A Constructivist Approach to E-Text Design for Use in Undergraduate Physiology Courses

Electronic textbooks, or e-texts, will have an increasingly important role in college science courses within the next few years due to the rising costs of traditional texts and the increasing availability of software allowing instructors to create their own e-text. However, few guidelines exist in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in physiology education 2015-09, Vol.39 (3), p.172-180
Main Authors: Rhodes, Ashley E, Rozell, Timothy G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy & physiology
College Science
Computers - utilization
Constructivism (Learning)
Curricula
Curriculum
Design
Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods
Educational Measurement
Educational Technology - methods
Educational theory
Electronic Publishing
Female
Humans
Male
Online instruction
Physiology
Physiology - education
Science education
Software Design
Students, Medical
Text Messaging - instrumentation
Textbook Content
Textbook Preparation
Textbooks
Textbooks as Topic
Undergraduate Study
Young Adult
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Summary:Electronic textbooks, or e-texts, will have an increasingly important role in college science courses within the next few years due to the rising costs of traditional texts and the increasing availability of software allowing instructors to create their own e-text. However, few guidelines exist in the literature to aid instructors in the development and design specifically of e-texts using sound learning theories; this is especially true for undergraduate physiology e-texts. In this article, we describe why constructivism is a very important educational theory for e-text design and how it may be applied in e-text development by instructors. We also provide examples of two undergraduate physiology e-texts that were designed in accordance with this educational theory but for learners of quite different backgrounds and prior knowledge levels.
ISSN:1043-4046
1522-1229
DOI:10.1152/advan.00011.2015