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Proximity of Equations, Text, and Figures in Civil Engineering E-Textbooks. Paul W. Richards Brigham Young University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Electronic Textbooks Are Being Pushed. Are Electronic Textbooks As Effective as Printed?.
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Proximity of Equations, Text, and Figures in Civil Engineering E-Textbooks Paul W. Richards Brigham Young University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Are Electronic Textbooks As Effective as Printed? Daniel, D. B., and Woody, W. D. (2013). "E-textbooks at What Cost? Performance and Use of Electronic vs. Print Texts." Computers & Education, 62(0), 18-23. • No significant difference in learning • Electronic formats take longer to read
How Are Engineering Textbooks Different? Myers, D.G. Psychology. Seventh Ed. Hibbeler, R.C. Engineering Mechanics: Statics
How Does Proximity Impact Learning? Mayer, R.E., et al., A Generative Theory of Textbook Design: Using Annotated Illustrations to Foster Meaningful Learning of Science Text. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1995. 43(1): p. 31-43.
What Happens to Proximity in Engineering E-Textbooks? Even Page Odd Page Odd Page Now not proximate Now not proximate Printed Spread
Results for Printed Books • These results can be used to infer proximity in PDF versions viewed one page, rather than one spread, at a time. • Flowable-text versions have much lower proximity with some approaching 0%.
Returning to the Ideal “… page after page of Leonardo’s manuscripts have a gentle but thorough integration of text and figure, a quality rarely seen in modern work.” Edward Tufte
Conclusions and Recommendations • Proximity matters in scientific texts. • Electronic textbooks have poor proximity (50% or worse). • Current-generation e-textbooks in science and engineering should not be pushed.