Title: Adopting and adapting open textbooks: school teachers' readiness and expectations

Authors: Billy Tak-Ming Wong; Kam Cheong Li; Kin Sun Yuen; Joly Wai-Shuen Wu

Addresses: University Research Centre, The Open University of Hong Kong 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong ' University Research Centre, The Open University of Hong Kong 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong ' Educational Technology and Publishing Unit, The Open University of Hong Kong 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong ' University Research Centre, The Open University of Hong Kong 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract: This paper describes a study on an open textbook project, which aims to establish a sustainable system for providing quality open textbooks for adoption and adaptation at minimal cost. A survey was conducted, covering 167 teachers in local primary and secondary schools, to determine how ready the school teachers are for using open textbooks and the kind of support they require. The results show that a majority of the participating teachers have limited familiarity or experience with open textbooks. It is common for the teachers to adopt and adapt resources on the internet for teaching, showing that open textbooks will meet their needs. However, their limited computer skills in image, video and web page editing may present difficulties for them in revising the resources. On the basis of these findings, the challenges and future support for teachers in using open textbooks are discussed.

Keywords: e-books; e-learning; electronic learning; electronic textbooks; e-textbooks; learning resources; online learning; online sharing; open education resources; open textbooks; resource sharing; teacher expectations; teacher readiness; textbook development; open textbook adoption; open textbook adaptation; primary schools; secondary schools; computer skills.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSS.2016.077954

International Journal of Services and Standards, 2016 Vol.11 No.2, pp.160 - 175

Received: 03 Nov 2015
Accepted: 03 May 2016

Published online: 23 Jul 2016 *

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