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Learner Satisfaction in eTexbook Co-reading: A Comparative Study of Internal and External Forums

Authors:
Sinini Paul Ncube
Hussein Suleman

Keywords: collaborations; eTextbook; forums; interactions

Abstract:
A textbook is a boundary object among students within given communities, in some instances, regions or the whole country. Students in such communities can engage collaboratively to study and gain better understanding of common content. While discussion forums have been an operative platform for social collaborations, learners are faced with the challenge of referencing their posts to linked informational resources. A system based on two chapters of a Python eTextbook was co-designed with students to evaluate its usefulness in supporting textbook based interactions. An experimental study compared the traditional external discussion forums to the developed internal forums which are embedded within eTextbooks. A systematic content analysis of learners' interactions demonstrates insights to their experiences, their needs and the potential benefits of combining discussion forums with eTextbooks to encourage more collaborations. Learners preferred internal forums.

Pages: 101 to 108

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2017

Publication date: March 19, 2017

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4367

ISBN: 978-1-61208-541-8

Location: Nice, France

Dates: from March 19, 2017 to March 23, 2017