RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
At 2:45 PM -0500 9/7/07, Jeffrey Nagelbush wrote: This reminds me of a project I supervised for a high school student a number of years ago in which she had other students read an essay either on paper or on the computer. She then tested their comprehension of what they read. The passage they read was fairly short and no difference in comprehension was found, but there was one striking difference. Every student who read the paper version finished reading before the first student who had the computer version finished reading. If this is a generalizable result it might partially explain why students read less from the electronic textbook. It was taking longer to read and they got tired/bored. Basically, even a good computer screen has no place near the resolution of a good printed text. This technical limitation explains why reading from a computer screen is more difficult and time consuming, and thus a less efficient way to study. In another decade or two this may not be true, but for now books are still better! -- The best argument against intelligent design is that people believe in it. * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Department507-389-6217 * * 23 Armstrong Hall Minnesota State University, Mankato * *http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~pkbrando/ * ---
[tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
I am currently reaching an online section of intro psyc using the Myers text with PsychPortal as our website (access code packaged with the text). Next semester, I may have the option of allowing students to purchase the PsychPortal access card alone. This website comes with 12-month access to the complete Myers text as an e-book (with hot links to videos and research simulations, reading tools for highlighting, adding notes, etc.). My question for TIPS is whether anyone has experience teaching a course using an e-text in place of the traditional hardcopy. Or would anyone venture an opinion without direct experience? My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research articles when I want to really work them over for studying or editing. Would I be doing the students a favor by encouraging them to forgo the printed text and work only from an e-text next semester? They will save some money doing so but will there be a cost in the quality of their education? -Dave -- -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecampbell/psyc.htm ---
RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
I do not have direct experience. I did ask my students what they thought of the idea of an e-text that would be much cheaper than a book. They told me that they would just print the e book. They believed they spend enough time looking at computer screens. (All of our students have tablet PC’s.) Joe Joseph J. Horton Ph. D. Box 3077 Grove City College Grove City, PA 16127 724-458-2004 [EMAIL PROTECTED] In God we trust. All others must bring data. From: David Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 1:15 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts I am currently reaching an online section of intro psyc using the Myers text with PsychPortal as our website (access code packaged with the text). Next semester, I may have the option of allowing students to purchase the PsychPortal access card alone. This website comes with 12-month access to the complete Myers text as an e-book (with hot links to videos and research simulations, reading tools for highlighting, adding notes, etc.). My question for TIPS is whether anyone has experience teaching a course using an e-text in place of the traditional hardcopy. Or would anyone venture an opinion without direct experience? My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research articles when I want to really work them over for studying or editing. Would I be doing the students a favor by encouraging them to forgo the printed text and work only from an e-text next semester? They will save some money doing so but will there be a cost in the quality of their education? -Dave -- -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecampbell/psyc.htm --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tipstext_mode=0〈=english ---
RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
Here is a relevant study in press at ToP. Evaluating the Electronic Textbook: Is it Time to Dispense with the Paper Text? Jodi L. Grace Erika J. Koch James Shepperd University of Florida Abstract The electronic textbook provides students with an alternative to the traditional paper textbook. We examined how students perceive the electronic text and how classroom performance with the two formats compare. Students from an introductory psychology class (N = 392) chose between purchasing the paper or electronic text. Survey responses revealed no significant difference in course grades between the two formats. However, students using the electronic text reported spending less time reading for class compared to those students using the paper text, and generally evaluated the electronic text unfavorably. No student who purchased an electronic text in a prior class chose to purchase it for introductory psychology. These findings suggest that it may be premature to abandon the paper text in favor of the electronic text. ***Copy of full version available from authors*** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm From: David Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 1:15 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts I am currently reaching an online section of intro psyc using the Myers text with PsychPortal as our website (access code packaged with the text). Next semester, I may have the option of allowing students to purchase the PsychPortal access card alone. This website comes with 12-month access to the complete Myers text as an e-book (with hot links to videos and research simulations, reading tools for highlighting, adding notes, etc.). My question for TIPS is whether anyone has experience teaching a course using an e-text in place of the traditional hardcopy. Or would anyone venture an opinion without direct experience? My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research articles when I want to really work them over for studying or editing. Would I be doing the students a favor by encouraging them to forgo the printed text and work only from an e-text next semester? They will save some money doing so but will there be a cost in the quality of their education? -Dave -- -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecampbell/psyc.htm --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tipstext_mode=0lang= english ---
RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
This reminds me of a project I supervised for a high school student a number of years ago in which she had other students read an essay either on paper or on the computer. She then tested their comprehension of what they read. The passage they read was fairly short and no difference in comprehension was found, but there was one striking difference. Every student who read the paper version finished reading before the first student who had the computer version finished reading. If this is a generalizable result it might partially explain why students read less from the electronic textbook. It was taking longer to read and they got tired/bored. Jeff Nagelbush [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ferris State University Subject: RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 13:58:32 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: tips@acsun.frostburg.edu -- Here is a relevant study in press at ToP. Evaluating the Electronic Textbook: Is it Time to Dispense with the Paper Text? Jodi L. Grace Erika J. Koch James Shepperd University of Florida Abstract The electronic textbook provides students with an alternative to the traditional paper textbook. We examined how students perceive the electronic text and how classroom performance with the two formats compare. Students from an introductory psychology class (N = 392) chose between purchasing the paper or electronic text. Survey responses revealed no significant difference in course grades between the two formats. However, students using the electronic text reported spending less time reading for class compared to those students using the paper text, and generally evaluated the electronic text unfavorably. No student who purchased an electronic text in a prior class chose to purchase it for introductory psychology. These findings suggest that it may be premature to abandon the paper text in favor of the electronic text. ***Copy of full version available from authors*** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm From: David Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 1:15 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts I am currently reaching an online section of intro psyc using the Myers text with PsychPortal as our website (access code packaged with the text). Next semester, I may have the option of allowing students to purchase the PsychPortal access card alone. This website comes with 12-month access to the complete Myers text as an e-book (with hot links to videos and research simulations, reading tools for highlighting, adding notes, etc.). My question for TIPS is whether anyone has experience teaching a course using an e-text in place of the traditional hardcopy. Or would anyone venture an opinion without direct experience? My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research articles when I want to really work them over for studying or editing. Would I be doing the students a favor by encouraging them to forgo the printed text and work only from an e-text next semester? They will save some money doing so but will there be a cost in the quality of their education? -Dave -- -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tipstext_mode=0lang=english --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tipstext_mode=0lang=english _ Kick back and relax with hot games and cool activities at the Messenger Café. http://www.cafemessenger.com?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_SeptWLtagline ---
Re: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
Dave: My experience is like yours. I would find it difficult to recommend the use of these types of e-texts. Ken My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research articles when I want to really work them over for studying or editing. Would I be doing the students a favor by encouraging them to forgo the printed text and work only from an e-text next semester? They will save some money doing so but will there be a cost in the quality of their education? -Dave ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecampbell/psyc.htm -- --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- ---
Re: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
Jeff, That's fascinating stuff. I wonder if any other research has been done on that. I have an eReader (one of those nifty little electronic deals where you download books and read them on its little screen). I love it, carry it with me everywhere so I always have something to read if I'm waiting in line somewhere or traveling, but still I find that for non-travel reading, I prefer a real book. I thought it was my conditioning for loving the feel of a book. Now I wonder if it might be because for faster reading, you'd do better with paper. Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire On 9/7/07, Jeffrey Nagelbush [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This reminds me of a project I supervised for a high school student a number of years ago in which she had other students read an essay either on paper or on the computer. She then tested their comprehension of what they read. The passage they read was fairly short and no difference in comprehension was found, but there was one striking difference. Every student who read the paper version finished reading before the first student who had the computer version finished reading. If this is a generalizable result it might partially explain why students read less from the electronic textbook. It was taking longer to read and they got tired/bored. Jeff Nagelbush [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ferris State University -- Subject: RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 13:58:32 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: tips@acsun.frostburg.edu Here is a relevant study in press at ToP. Evaluating the Electronic Textbook: Is it Time to Dispense with the Paper Text? Jodi L. Grace Erika J. Koch James Shepperd University of Florida Abstract The electronic textbook provides students with an alternative to the traditional paper textbook. We examined how students perceive the electronic text and how classroom performance with the two formats compare. Students from an introductory psychology class (*N* = 392) chose between purchasing the paper or electronic text. Survey responses revealed no significant difference in course grades between the two formats. However, students using the electronic text reported spending less time reading for class compared to those students using the paper text, and generally evaluated the electronic text unfavorably. No student who purchased an electronic text in a prior class chose to purchase it for introductory psychology. These findings suggest that it may be premature to abandon the paper text in favor of the electronic text. ***Copy of full version available from authors*** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm -- *From:* David Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Sent:* Friday, September 07, 2007 1:15 PM *To:* Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) *Subject:* [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts I am currently reaching an online section of intro psyc using the Myers text with PsychPortal as our website (access code packaged with the text). Next semester, I may have the option of allowing students to purchase the PsychPortal access card alone. This website comes with 12-month access to the complete Myers text as an e-book (with hot links to videos and research simulations, reading tools for highlighting, adding notes, etc.). My question for TIPS is whether anyone has experience teaching a course using an e-text in place of the traditional hardcopy. Or would anyone venture an opinion without direct experience? My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research articles when I want to really work them over for studying or editing. Would I be doing the students a favor by encouraging them to forgo the printed text and work only from an e-text next semester? They will save some money doing so but will there be a cost in the quality of their education? -Dave -- -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm --- To make changes to your subscription go to:http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tipstext_mode=0lang=english --- To make changes to your
RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts
My research methods students ran such a such a study last semester. They used popular magazine articles--one from people magazine and one from discover, to add a second variable of text complexity (which we analyzed for readability and the people article was far more readable). We found no differences in immediate comprehension testing but interestingly the same thing: the participants in the paper copy condition finished significantly faster than those in the electronic version condition. We attributed the no comprehension finding to a poorly structured comprehension test. (This was a lower division undergraduate research methods class.) Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Original message Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 19:45:14 + From: Jeffrey Nagelbush [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) tips@acsun.frostburg.edu This reminds me of a project I supervised for a high school student a number of years ago in which she had other students read an essay either on paper or on the computer. She then tested their comprehension of what they read. The passage they read was fairly short and no difference in comprehension was found, but there was one striking difference. Every student who read the paper version finished reading before the first student who had the computer version finished reading. If this is a generalizable result it might partially explain why students read less from the electronic textbook. It was taking longer to read and they got tired/bored. Jeff Nagelbush [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ferris State University Subject: RE: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 13:58:32 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: tips@acsun.frostburg.edu Here is a relevant study in press at ToP. Evaluating the Electronic Textbook: Is it Time to Dispense with the Paper Text? Jodi L. Grace Erika J. Koch James Shepperd University of Florida Abstract The electronic textbook provides students with an alternative to the traditional paper textbook. We examined how students perceive the electronic text and how classroom performance with the two formats compare. Students from an introductory psychology class (N = 392) chose between purchasing the paper or electronic text. Survey responses revealed no significant difference in course grades between the two formats. However, students using the electronic text reported spending less time reading for class compared to those students using the paper text, and generally evaluated the electronic text unfavorably. No student who purchased an electronic text in a prior class chose to purchase it for introductory psychology. These findings suggest that it may be premature to abandon the paper text in favor of the electronic text. ***Copy of full version available from authors*** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm From: David Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 1:15 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] E-Texts vs. Hard Copy Texts I am currently reaching an online section of intro psyc using the Myers text with PsychPortal as our website (access code packaged with the text). Next semester, I may have the option of allowing students to purchase the PsychPortal access card alone. This website comes with 12-month access to the complete Myers text as an e-book (with hot links to videos and research simulations, reading tools for highlighting, adding notes, etc.). My question for TIPS is whether anyone has experience teaching a course using an e-text in place of the traditional hardcopy. Or would anyone venture an opinion without direct experience? My own experience is that it is difficult and tiring to read text for extended periods of time from a computer screen. And highlighting, writing notes, etc. seems to work better when I am working with printed paper as opposed to a computer screen. I find myself printing out research
