Annotated Bibliography

Cameron, A. H., & Bush, M. H. (2011). Digital course materials: A case study of the apple iPad in the academic environment. Pepperdine University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/874080368?accountid=12598

Cameron and Bush had college-level Naval War History students use an electronic textbook en lieu of a paper textbook.  They used Apple’s first iPad iteration, running the iAnnotate app to open .pdf textbooks.  Students basically read static textbooks.  The iAnnotate app allows students to highlight, cross-out, jot down notes, underline, and write over the text.

Students were generally not distracted by the other features of the iPad, although some were.  Students enjoyed the portability of the iPad over a printed textbook.  Students’ favorite feature was the ability to search the book (or a page) for a specific word or phrase.  I agree that this tool is invaluable.  I often find myself frustrated when I am reading a piece of paper, and there is no option to hold down “command + f” (or “control + f” on a PC).

Gilmour, D. J. (2008). Effective use of technology in classrooms: Electronic interactive text and integrated technological/pedagogical environment. Temple University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304492831?accountid=12598

Gilmour tested the effectiveness of an electronic textbook substituting the traditional paper textbook in an undergraduate technology integration class for pre- and in-service teachers.  The author of the study is also the instructor involved in the study.  His research is the only research that showed a definitive increase in student performance as a result of the electronic textbook.  His was also the only one that attempted to do more than just provide a .pdf for students to carry around with them.

My only concern is whether or not an electronic textbook written by someone other than the class instructor can have the same results.  My gut tells me that it can be done, but this research does not prove that.  Gilmour points out this obvious potential problem, but said that it can and should be attempted.  I agree with him.  Instructors should always be very familiar with the text they use in their classes.  As long as the instructor is familiar with the electronic resource being used, I do not foresee any major hurdles.  S/he should be able to clarify points and answer questions for students.

Lane, D. N. L. (2006). Evaluating e-textbooks in a business curriculum. Nova Southeastern University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 180 p. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304910188?accountid=12598

Lane studied students enrolled in college-level business class using electronic textbooks.  The books were in .pdf format.  Lane did not address the performance of students that used the electronic textbooks, rather, decided to focus on student feedback from surveys.  Students were overall somewhat pleased with the ease of use and aesthetics of the electronic textbooks, but were disappointed by the lack of features.  They wanted to have the ability to “edit, mark, and annotate” the text.

When I first discovered that the textbooks were simple .pdfs and did not allow for annotation or highlighting, and did not contain any simulations, movie clips, or slideshows, I knew that this dissertation would not provide any new or interesting information.  It should not be surprising that students feel the same way about .pdfs that they do about paper textbooks.  The only real advantage that a .pdf has it the ability to be saved on most platforms.  It is then lighter than carrying around a heavier paper textbook.  .pdf textbooks do nothing to promote learning that paper textbooks do not already do.

Maynard, S., & Cheyne, E. (2005). Can electronic textbooks help children to learn? The Electronic Library, 23(1), 103-115. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/218233261?accountid=12598

An interesting article (though it is quickly becoming outdated) looked at 11-12 year olds in England that were used to using computers.  The control group used a traditional textbook, while the test group used a CD-ROM (see, the article is showing its age!).  These particular sixty students were chosen because they were used to using computers, so the novelty of using an electronic textbook is mitigated.

A serious limitation of the study is that the two groups of students did not use identical textbooks.  The author mentions that it was very difficult to find identical copies of relevant text.  If this study were to be done today, I do not think this would be as limiting a factor as it was in 2005.  At the end of the study, she found that students using the electronic textbooks performed better than their peers, but not statistically significantly better.  I would love to see a similar study done today comparing two identical titles.

McFall, R. (2005). Electronic textbooks that transform how textbooks are used. The Electronic Library, 23(1), 72-81. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/218258279?accountid=12598

McFall tests the effectiveness of electronic textbooks in his Intro to Computer Science class at Hope College in Holland, MI.  Students that used the books only did slightly better than the control group, and not statistically significantly so.  McFall’s greatest guess as to why is that the electronic textbook basically tries to copy the print textbook.  I tend to agree with him.  The only advantages that the electronic textbook offer are built-in highlighting, note taking, and diagram-building.

An unexpected advantage of using electronic textbooks is that he could track when students read the book.  He could look at time of day and length of each session.  He expected to find that students were reading the books very late at night, but was somewhat surprised to see that most reading took place right before class and in the early evening.  In my own undergraduate experience, I found that I did a lot of my work right before and between classes, in the evening before dinner, and on Sundays.  I also did a lot of work late at night.  I was not particularly surprised by McFall’s findings.

Students spent an average of 7.5 minutes reading per session.  Typical results were between 4 and 14 minutes.  Since this was only used in an elective introductory survey course, there was no direct correlation between average number of minutes reading and performance in the class.  Although everyone that averaged 10 minutes or more “did do quite well” in the class.

Porter, P. L. (2010). Effectiveness of electronic textbooks with embedded activities on student learning. Capella University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/192907508?accountid=12598

Porter conducted rigid research where three groups of college students in an Allied Health class participated.  The control group read a chapter from a traditional paper textbook, and the two variable groups read from the same chapter on a CD-ROM in an electronic textbook.  All groups of students took a pre- and a post-test.  There were no significant differences among the groups.

Her results did not surprise me even a little bit.  Basically, all students did the exact same thing!  The only difference is that some read from a computer screen and some read from a piece of paper.  This dissertation did not reveal anything new at all.  If I conduct any research surrounding electronic textbooks I will be sure to test more than the effectiveness of an LCD screen vs. a piece of paper.  Without built-in tools like highlighting and note taking capabilities, along with simulations and picture slideshows, I am not sure how one could expect the results to be any different.