Skip to main content
Utah's Foremost Platform for Undergraduate Research Presentation
2014 Abstracts

Examining the Faculty Experience Related to the Use of E-text/Course Content in Business School Classrooms

Shadlan Gale, Utah Valley University

Education

This paper presents ongoing research to examine faculty experience and attitudes toward the implementation of electronic textbooks/course content (e-text) for college courses. In fall 2013, the Woodbury School of Business (WSB) at Utah Valley University (UVU) converted over fifty courses to e-text only. The WSB made this transition in many of its classes to reduce costs and provide students with more interactive course materials through additional learning tools found within the e-text platforms.

One key goal with the e-text implementation is that professors hope their students will come to class more prepared. Activities such as pre-class quizzes require students to become familiar with the material prior to each class period thus allowing professors to focus more on application of the principles being taught, rather than elementary and basic fundamentals. We hope to find that the implementation of e-text and coordinating materials assist with this goal.

Multiple focus groups were held at UVU to discover any possible, prominent and/or recurring themes, either positive or negative, among the thoughts and attitudes of faculty members affected by the implementation of e-text. Findings from these focus groups were recorded, transcribed and summarized in order to develop a thorough analysis of the faculty’s attitudes and experiences regarding the e-text implementation. The aspects explored include faculty’s opinions of the course content and supporting materials, comfort level with technology and implementation process, and whether they feel the technology has added value to the overall classroom experience. This research will provide valuable information regarding the attitude and experience of UVU faculty participating in the implementation of e-text in their designated courses.