Slide1 : How Do Students Use Textbooks? Dennis Jacobs
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Notre Dame TextRev provides a window.
Slide3 : Currently Available Chemistry Textbooksa General (majors) 54
General (non-majors) 25
Organic 57
Analytical 25
Environmental 88
Physical 35
Biochemical 59 aJ. Chem. Ed., Book Buyers Guide, September 2000
What Informs a Textbook Adoption? : What Informs a Textbook Adoption? Instructor’s Experience with Current Textbook
Anecdotal Student Feedback
Info from Publishing Company Representatives
Opinions from Faculty Colleagues
Brief Reading of Select Topics from Dozens(?) of Competing Textbook Products
Roll the Dice
TextRev A Tool for Instructors in Any Discipline : TextRev A Tool for Instructors in Any Discipline As of Fall 2001, TextRev surveys are administered on-line at www.textrev.com
Instructor gets immediate summary of class survey results
After a statistically significant number of users respond to a particular textbook product, a partial summary of the textbook ratings are displayed on the site.
TextRev Surveys : TextRev Surveys > 6500 Students Surveyed
> 110 Course Sections
> 90 Instructors
> 40 Institutions
Doctoral Universities
Master’s Colleges or Universities
Baccalaureate Colleges (4 year)
Associates Colleges (2 year)
Make a Prediction : Make a Prediction Which category of first-year students report spending more time studying General Chemistry each week?
‘A’ students
‘B’ students
‘C’ students
‘D’ students
Relationship Between Anticipated Grade and Time Spent Studying Chemistry : Relationship Between Anticipated Grade and Time Spent Studying Chemistry aTextbook, solutions manual, study guide, textbook’s web-site, accompanying CD.
Relationship Between Anticipated Grade and Time Spent Studying Chemistry : aTextbook, solutions manual, study guide, textbook’s web-site, accompanying CD. Relationship Between Anticipated Grade and Time Spent Studying Chemistry
Fraction of Time Spent per Week Using Textbook Resources : Fraction of Time Spent per Week Using Textbook Resources (2084 students) (1187 students) 6.0 hours 4.1 hours Anticipated Grade
3.11 2.82
TextRev General Chemistry Survey Comparison Between 1st and 2nd Terms : TextRev General Chemistry Survey Comparison Between 1st and 2nd Terms 1st Semester 2nd Semester
(n = 250) (n = 168)
Anticipated Grade 3.21 3.06
Hours per Week
Using Text Resources 3.6 hrs 3.6 hrs Same class of 450 students, same instructor, same textbook
TextRev General Chemistry Survey Comparison Between 1st and 2nd Terms :
1st Semester
(250 students)
Helpfulness of: Max of 10
Images/photos 6.8 ± 0.3
Real World Applications 4.7 ± 0.3
Animations 5.3 ± 0.4
In chapter problems 7.0 ± 0.3
End chapter problems 7.4 ± 0.3
Rating of:
Clarity of Soln Manual 6.6 ± 0.3 Same class of 450 students, same instructor, same textbook TextRev General Chemistry Survey Comparison Between 1st and 2nd Terms
TextRev General Chemistry Survey Comparison Between 1st and 2nd Terms :
1st Semester 2nd Semester
(250 students) (168 students)
Helpfulness of: Max of 10 Max of 10
Images/photos 6.8 ± 0.3 5.9 ± 0.4
Real World Applications 4.7 ± 0.3 3.6 ± 0.3
Animations 5.3 ± 0.4 4.1 ± 0.4
In chapter problems 7.0 ± 0.3 7.7 ± 0.4
End chapter problems 7.4 ± 0.3 7.7 ± 0.4
Rating of:
Clarity of Soln Manual 6.6 ± 0.3 5.7 ± 0.3
Same class of 450 students, same instructor, same textbook TextRev General Chemistry Survey Comparison Between 1st and 2nd Terms
Slide14 : Instructors
Slide15 : Students
Slide16 : Hrs/wk
General Chemistry Students : General Chemistry Students Less than 1% of the students had specific homework assignments on the CD
Time on Task : Time on Task “Time plus energy equals learning. There is no substitute for time on task.” Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson, “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education,” Jossey-Bass (1991)
Out of class assignments should have a clear purpose, should be relevant to students’ lives, and should be at the same time challenging and manageable. S. Black, American School Board Journal, 183, p. 48 (1991)
Slide19 : When homework is assigned, General Chemistry students spend two additional hours per week studying. Time spent on Task: Impact of Assigning/Grading Homework Problems
The Data Can be Mined to Get At More Complex Issues : The Data Can be Mined to Get At More Complex Issues Within a given book title, what textbook features appeal most to non-science majors at a liberal arts college? To engineering majors at a research university?
What is different about the study patterns of non-traditional versus traditional students? Of male versus female students?
How does the time a student commits to studying depend on the instructor’s use of the textbook resources?
Who Benefits From Comprehensive Textbook Evaluations? : Who Benefits From Comprehensive Textbook Evaluations? Instructors
Course Design - Instructors learn how their own students utilize and value the textbook resources for the course
Textbook Adoption - Learn how instructors and students in similar settings rate the features of competing textbook products
Publishing Companies, Editors, & Authors
Feedback on the ways instructors incorporate textbook features into their course design, and on the corresponding student response as to the helpfulness and quality of these resources.
Views from different demographic sectors
Students
Improved course design, improved textbooks, better education
Study the Representative Data Set : Study the Representative Data Set When you view the data, what strikes you? What puzzles you?
Write some specific questions, that you would like your students to answer, about the ways they use and value textbook resources.
If you were considering whether to adopt a particular textbook/resource for a course that you will be teaching next year, what specific questions would you want to ask of faculty and students who are using that resource now?