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Source: Domizi, Clouser, and Watson, University of Georgia, 2014
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I know that many subjects are very dependent on a textbook for conveying basic information to students, and I don't want to pick a fight with those instructors. But my guess is that there are probably some classes that could get by without a textbook; relying instead, on various open resources readily available online. Some of those resources may even be more up-to-date than the standard textbook and more interactive as well. And this approach could lead to some really positive outcomes.
The first potential outcome is that students may be more inclined to spend time reading/watching/interacting with resources that are specifically chosen because they clearly address learning outcomes of a particular course. Why do so many students not bother reading the textbook? Because they can get by without it. The textbook either doesn't address the skills or knowledge that are assessed in the course or the instructor delivers the content to them in some other way. My guess is that in many cases it is the former: the textbook is "extra stuff" on which instructors never assess students. Once students learn what is to be assessed, they don't bother with anything else assigned. If resources are chosen because they address specific learning outcomes more precisely than the "shotgun" approach of a textbook, students are more apt to "consume" them because they will learn that the resources are actually useful in mastering course content and doing well on assessments.
Second, because you have to intentionally choose individual learning resources in this approach, the potential is there to create a much more effective course. You choose this article for this topic; this video for that topic, etc., rather than relying somewhat blindly on a textbook that already has organized the topics (and chosen which topics are addressed and which are not). By not relying on a pre-organized textbook, instructors in some cases would be forced to think more deliberately about what learning outcomes should be in the course and what specific learning resources are necessary to achieve them. This could result in a course that has a more effective and efficient design. So one way to jump start a course redesign, or breathe new life into a course, or simply make it better might be to throw out the textbook and find the individual learning resources necessary for each of your learning outcomes.
Is all this more difficult that just choosing a textbook and following along chapter by chapter? Well, yes. But the potential is there for the effort to lead to a much more effective course (not to mention saving students textbook money). And please remember that if you decided to experiment with this, we are here to help you find those resources.
See the Open Resources page.
David
All of my current courses rely heavily on textbooks due to the content and professional skills taught in these courses. I do supplement textbooks with some open resources but it's difficult to find reliable sources for my area. However, I have taught courses in the past that would actually work better without textbooks because there are so many open resources that would engage students much better than textbook reading assignments. So my advice is to look for the open resources and throw out the textbook if there are enough free resources to meet the learning outcomes. I think the focus should be on the learning outcomes.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point Tatyana, open resources often exist with a wealth of information in some content areas, but with some courses the resources are limited. Creating content is also not always a luxury we have, but that's what the CTE can help with.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big things I struggled with at my previous college in Vietnam (besides the huge factor of textbook cost) was the question of textbook relevancy. Teaching business courses, I would look at the text and wonder what Vietnamese student knows or cares about Walmart or Ikea. I believe the more you can relate the content of your course to pre-existing knowledge and content that students are already familiar with, the better connected they will be to the new content. I’m sure this applies to our students at BSC as well. Our regional knowledge and interests are very different from a textbook writer’s in Colorado or New York. Connecting it to their daily lives also helps with the attentiveness aspect for students.
I have considered not using a textbook for my 101 classes, but I always end up choosing a book because it is hard to find online all the essays that I assign. I frequently use Purdue OWL as my student's handbook textbook, but I have found that many students lack the skills needed to navigate this website.
ReplyDeleteI know that using open resources rather than textbooks would make the first few days of the semester easier when students are unable to purchase books either because of financial aid or bookstore issues.
At one of my previous universities, we were able to create our own course book; the bookstore handled getting copyright permissions, and often these books were less expensive and used much more frequently in the classroom because the professors decided what to include. I sometimes wish we could do this here, and maybe I should do a bit more investigating to see if I can find online everything I want my students to read.
There are a number of options for creating your own "course book." I have not used any of these, so I can only tell you what little I know about them at this point. One such new resource is Ginkgotree: "Ginkgotree is a platform to help faculty replace costly textbooks with online curricula, including OER and copyrighted materials. This makes course materials very accessible (less expensive, easier to find, and more valuable) for students. For reference, students typically pay a platform fee + the cost of copyrighted materials–priced per page or per chapter. This way, they aren't paying for the chapters their professors aren't using out of a textbook, and their material is right alongside any corresponding OER (videos, websites, etc.). http://ginkgotree.com/. There are others, but this one looks interesting.
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