Just push
the buttons!
The digital
natives need
engaging
learning
materials.
Photo courtesy of FrankGuido,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdotguido/6217907446/
Why This Project?
Fewer students
read textbooks
and come to class
prepared.
The digital
natives need
engaging
learning
materials.
I want it
anytime,
anywhere.
E-textbooks may be
an option:
 What is needed?
 What is important?
 What technology is
best to adopt?
Why This Project?
The purpose of this instructional design
project was to develop a prototype
interactive e-textbook
for CS101 students at UH Hilo
and measure its effectiveness in increasing
learning, motivation, and engagement.
Methods
Define: an effective e-book
Dynamic
interactive
visuals
High
usability
(Chong, Lim
& Ling, 2009)
Good
hardware
design
Define: an effective e-book
•
•
•
•
Dynamic
interactive
visuals
High
usability
(Chong, Lim
& Ling, 2009)
Good
hardware
design
Simple page design
Easy navigation
Quality content
Good layout & visual
appeal
Define: an effective e-book
•
•
•
•
Dynamic
interactive
visuals
High
usability
(Chong, Lim
& Ling, 2009)
Good
hardware
design
Simple page design
Easy navigation
Quality content
Good layout & visual
appeal
•High-resolution display
•Balance between
portability & legibility
•Robustness as a device
Device & Development Platform
Considerations
Affordable &
capable
e-authoring
software
+
Robust e-reader
device
Device & Development Platform
Considerations
Affordable &
capable
e-authoring
software
+
Robust e-reader
device
iBooks Author
 Free & Easy to use
iBooks
 Easy to use & navigate
iPad
 Respected in academic
reading
InDesign CS
 ePub format works on
many devices
 $400
Device & Development Platform
Considerations
Affordable &
capable
e-authoring
software
+
Robust e-reader
device
iBooks Author
 Free & Easy to use
iBooks
 Easy to use & navigate
iPad
 Respected in academic
reading
InDesign CS
 ePub format works on
many devices
 $400

iBooks Author
iBooks Author
Entry Point Website
To guide research participants
http://etext.weebly.com
iBooks Shelf
What’s in the book?
An Instructional Module
Instruction on HTML, a 1-week unit in CS101
An interactive e-textbook
• Bite-sized digital content
• Interactive widgets
Conversion
Slideshows
Review Quiz
Labeled
Diagram
Interactive
Features
Try-it-yourself
Editor
YouTube
Color
Screenshots
Intro Video
A Video
An embedded
Video
Animated Keynote
A Slideshow
A Labeled Diagram
An Interactive Quiz
A Custom Widget
Tryit Editor (JavaScript)
Lots of Images &
Examples
Results
17 Participants responded
15 completed both presurvey & post-survey
Who participated?
Jan-Feb 2013
Spring 2013
CS101
students
A homeschooled high
school junior
A private high school
seniors & juniors
Profile of
Participants
(n=17)
65%
88%
spend 4 hours or
more each day on a
digital device
had used some type
of e-book before
71%
had used an etextbook before
65%
69%
completed 0-1 year of
college
owned an iPad
29%
completed 2-3 years
38%
owned a Kindle
19%
did not own any ereader device
Most often cited
reasons for using etextbook:
portability
(82%)
lower cost
(36%)
How much did
they learn?
73%
Conclusion #1
The goal of instruction was achieved.
93% said “It all makes sense” or “I understood the
basic concepts.”
Conclusion #1
The goal of instruction was achieved.
93% said “It all makes sense” or “I understood the
basic concepts.”
“I feel like the ebook
was well written and
easy to understand.”
Which interactive
features worked?
Added interactive
widgets
Built-in
e-reader tools
Conclusion #2
Added interactive widgets were helpful
to the learners.
“The e-book reinforces learning
through interactivity.”
“The review problems
throughout were nice.”
Conclusion #2
Added interactive widgets were helpful
to the learners.
“I do like the interactive
quizzes and try it yourself
windows. It really helps [to]
maintain the info in my brain.”
“I like the animations,
videos, graphics.”
How effective were
layout & design?
Comments on Design
“I liked the overall format and the information was relevant.”
“The information is very helpful and it interests the readers. there is lots
of information included so it is easy for even beginners to follow the concept.”
“I feel like the ebook was well written and easy to understand.”
“It was simple enough for a person who was not aware of html to comprehend.
Most of the information was straightforward.”
“The format I found nice…”
“I think there is too much information in some sections and the arrows
are distracting.”
“More images to explain simpler examples, to someone who hasn't much
knowledge about HTML it's a bit much to look at: there is a lot of information on
this.”
“Formatting feels confusing—do I read the text boxes or the main text first?”
Conclusion #3
Design can be improved:
find the balance between delivering information and
simpler layout.
What did they think
of e-textbooks?
“Share your thoughts on e-textbooks.”
e-Textbooks
Print Textbooks
Cheaper & more portable
Heavy & expensive
Difficult to navigate
Can open to multiple pages at
once
“a good way to save paper”
Won’t run out of batteries
“I don’t enjoy staring at a
screen…It gives me a
headache.”
Less distracting
Conclusion #4
The acceptance of e-textbooks increased
slightly after using the e-textbook,
but users were fully aware of its drawbacks.
“I like your idea and
applaud it for college
students.”
“I really think this is a
great invention.”
Conclusion #4
The acceptance of e-textbooks increased
slightly after using the e-textbook,
but users were fully aware of its drawbacks.
“Using iBook is a very good
approach to diversifying
options for students.”
What about
CS101?
Conclusion #5
How to develop an effective
e-textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
Make it interactive
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
Make it interactive
Make it multi-modal to accommodate disabled learners & digital
immigrants
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
Make it interactive
Make it multi-modal to accommodate disabled learners & digital
immigrants
Conduct action research: compare data to non-digital and to PDF
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
Make it interactive
Make it multi-modal to accommodate disabled learners & digital
immigrants
Conduct action research: compare data to non-digital and to PDF
Invest in time & good design
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
Make it interactive
Make it multi-modal to accommodate disabled learners & digital
immigrants
Conduct action research: compare data to non-digital and to PDF
Invest in time & good design
Continue the needs analysis of the learners
How to Develop an Effective
e-Textbook for CS101
(Recommendations)
Make it platform-independent (not just iPads)
Make it interactive
Make it multi-modal to accommodate disabled learners & digital
immigrants
Conduct action research: compare data to non-digital and to PDF
Invest in time & good design
Continue the needs analysis of the learners
Continue to evaluate what works and update
Some thoughts…
e-Books are growing rapidly
among college students.
e-Book authoring software
market is still young.
Be ready for the
next generation of
digital learners!
Interactive widgets are helpful,
esp. images, interactive quiz,
and multimedia
Design & layout are important:
simple and navigable format is
helpful.
Last thought
“Within the next 3 years, we aim to
provide each of our public school students
with current curricular materials on a
digital device, such as a tablet or laptop.”
- Governor Neil Abercrombie
State of the State Address, January 22, 2013
The e-book natives are coming!
The Atlantic (2013, April)
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/toc/2013/04/
Thank you…
UH Manoa ETEC/OTEC Coordinators, Faculty, Staff, and all
who make the program possible
Especially to…
Dr. Peter Leong
Dr. Bert Kimura
Dr. Curtis Ho
Dr. Grace Lin
Prof. Mary Hattori
Classmates/Critical Friends
Ms. Barbara Meguro
My family
TCC Coordinators
~ Mahalo ~
Enjoy the rest of TCC 2013!
All photos from Microsoft Clipart Gallery, unless noted.