Student and Instructor Centered Electronic Textbooks in the Computer Science Curriculum

Hope College, Holland MI

Investigators

Abstract

Computer Science (31) The goal of this project is to increase the effectiveness of textbooks in the undergraduate science curriculum. Our experience at Hope College and the literature indicates there are several problems with current textbooks, including difficulty in matching texts to course needs in the areas of emphasis, breath, depth and level. These problems are addressed by developing a new textbook model. The effectiveness of the model will be determined by its application in our general education course, Introduction to Computer Science. This project develops a prototype of an electronic textbook where the instructor determines the content of the textbook. Traditional textbook content as well as supplemental materials provided by the instructor or determined by the student is used. Students augment the material supplied by the instructor with other resources, including resources created by the student. The textbook integrates previously disconnected resources in the learning experience, such as homework assignments and laboratory experiments, into a single environment. Both student and instructor have the ability to annotate any of the materials used or referenced in the textbook. Integrating all of these features creates a textbook that is customizable by both student and instructor and provides a single location that students can use to organize the learning resources available for a course. An important feature of our model is that it is designed to run on handheld computers, allowing the textbook to be portable and convenient for students to use.