Chapter 10 - E-textbook pedagogy in teacher education beyond the COVID-19 era

Abstract

Amid the digital transformation catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, academics, including those in the School of Education (SoE) at a university in South Africa, engaged digital technologies in furtherance of their educational objectives. In many university classrooms, the textbook remains a crucial resource in disseminating content knowledge, and academics tend to rely on the textbook for teaching and assessing learning. While paper-based textbooks have been the focus in the developing world for decades, e-textbooks became a more viable option with the transition to online learning. Studies have shown that e-learning via e-textbooks can be used to enhance learning through interactivity and engagement. However, the extent to which the SoE academics were able to engage digital technologies to enhance meaningful learning in their e-textbook pedagogical practices remains unclear. This chapter thus sought to explore how accounting academics adopted e-textbooks in their online pedagogical practice. Framed by the technological acceptance model, a case study design was adopted. Qualitative semistructured questionnaires were administered to all four accounting academics in the SoE to understand their views on using e-textbooks in the virtual learning platforms. Our findings revealed that the participants continued to rely on paper-based textbooks in the virtual learning spaces but considered the peculiar features of e-textbooks useful in teaching accounting. They further acknowledged internet self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, hedonic factors, and the cost of e-textbooks as crucial determinants in adopting e-textbook pedagogy beyond the pandemic era. In a context where most of the students are from poor socioeconomic backgrounds, this study has implications for the SoE as it strives to provide quality, affordable education for all amid a digital transformation. Insight from the study will assist publishers as they tailor their e-textbook offerings to suit the needs of the academic community while contributing meaningfully to scholarship in e-textbook pedagogy, where knowledge is currently scant.