Student Contributions To OER Textbooks From A Social Learning Perspective

This case study, conducted with a high-school AP Biology class examines what students in the class would add to their OER class textbook. The goals of the study were to identify the types of learning objects that students would contribute, the processes they use in that decision, and if the social aspects of creating a class textbook lead to enhanced learning. By examining data through a social learning lens, evidence was found that supports the idea that creating a textbook in a classroom can stimulate the cognitive aspects of motivation, attention, and memory. The results of the study suggest that the peer-review process employed to evaluate student submissions enhances self-efficacy of the students and helps motivate them to choose high quality submissions. Additional motivation stemmed from the learning objects being added to the textbook with the student’s name attached. Student choice of the type of resource they could add was valued highly by the participants and was a key driver of student engagement. Memory was enhanced in some students through the process of evaluating and choosing existing resources to add to the textbook, but was markedly enhanced when a student submitted their own original work.