Smart textbooks and LMS-integrated digital tools incentivize student engagement and facilitate learning in an undergraduate immunology course.

Abstract

Abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators were compelled to quickly pivot their face-to-face courses to a hybrid, online, or asynchronous delivery, and to develop learning management (LMS) course websites to seamlessly delivery course content, assignments, assessments, and other instructional tools. Concurrently, textbook publishers are offering LMS-integrated, comprehensive, digital solutions, including “smart” or adaptive learning electronic textbooks. W.W. Norton & Company publisher has recently released digital resources to complement the 5 thedition of Peter Parham’s The Immune System, including chapter reading assignments which incorporate adaptive quizzing and gamification using the InQuizitive feature. Here, based on student responses in early questions, subsequent questions are personally curated by learning objectives and difficulty level. Instructors may customize the difficulty level and determine a minimum score to be achieved to earn the assigned points which incentivizes students to read the textbook prior to classroom meetings or discussions. Additionally, instructor resources include Case Studies in Immunology, slides and graphics, animations, activities, primary literature suggestions, and an LMS-integrated test maker. Overall, student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, grades were substantially higher compared to previous semesters, and because more students came to class prepared, classroom time was used more efficiently such that all foundational topics outlined by the AAI Education Ad Hoc Committee were delivered. Therefore, LMS-integrated, adaptive learning textbooks are an essential component for a successful undergraduate immunology course.