User Interface Design of Digital Textbooks: How Screens Affect Learning

108 Pages·2017·1.61 MB·English

by  Elena Aurel Railean (auth.)

Lecture Notes in Educational Technology
Elena Aurel Railean
User Interface
Design
of Digital
Textbooks
How Screens Affect Learning
Lecture Notes in Educational Technology
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Ronghuai Huang
Kinshuk
Mohamed Jemni
Nian-Shing Chen
J. Michael Spector
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Elena Aurel Railean
User Interface Design
of Digital Textbooks
How Screens Affect Learning
123
ElenaAurel Railean
Institute for AdvancedStudyat Moscow
State PedagogicalUniversity
Moscow
Russia
and
European University of Moldova
Chişinău
Moldova
and
Tiraspol State University
Chişinău
Moldova
ISSN 2196-4963 ISSN 2196-4971 (electronic)
Lecture Notesin EducationalTechnology
ISBN978-981-10-2455-9 ISBN978-981-10-2456-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-2456-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016948807
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This book is dedicated to my children and my
parents that provides advances, life tools and
values necessary to be their where I am
today. The inspiration for doing the research
in frontier area of pedagogy come from the
post-doctoral program aims to investigate
correlations between digital learning theory
and design. This post-doctoral program was
one of the most important and formative in
my life, enabling to do research in various
countries.
My thanks and appreciation to all Professors
and specialists in pedagogy, psychology,
knowledge management, informatics,
instructional and learning design from USA,
Romania, Russian Federation, Germany,
Switzerland, Finland, Greece, Republic of
Moldova, Turkey and Canada who shared
their meticulous research experiences,
methodologies and insights that supported
and expanded my own work in pedagogy
of the digital textbook use and development.
I must acknowledge also colleagues, friends,
teachers, and students from different
universities and schools around the world
who listed, assisted, advised, and supported
my writing efforts over this three years long
project. Especially, I need to express my
gratitude and deep appreciation to Professor
George Rudic, Centre of Modern Pedagogy
whose understanding of the philosophy of
globalisation, postmodernism, and education
challenges on learning has enlightened me to
keep motivation in research for many years.
Preface
What interface design of digital textbooks do we need for twenty-first century
students? Should printed textbooks digitized or digitalized? How important is to
identifyissuesbeforethedesignofaffordabledigitaltextbooks?Howshoulddigital
textbooks be designed and developed? Who and why should develop digital text-
books? In order to understand how to respond to these questions it is important to
accept that metasystems learning design of digital textbooks is a trend for sus-
tainable education and innovative decision-making processes, activities, and
actions. These questions inspired the ideas presented in this book.
The initiative to replace printed textbooks with digital textbooks provides
unrivalledfunctionalcontentthatallowdiscoveringnewwaysoflearning,butalso
inhibitlearning.Nevertheless,mostofthelearningdesignersandeducationalpolicy
makers believe that digital textbooks are only the digitalised version of the printed
textbooksandtheydonotwanttothinkaboutthelearnerandlearning.Thiscauses
a misunderstanding of the pedagogy as a frontier science and leads on many pro-
jects without any impact on successful learning.
But digital textbooks theory and practice is a hot area of frontier research
between pedagogy, psychology, philosophy, cybernetics, and knowledge man-
agement.Userinterfacedesignisthemaintopicinthisarea.Theresearchquestion
of the proposed author book: How screens affect learning? is focused on investi-
gation the correlations between learning theory and practice in using and devel-
opmentofdigitaltextbooksinorder tosynthesisthemaintheoreticalquestionsfor
applied research.
What the proposed research question is so important? First, because data,
informationandknowledgeondigitalscreensmainlyappearsasabstractinformation
and not as a (meta)cognitive tool for sense-making, decision, and communication.
Thus, in many cases digital textbooks are designed for reading and not for devel-
opment of the practical skills. Second, the most acclaimed feature of the digital
textbooks is in affordability. This issue is common for digital reading because it
takeslongertimeandrequiresmoreeffortstoreachthesamelevelofunderstanding
than on printed version, even in a controlled digital learning environment. It was
observed,forexample,thattransferringtheprintedpageoftextbooksintoPDFisa
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viii Preface
moreconvenientaccesstodistractionsthanforlearning.Thescanningpatternfrom
reading on digital screens is less intensive and takes longer time than when the
studentreadsaprintedparagraph.Theseandmanyotherfactsallowtoestablishthe
importance of research in user interface design of digital textbooks in accordance
with thereal problems of learningand notonly with adigital fashion.
Studentspreferdigitaltextbooksforitslowerpricetheyarelessheavyinsteadof
printed textbooks. But,digitalcontentmay embody, also, theimmediate feedback,
animation, simulations, networking, extension of provided content and other
interactive features. In the same way, digital reading on screen is harder when
designers ignorenorms,provided byparadigm.Maybe, designscienceshould find
a new way to make digital screen affordable for learning.
According to scientific research, opinions of students regarding the efficiency
ofthedigitaltextbooksarecontradictory.Thus,thesurveytakeninUSAshowsthat
57.8 % of students prefer digital textbooks over the printed versions. The other
survey, reported by Schaub (2016) provides the evidence that 92 % of college
students prefer print books instead of e-books because printed textbooks are less
distractive.Therefore,userinterfacesofdigitaltextbooksrequireanecologicalway
that allow a new understanding of educational technology.
Changing the way in which digital textbooks interfaces will be designed is a
FRONTIER PEDAGOGY theme, especially because it is applied MetaSystems
LearningDesignprinciplesforsolvingrealissuesinapracticalway.Theaimofthe
book is to synthesize correlations between theory and practice, especially those
relatedofchangingparadigms.Subjectlinereliesondigitaltextbookseffectiveness
for sustainable education, as an attempt to validate the MetaSystems Learning
Design principles for guaranteed learning outcomes.
User interface design of digital textbooks are presented from the perspectives
ofthelinear,systems,andholistic(metasystems)approaches.Thereaderswillgain
understanding of the terminology, overall user interface design phases, the design
of specific mechanisms, processes, and pedagogical scenarios. It provides guide-
lines regarding how to identify and design learning objects, how to develop ped-
agogicalscenarios,howtoembodystudentsininstructionaldesignprocessandhow
to develop an open digital textbook.
The central focus of the author book is on how digital screens affect learning.
Five chapters of the book discuss the following: impacts of digital revolution on
learning; a paradigm shift and user interface design models; digital screens and
issuesofmultiliteracieslearning;teacher-centeredversuslearner-centereddesignof
screen; knowledge ecology and sustainable development. The book was written to
provideasinglereferencepointforallinterestedinuserinterfacedesign.Beginners
andtheexperiencedusersofdigitaltextbooksalikewillfindinformationtheyneed
tocovernearlytransdisciplinarytheories,modelsoflearning,principles,andnorms
requiredtouseandtodevelopdigitaltextbooks inandforasustainableeducation.
Chişinău, Moldova Elena Aurel Railean
2016
Contents
1 Impacts of Digital Revolution on Learning.... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1 Introduction .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.2 Challenges of the Digital Revolution on Learning .... ..... .... 4
1.2.1 Data Processing Technologies and Personal
Computing for Extrinsic Motivation Issues.... ..... .... 4
1.2.2 Multimedia, Social Media and Network Computing.. .... 6
1.2.3 Internet, Evolution of the Web for 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0
Education .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 9
1.3 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Education. .... .... ..... .... 13
1.4 Open Educational System Versus Closed Pedagogical Systems ... 15
1.5 Toward Understanding the Terminology and Diversity
of Digital Textbooks.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 20
2 A Paradigm Shifths and User Interface Design Models.. ..... .... 23
2.1 Introduction .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 23
2.2 User Interfaces Issues in Digital Textbooks Use
and Development .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
2.3 Linear Thinking: Direct and Branching Styles ... .... ..... .... 29
2.4 Systems Thinking and Systems Dynamics .. .... .... ..... .... 35
2.5 Metasystems Thinking ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 38
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 40
3 Digital Screens and Issues of Multiliteracies’ Learning .. ..... .... 43
3.1 Introduction .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 43
3.2 Multiliteracies and Online Textbooks, Systems, Platforms,
Screens, Channels, and Apps .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 45
3.3 The Main Features of a Learning Society... .... .... ..... .... 49
3.4 Regarding the Issue of Outcomes in a Learning Society..... .... 52
3.5 Reflecting on User Interface Design, Learning
and ADD/ADHD .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 54
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 56
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