Abstract
This case study highlights the work of Students as Partners (SaP) as a balanced approach for implementing and evaluating an online open-access textbook in introductory animal physiology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Started in 2017 with an eCampus Ontario grant, the project involved undergraduate and graduate students developing and improving an open-access e-textbook to support student learning in a second-year undergraduate introductory animal physiology course. This case study focuses on the 2019–2020 academic term and the work of two undergraduate students working alongside faculty and two librarians. As part of their research, the partners consulted the literature and gathered feedback from students taking the course in which the open e-textbook was used. Student partners added updates and new interactive features to create a more engaging educational resource to support student learning. The partners also reflected on their role in the open educational resource development process.
Highlights
Two undergraduate students, a faculty member, and two librarians collaborated to further develop an online open-access textbook used in a second-year introductory animal physiology course (BIO202) at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)
Universal design principles suggest that multiple means of representation can help to provide students with better access to resources (Center for Applied Special Technology [CAST], n.d.), creating opportunities for clearer connections to curriculum content for all students (Story, 1998)
This research collaboration resulted in improvements to the quality of an open-access textbook used in an anatomy and physiology course and was well received by students using the resource
Summary
Two undergraduate students, a faculty member, and two librarians collaborated to further develop an online open-access textbook used in a second-year introductory animal physiology course (BIO202) at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). The open-access textbook used in this project was curated and developed by the faculty and librarians and published through Pressbooks by eCampus Ontario for open use in an introductory animal physiology course at the university. Universal design principles suggest that multiple means of representation can help to provide students with better access to resources (Center for Applied Special Technology [CAST], n.d.), creating opportunities for clearer connections to curriculum content for all students (Story, 1998). When students work alongside faculty and librarians, there is an opportunity to create a dynamic relationship that allows students to connect to and be represented in the curriculum materials, such as online textbooks. A reduction of barriers may include making sure that internet or electronic devices are available to students who are using OERs (Asunka,2013)
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