eReaders and ePublishing for flexible learning

eReaders and ePublishing forflexible learningSteven WarburtonPatricia McKellarBILETA Conference29th to 30th March 2012

• 50,000+ students• 15,000 Undergraduate Laws• Global market (190 countries)• 75 recognised teaching institutions• 100+ degrees, diplomas and certificates.• Academic quality and direction maintained by ‘lead colleges’• Laws: three student ‘study types’ from self study to fully supported.

why?eReaders and ePublishing

our context: print-based text

our student context: mobile

problem spacePrint driven publishing model that effects: • Sustainability (learning technologies); • Costs; • Logistics (global dispatch/delivery; timeliness); • Leanness (warehouse stacked with books/study guides not ‘doing anything’); • Waste (over publish; out of date).Lack of flexibility in outputsLack of flexibility for students

explore ePublishing and eReaders as part of ourstudent learning and study environment

other projects, other studies• University of Leicester ’Duckling’ project• Kindle US Universities project• California Lutheran University pilot project• University of Manchester JL Library• Loughborough University e-reader project• World reader project (http://www.worldreader.org/)

action• consideration of ePublishing formats (.epub /.mobi)• end device/s• designed activity/s• identification of pilot groups• success criteria for the stakeholder groups• evaluation and data gathering methodology via survey and focus group

five pilot groups: Pilot groupsGermany; Kenya; Singapore; two in UK.

stakeholder impactPrimary Secondary• For students • For tutors• For the UoLIP • For provider teaching• For publishers institutions• For device manufacturer • For content authors• For HEA (funding body) and • For publishing teams wider research community • For DRM managers

our project Kobo and eBookStore (distribution)Publishersand ePubs(access) Students (learning and teaching)

results

What were the best aspects of this approach?• Convenience and portability, light and handy (1);• A large amount of study material to be stored and accessed on the go (1, 3);• Able to study in more bite size chunks because I had the option of using ‘dead time’; (2, 4)• I can optimise the amount of time I spend studying (4)• The ability to have the subject guide, the study pack, the textbook and access to the online resources and case databases on the 06:19 to Waterloo (2)• Functionality: annotations, bookmarking, highlighting, definition tool, translation tool, return to a section, battery life, search facility (1, 3)

What did students not like about this approach?• Functionality: sufficient light, annotations, bookmarking, highlighting, battery life, search facility, slow loading, speed of changes, no hyperlinks, touch screen not always effective, lack of colour (1, 3);• Not having all the subjects on the eReader and having to go back and forth with hard copy (3);• A bit too one dimensional [hyperlinks] (3);• Sometimes its hard to concentrate as it feels like staring at a PC (1);• Impossible to look at two books at once (1, 4);• If it was just supplied like this and said do the UoL course you’d struggle but in conjunction with the VLE or hard copy it’s perfect (4)

is the approach working?• I can read the materials in situations where I would never have brought and read the hard copy versions (2)• In my prior classes I often did not do the ‘further reading’since the books were so heavy (4)• Overall I was able to increase my reading hours for a topic (2)• Attention and retention improved (2,4)• Easier to carry around hence inclined to finish activities (2, 4)• Footnotes are very accessible and interrupt flow less frequently than reading hard copy (3)• Unintended consequences -> life-styling; power users

If you are still sitting on the fenceIncrease in further Lack of ability toreading; time efficient see more than one documentLightweightand portable Highlighting and notetaking limitedFlexible, adaptive Device functionalitySuits different learning styles –ve viewsUse of ‘dead’ time Limited interactivelyDevice functionality+ve views More guidance needed ROI: cost benefit analysis based on educational and/or business processes. What is your context?

distribution DRM andPublishers eReader manufacturer Student eTexts; Preloaded eActivities eReader Educational institution Flexible Mobile Connected

thank you

http://laws.londoninternational.ac.uk	151
http://www.pontydysgu.org	92
http://wput-1.back.eisa.london.ac.uk	7
http://1100051926.nvmodules.netvibes.com	3
http://wplv-3.back.eisa.london.ac.uk	1
http://pontydysgu.org	1

eReaders and ePublishing for flexible learning

by Steven Warburton on Apr 02, 2012

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

6 Embeds 255

Statistics

eReaders and ePublishing for flexible learning Presentation Transcript