Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Developing an Open Textbook for Learning and Instructional Design Technology

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
TechTrends Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite the emphasis on open educational resources in our field, there are surprisingly few examples of open textbooks in our field, as well as in graduate education generally, despite the findings from research that these books can be affordable, high quality, and advantageous to students and faculty. In this article I describe one process for creating an open introductory textbook. I discuss design decisions, technological choices, and lessons learned, including suggestions for other potential book creators, in an attempt to encourage further development of open book scholarship. I also share initial data on student perceptions about the book, and my conclusions about the textbook creation process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ball, D. L., & Cohen, D. K. (1996). Reform by the book: What is—or might be—the role of curriculum materials in teacher learning and instructional reform? Educational Researcher, 25(9), 6–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belikov, O. (2017). Faculty Perceptions of OER Quality by Peer Review (unpublished master’s thesis). Brigham Young University, Provo.

  • Bliss, T. J., Hilton III, J., Wiley, D., & Thanos, K. (2013). The cost and quality of online open textbooks: Perceptions of community college faculty and students. First Monday, 18(1), 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frydenberg, J. & Matkin, G. (2007). Open textbooks: Why? what? how? when. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 0–33. Available at https://www.hewlett.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/OpenTextbooks.pdf.

  • Harley, D., Lawrence, S., Acord, S. K., & Dixson, J. (2010). Affordable and open textbooks: An exploratory study of faculty attitudes. Research and occasional paper series, Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkley. Available at https://escholarship.org/content/qt1t8244nb/qt1t8244nb.pdf

  • Hilton III, J. L., & Wiley, D. (2011). Open access textbooks and financial sustainability: A case study on flat world knowledge. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(5), 18–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Association of College Stores (NACS) (2017). Higher education retail market facts & figures. Accessed December 4, 2017, from https://www.nacs.org/research/HigherEdRetailMarketFactsFigures.aspx.

  • Perkins, R. A., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2016). Open access journals in educational technology: Results of a survey of experienced users. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 32(3), 18–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitt, R. (2015). Mainstreaming open textbooks: Educator perspectives on the impact of openstax college open textbooks. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(4).

  • Rich, P. J., & West, R. E. (2012). New technologies, new approaches to evaluating academic productivity. Educational Technology, 52(6), 10–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, P. W. (2004). Reading and writing from textbooks in higher education: A case study from economics. Studies in Higher Education, 29(4), 505–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rieber, L. (2018). The proper training of an instructional technologist. In R. West (Ed.), Foundations of learning and instructional design technology. Available at http://lidtfoundations.org.pressbooks.com.

  • Robinson, T. J., Fischer, L., Wiley, D., & Hilton III, J. (2014). The impact of open textbooks on secondary science learning outcomes. Educational Researcher, 43(7), 341–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, R. E., & Rich, P. J. (2012). Rigor, impact and prestige: A proposed framework for evaluating scholarly publications. Innovative Higher Education, 37(5), 359–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, R. E., Thomas, R. A., Bodily, R., Wright, C., & Borup, J. (2017). An analysis of instructional design and technology departments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(4), 869–888.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiley, D., Hilton III, J. L., Ellington, S., & Hall, T. (2012). A preliminary examination of the cost savings and learning impacts of using open textbooks in middle and high school science classes. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(3), 262–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard E. West.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

West, R.E. Developing an Open Textbook for Learning and Instructional Design Technology. TechTrends 63, 226–235 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0263-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0263-z

Keywords

Navigation