ERIC Number: EJ1196177
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0266-4909
EISSN: N/A
How Students Read an e-Textbook in an Engineering Course
Gyllen, J.; Stahovich, T.; Mayer, R.
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, v34 n6 p701-712 Dec 2018
Time on task has been recognized as an important variable in academic learning, but self-report measures of study time are problematic. Therefore, this study employs an automated system for recording time spent reading a course textbook. College students in an introductory engineering course accessed their textbook online. The book contained pages of instructional text, worked examples, homework problems, and answers to homework problems. An instrumented document reader program called "STL Reader" recorded the time each student spent on each page, thus providing detailed measures of reading habits. Across the 10-week course, students spent an average of 1.9 hr reading instructional text, 1.4 hr on worked examples, 22.1 hr on homework problems, and 0.9 hr on homework answers, indicating a preference for practicing to solve test problems (i.e., self-testing) rather than being told (i.e., receiving direct instruction). Furthermore, course grade (based largely on solving problems on exams and quizzes) correlated significantly and positively with time viewing homework problems, but not with time viewing either instructional text or worked examples, indicating that achievement was related to time spent practicing for solving test problems but not to time spent being instructed. Results suggest a revision of the time-on-task hypothesis to include the value of spending time on tasks aligned to test requirements.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Engineering Education, Electronic Learning, Electronic Publishing, Textbooks, Reading Strategies, Time on Task, Homework, Problem Solving, Tests, Grades (Scholastic), Academic Achievement, Prior Learning, Preferences
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California (Riverside)
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1432820