Identifying User Interaction Patterns in E‐Textbooks

Abstract

We introduce a new architecture for e-textbooks which contains two navigational aids: an index and a concept map. We report results from an evaluation in a university setting with 99 students. The interaction sequences of the users were captured during the user study. We found several clusters of user interaction types in our data. Three separate user types were identified based on the interaction sequences: passive user, term clicker, and concept map user. We also discovered that with the concept map interface users started to interact with the application significantly sooner than with the index interface. Overall, our findings suggest that analysis of interaction patterns allows deeper insights into the use of e-textbooks than is afforded by summative evaluation.

Improving the student learning experience through the student-led implementation of interactive features in an online open-access textbook

“…Interactive components can inspire student interest and enthusiasm (Teo et al, 2003, Dutkiewicz et al, 2018 and provide multiple means of engagement to support student motivation (CAST, n.d.). Unlike a static textbook based purely on textual descriptions and visual representations of text, interactive features in an online resource can promote active learning by encouraging students to make critical connections with textual and visual information (Saarinen et al, 2015;Swidan & Naftaliev, 2019;Mills, 2016). The implementation of interactive elements and assessment of understanding can enhance student learning and allow a better comprehension of the material (Dutkiewicz et al, 2018).…”