Textbook Project Research Articles

Instructional Note: North Central Texas College’s First-Year Composition Textbook Project

In the fall of 2018, the First-Year Composition program at North Central Texas College (NCTC) initiated what informally became known as the Textbook Project. Our goal was to provide our community college students with innovative, imaginative, and inspiring classroom experiences that paralleled the high-impact opportunities their peers were afforded at four-year universities. The Textbook Project encompassed five key features: an NCTC-specific textbook, a campus-wide common read, resources for faculty and students in our college’s LMS, a college-wide lecture series, and funding for faculty professional development. Five years later, the project’s emphasis on continuity through collaboration has revitalized the department through faculty engagement and increased student success.

The Construction of New Forms of Textbooks and Exploration of Smart Teaching Models in the Perspective of Digital Education Transformation

Currently, digitalization is leading a new wave of educational reform and innovation, giving birth to new forms of digital education, which will continue to have a profound impact on the development of education. This article is based on the "Chaoxing Learning Pass" online platform, exploring new forms of textbook construction and smart classroom models, promoting the integration of digital teaching resources with twin technology, modular design of dynamic textbook project library and smart teaching implementation, as well as the construction of a diversified online evaluation system. It stimulates students' interest in learning, enhances their knowledge literacy and practical skills in industrial robot technology, and achieves good practical teaching results.

Cultivating a new ecosystem in English language teaching: A focus on researchers in a textbook development project

AbstractIn addressing the widening research–practice gap in the field of second language (L2) education, an increasing emphasis has been placed on a bidirectional and mutually beneficial relationship between L2 researchers and practitioners. Through the lens of an ecosystems model, this qualitative study explored how seven researchers at a research center in China, who collaborated with practitioners and other stakeholders in developing English textbooks, impacted the local English language teaching (ELT) ecosystem and built a bridge between research and practice. Data sources included semistructured interviews, written reflections, and official documents, in an effort to provide a holistic perspective of researchers’ experiences and changes in the textbook project. Results showed that with researchers’ engagement, which was influenced by other participants at distinct levels of the ecosystem, a healthy ecosystem emerged as a result of the project. The engagement of the researchers with other participants contributed to value co‐creation in the local ELT ecosystem, which was facilitated by the research center. The evolving new ecosystem is characterized by rich, multidirectional, and reciprocal energy flows among the stakeholders with differing roles. In particular, active agents, government support, dialogue platforms, and collaborative mindsets played important roles in facilitating researchers’ engagement in the ecosystem.

“To discipline my writing process”: How newcomers to open textbook development moderate affective states and sustain momentum while writing

Despite the burgeoning presence of open textbooks in higher education and their influences on courses, learners, and teachers, few studies have tracked their production as it unfolds, and none have addressed authors' affective states and associated actions during open textbook construction. Open textbooks are freely available for use, and the length of the textbook genre and pressure to craft quality content may trigger emotional responses from authors during their creation, but without detailed accounts of open coursebook development from which to draw guidance, writers may resort to trial and error to sustain progress during their projects. To address the research gap and uncover insights that could be of practical use, this paper's authors utilized concurrent verbalization and interviews to document the creation of their first textbook, an open corequisite volume that stresses the growth of effective study skills in tandem with workplace and academic writing skills, designed for first-year university students. Corequisites combine remedial and credit-bearing coursework to offer underprepared learners in the United States scaffolded supports as they work toward university graduation. Qualitative content analysis of data collected during the open textbook project revealed the authors employed conceptual and spatial organizational strategies as precursors for writing efforts; considered the facilitative effects of writing times on their emotional conditions and capacity to craft textbook material; recognized the benefits and drawbacks of operating in prolonged flow states; and engaged in incubation and physical activity to sustain writing momentum. This study addresses how novice textbook authors manage the rigors of deliberate practice during coursebook construction, frames open textbook writing as an experiential learning opportunity for educators, and offers implications for materials development training and research. Its findings may be of interest to educators, textbook authors, and those who study materials development, writing, or expertise, regardless of national context.

Transnationale Ansätze. Eine bilaterale Sicht auf das deutsch-polnische Geschichtsbuchprojekt „Europa – Unsere Geschichte / Europa. Nasza historia“

The many perspectives of incisive historical processes in the European states are mostly different in their estimations and dissenting didactical traditions, also in their main focuses of the historical and educational policies. In spite of this this article shows that a bidirectional approach can provide for a transcend of the nationalistic horizons of imagination. The particular interpretations and perspectives, traditions of historical thinking, policies, curricula and didactics could and should be thought together for dialogues to reach a reflected teaching. Transnational approaches could be observedmethodologically, the different perspectives validated to aim at a reflected teaching of history and discussed as a way to reach a kind of European history reflection. The article reflects the practice of experiences of such an approach when having finished 2020 the joint German-Polish Textbook project: “Europa – Unsere Geschichte / Europa Nasza historia” – Europe our joint history.

報告: Идти своим путём（わが道を行く） 関西大学ロシア語教科書プロジェクトの中間報告

報告: Идти своим путём（わが道を行く） 関西大学ロシア語教科書プロジェクトの中間報告

‘This is me’: Expressions of intersecting identity in an LGBTQ+ ethnic studies course

This case study considers how one public high school in Northern California offered a yearlong course that combined a semester-long LGBTQ+ studies class with a semester-long ethnic studies class, taught by the same teacher and attended by the same cohort of 26 students. Through a combination of identity maps, student interviews, and a transfer task (i.e., a digital textbook project), we explored students’ experiences and efforts to discern how their awareness of LGBTQ+ and ethnic studies issues, particularly the intersectionality of those issues, may have influenced their own identities. This research offers a model for educators and policymakers, as well as lessons learned and inspiration, for incorporating intersectional LGBTQ+ content and curriculum into social studies classrooms. It presents ways, both big and small, for K-12 educators to connect LGBTQ+ issues and rights with those from communities of color. Findings illustrate that queer theory and historical thinking can indeed offer a valuable guide for encouraging social studies educators and students to expand their understanding of the intersecting experiences of people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Affordability of course materials: Reactive and proactive measures at The Ohio State University Libraries

The Ohio State University Libraries has been working on affordability issues related to course materials for some time. This article details some of those efforts, going into detail about moving from reactive methods of dealing with course materials via instructor-initiated reserve requests to more proactive methods of a general education textbook project and curriculum mapping to provide information about ebooks and streaming media as course content.

Determining Textbook Cost, Formats, and Licensing with Google Books API: A Case Study from an Open Textbook Project

The rising cost of textbooks for students has been highlighted as a major concern in higher education, particularly in the US and Canada. Less has been reported, however, about the costs of textbooks outside of North America, including in Europe. We address this gap in the knowledge through a case study of one Irish higher education institution, focusing on the cost, accessibility, and licensing of textbooks. We report here on an investigation of textbook prices drawing from an official college course catalog containing several thousand books. We detail how we sought to determine metadata of these books including: the formats they are available in, whether they are in the public domain, and the retail prices. We explain how we used methods to automatically determine textbook costs using Google Books API and make our code and dataset publicly available.

Open Textbooks as an innovation route for open science pedagogy

The paper introduces the UK Open Textbook project and discusses its success factors with regards to promoting open practice and open pedagogy. Textbooks remain a core part of educational provision in science. Open Textbooks are openly licensed academic textbooks, wherein the digital version is available freely, and the print version at reduced cost. They are a form of Open Educational Resource (OER). In recent years a number of openly-licensed textbooks have demonstrated high impact in countries including the USA, Canada and South Africa. The UK Open Textbooks project piloted several established approaches to the use and promotion open textbooks (focusing on STEM subjects) in a UK context between 2017 and 2018. The project had two main aims: to promote the adoption of open textbooks in the UK; and to investigate the transferability of the successful models of adoption that have emerged in North America. Through a number of workshops at a range of higher education institutions and targeted promotion at specific education conferences, the project successfully raised the profile of open textbooks within the UK. Several case studies report existing examples of open textbook use in UK science were recorded. There was considerable interest and appetite for open textbooks amongst UK academics. This was partly related to cost savings for students, but more significant factors were the freedom to adapt and develop textbooks and OER. This is consistent with a range of research that has taken place in other countries and suggests the potential for impact on UK science education is high.

Open textbooks – an untapped opportunity for universities, colleges and schools

The pilot phase of the UK Open Textbook project reached completion in April 2018. This article discusses the project, what open textbooks are, and why they are an untapped opportunity for universities, colleges and schools. The North American models of open textbook creation and uptake (adoption) are designed to help reduce university student financial worries and enhance learning opportunities, and provide much-needed resources for schools (or the K12 system in the US and Canada). The ability to repurpose books leads to innovative and engaging pedagogies including students as co-authors. Yet in the UK, the level of discussion and awareness of the opportunities afforded by open textbooks, and the existence of a small number of UK initiatives, is poor. The aim of the UK Open Textbook project was to raise awareness and host activities to encourage the adoption of open textbooks. The results of the project are discussed, along with the policy, cultural and practice changes required to scale up these approaches. Why should our learners miss out?

Eight Patterns of Open Textbook Adoption in British Columbia

Since the launch of the BC Open Textbook Project in 2012, the adoption of open textbooks has steadily grown within public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, Canada. An analysis of adoption records over a five-year period reveals that open textbooks have been adopted across all types of institutions, including research universities, teaching universities, colleges, and institutes, and across a diverse set of disciplines, with the largest numbers in the sciences and social sciences. In this report we identify, describe, and illustrate eight distinct patterns of open textbook adoption. These are: stealth adoption, adoption by infection, committee adoption, sanctioned exceptional adoption, course developer adoption, infection by inter-institutional carrier, creation and adoption, and lone adoption. While these patterns are not intended to be exhaustive, we hope that identifying these patterns provides a useful framework for campus leaders to (a) understand how adoptions occur in their own contexts, (b) identify ways to support further adoptions, (c) recognize that there are multiple ways, and no single path, to supporting the adoption of educational innovations at their institutions, and (d) foster the embrace of wider open educational practices.

Helping Keep the Costs of Textbooks for Students Down: Two Approaches

ABSTRACTLibrarians at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro received a 2-year grant to support a combined alternative textbook project. This project engages in a two-pronged approach to reduce students’ textbook costs and increase their academic engagement. One strategy is to award departmental faculty mini-grants to use materials that would have no cost to their students, including OER or library resources. The second strategy is to identify required texts that the library already owns or can purchase as unlimited-user e-books. Benefits to students include reduced costs and an increased opportunity for engagement and academic success.

Adopting and adapting open textbooks: school teachers' readiness and expectations

This paper describes a study on an open textbook project, which aims to establish a sustainable system for providing quality open textbooks for adoption and adaptation at minimal cost. A survey was conducted, covering 167 teachers in local primary and secondary schools, to determine how ready the school teachers are for using open textbooks and the kind of support they require. The results show that a majority of the participating teachers have limited familiarity or experience with open textbooks. It is common for the teachers to adopt and adapt resources on the internet for teaching, showing that open textbooks will meet their needs. However, their limited computer skills in image, video and web page editing may present difficulties for them in revising the resources. On the basis of these findings, the challenges and future support for teachers in using open textbooks are discussed.

Open Source Textbooks: A Paradigm Derived from Open Source Software

This work exposes a new paradigm for the creation and publication of textbooks: open source. The phrase open source is borrowed from the computer software industry, where the word source has a technical meaning explained in this paper; open source software is software which has been developed by many collaborators using the internet to produce a final product. The contributors receive no financial compensation, yet there have been many successful open source software projects (Linux, Open Office, Apache, etc.). Open source textbooks use a similar financial model; the authors and contributors receive no direct financial compensation for their work. Contributors are listed in the produced work as primary author(s), co-authors, contributors, minor contributors, etc. according to the magnitude of their contribution. The produced work is available free for users on the internet. This paper will explain the open source process and will provide justification for open source as an effective paradigm; it will also present some existing open source textbook projects, as well as the author’s own open source textbook project.

Open textbook adoption and use: implications for teachers and learners

The Community College Open Textbook Project (CCOTP) was developed to support the use of textbooks that are freely available and accessible online, and that can be adapted by teachers and learners to meet their unique needs and contexts. This article presents the findings of a research study conducted by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management of Education (ISKME) on CCOTP. The study examined the adoption and use patterns of teachers and learners as end users of open textbooks, finding that important initial drivers of use included reduced cost, dependable quality and ease of use, and that teachers and learners use open textbooks in ways that reflect their existing teaching and learning practices. The study also showed the potential for new teaching and learning behaviours aligned to the use of open textbooks, including increased teacher collaboration on curriculum development and the interactivity of open materials as an enhancement of student learning. In addition, the study identified challenges for the sustainability of the open textbook model, including teacher technological efficacy and professional development that supports open textbook use.

South Korean Digital Textbook Project

South Korea has adopted the widespread use of digital textbooks. Part school reform and part an effort to prepare today's children for tomorrow's challenging world, the way in which this effort was implemented and the lessons learned are valuable. This article highlights the history of the digital textbook project and compares printed textbooks and digital textbooks in terms of pedagogy and their effects on student learning. The article reviews research that found that digital textbooks have a positive effect on students’ meta-cognition, self-regulated learning, self-efficacy, information exploration, problem-solving, intrinsic motivation, and self-reflection. In addition, our research found that the impact of digital textbooks varied according to whether students were in urban or rural schools and was also dependent on their achievement level. With this basis, the article discusses the opportunities and challenges of the digital textbook, and suggests some models of implementation. It is hoped that the exploration of South Korean educators’ approaches to educational reform with innovative digital textbooks will stimulate further work on integrating technology in education.

Open Textbook Proof-of-Concept via Connexions

To address the high cost of textbooks, Rice University’s Connexions and the Community College Open Textbook Project (CCOTP) collaborated to develop a proof-of-concept free and open textbook. The proof-of-concept served to document a workflow process that would support adoption of open textbooks. Open textbooks provide faculty and students with a low cost alternative to traditional publishers’ textbooks and can help to make higher education more affordable. Connexions provides a publishing platform for open textbook projects. The CCOTP acted as a liaison between community college faculty, open textbook authors, and Connexions. Challenges to the production and adoption of open textbooks include 1) faculty members’ and students’ expectations of high production quality and ancillaries for open textbooks, 2) methods for documenting and maintaining control over various versions, and 3) the process of converting existing open content to digital and accessible formats. Connexions holds promise as a means to overcome these challenges.
 
 Connexions identified lessons learned about open textbook production, such as the importance of a style guide, the advantage of assembly-line workflow, and the importance of naming conventions and standard math authoring tools, Connexions also identified lessons learned about open textbook use by students and faculty, e.g., the value of availability and customizability, the importance of interactivity, the difference in how faculty and students view modularity, and the importance of textbook reading navigational aids. The authors note that the CCOTP recommends using Connexions as the common repository for open textbook content in an effort to provide greater national and international access.

Open content textbooks: Educating the next generation of bioentrepreneurs in developing economies

Bioclusters, formal and informal networks devoted to the commercial development of life science invention and discoveries, are growing throughout the world, including many developing economies. As these clusters evolve, there will be an increasing need for scientific and leadership talent. Bioentrepreneurship educational programmes require access to high quality, relevant textbook and case materials at a reasonable cost. In addition, since biobusinesses are affected by globalisation like other industries and since life sciences businesses are often ‘born global’, future bioentrepreneurs and knowledge workers need an international perspective. We describe an open content textbook project that includes a textbook of bioentrepreneurship. The textbook site provides materials that are intended to be free, easily accessible and updated on a regular basis by content experts, students and practitioners. Bioentrepreneurship education around the world is still unstructured and developing. Instructional materials are difficult or impossible to obtain in some regions of the world. The Global Text Project provides materials to faculty and students anywhere in the world for free.

Open content textbooks: Educating the next generation of bioentrepreneurs in developing economies

Bioclusters, formal and informal networks devoted to the commercial development of life science invention and discoveries, are growing throughout the world, including many developing economies. As these clusters evolve, there will be an increasing need for scientific and leadership talent. Bioentrepreneurship educational programmes require access to high quality, relevant textbook and case materials at a reasonable cost. In addition, since biobusinesses are affected by globalisation like other industries and since life sciences businesses are often ‘born global’, future bioentrepreneurs and knowledge workers need an international perspective. We describe an open content textbook project that includes a textbook of bioentrepreneurship. The textbook site provides materials that are intended to be free, easily accessible and updated on a regular basis by content experts, students and practitioners. Bioentrepreneurship education around the world is still unstructured and developing. Instructional materials are difficult or impossible to obtain in some regions of the world. The Global Text Project provides materials to faculty and students anywhere in the world for free.