How Should a Full-fledged Electronic Textbook Look Like and Why the PDF Version is not Enough

The need for electronic textbooks arose a long time ago, and it became particularly acute during the pandemic and war. After all, it is convenient for distance learning, and at the time of offline studies it solves the problem of heavy school backpacks, especially for young children. And these are just two advantages of this format. Besides, there is also interactivity, which is important for children, and the ability to introduce changes without remaking the entire product.

However, for a long time, electronic textbooks in Ukraine have been treated exceptionally as pdf files of printed versions of books, although a full-fledged electronic publication is something completely different.

The PhD in Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Publishing, Printing and Information Technologies of the Ukrainian Academy of Printing (Lviv) Ihor Myklushka spoke about the nuances of creating full-fledged electronic educational publications as well as their main differences from printed textbooks.

Does Ukrainian Legislation Provide for Electronic Textbooks

An electronic publication is not just a digital product. Like any other publication, it is an author’s product. The means for its distribution are almost unlimited – it can be local media, network, cloud environments and distance learning platforms. Unlike a limited print edition, it is intended for use by an unlimited number of users through digital environments.

The preparation of an electronic publication, including textbooks, is regulated by State Standard DSTU 7157:010 «Electronic Publications. Main Types and Source Data» and partly by DSTU 3017-95 «Publication. Main types. Terms and Definitions» and DSTU 4861:2007 «Information and Documentation. Publication. Source Data».

The specialized standard DSTU 7157:2010 provides a definition, according to which an electronic publication is an electronic document or a group of such documents that have undergone editorial and publishing processing, have source data and are intended for distribution in an unchanged form.

And the expert believes that it is wrong to have the textbook in an «unchanged form» because the advantage of an electronic textbook, unlike traditional publications, is precisely in its interactivity and some degree of personalization.

Basic Elements of Electronic Publications and Requirements to Them

The most common formats of electronic publications, including textbooks, are:

• hypertext (html, xml);
• publishing houses (pdf, epub, lit);
• presentation programs (Flash, Director, Power Point).

Besides, any material, which is published in the format of an electronic publication consists of a number of elements:

• text (ASCII, HTML, XML);
• graphics (GIF, JPEG, SVG);
• multimedia (sound, video, animation);
• links (internal and external);
• applications (applets, plug-ins, PL);
• source data elements (headings, minimum system requirements, classification indexes, state registration numbers, copyright marks).

The absolute advantage of an electronic textbook is its functionality. For example, it can be activated at a given time or be adapted for use with the left hand or for children who do not distinguish colors (color blindness). In other words, the publication automatically selects the mode adjusted to user’s perception and capabilities.

The main requirement to an electronic textbook is a balance of such elements as accessibility, rationality, adaptability, interactivity, multimedia and suitability. This means that the textbook should be accessible from any device and have such a flexible structure that you can interact with its content in different ways.

The organization of the material should make it possible to use the textbook for a long time and perform various learning tasks. An electronic textbook must also meet the requirements for teaching children with special educational needs.

Interactivity and multimedia, in addition to a variety of text, graphic, audio and video information, animation, mean that students can interact with objects, interfere with some processes, simulate, use virtual reality tools, exchange thoughts with the teacher and among themselves.

And, of course, an electronic textbook must meet educational standards in terms of content and scope of material, pass internal and external examinations. When an electronic textbook is not an extended analog of a printed publication, but a separate product, then, like any other educational publication, it must pass an expert examination on the reliability of the content, truthfulness and up-to-datedness of information, compliance with requirements to educational literature, etc.

It is also advisable to get feedback from users (including teachers regarding the ease of use and teaching) and test the textbook among children of the relevant age.

All content of a digital textbook should be equally comfortably accessible from any device as well as allow to quickly expand and integrate it with other sources. This means that technologies and information may change over time, and the textbook must be adapted to include the new content and remove outdated one.

Much attention is also paid to copyright protection of textbook materials. Even the design approach and creative findings should be protected from pirated copying and use. Therefore, the source data and design of the publication in accordance with the requirements of the standards are extremely important. All these textbooks must be registered in the state registration system in the same way as it is done with printed analogues.

Advantages of an Electronic Textbook

Publishers name a number of advantages of electronic publications, in particular textbooks:

• cross-platform, i.e. the ability to read the textbook at any digital device;
• adaptability in the hardware and software environment – the publication automatically adapts to user’s software tools and technical support;
• scalability or the ability to quickly supplement and expand the content and remove outdated information, involve other authors into the development of the material;
• crosstalk and completeness of information. For a student who wants to master a topic, it is important to get knowledge not only from one source. The authors can present their own vision, or they can provide links to other authors’ works or alternative opinions. Or they can support the content with graphics or videos on external media;
• ability to search and connect external sources (hyperlinks);
• use of comments and bookmarks as well as the ability for teachers and students to exchange opinions. The ability to comment on information is important for both the student and the teacher. On the other hand, it allows both the author and publisher to get feedback from users in order to quickly make changes;
• possibility for taking efficient self-tests (for example, through built-in questionnaires with automatic verification and explanation of answers);
• ability to quickly navigate and search for content;
• the ability to index data, i.e. create databases and knowledge where you can find the necessary information through filters and search words, as well as, if necessary, incorporate these databases in larger educational platforms.

And those who prefer printed educational publications can print an electronic textbook.

This material was prepared for the Learning Together project and published on the NUS portal following the results of the Autumn School for Creators of Modern Educational Materials organized by the Learning Together project + the EU project at the end of 2021.

This document was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.