Individual Courses
Mary Ann Cullen, Dion Stewart, and C. Bayard Stringer
by Mary Ann Cullen, Dion Stewart, and C. Bayard Stringer (all from Georgia State University, Perimeter College) (bios)
Introduction
Online alternatives to traditional textbooks can lower educational costs for students and provide students access to the text on the first day of class. In many science disciplines, however, free, high quality, online textbooks are not readily available. This chapter explores the affordable content option of using online readings from a science reference database (AccessScience) to replace assigned textbook readings in freshman-level geology and astronomy classes, discusses the practical aspects of selecting and using a database as an introductory learning resource, and looks at the librarian’s role in the project.
Origin of the Project
This project came about when our librarian notified science faculty of a trial subscription to a science database, asking them to examine the database and provide feedback about adding it to the library’s subscription collection. The database consisted primarily of encyclopedia-like articles about science topics, with supplementary information including videos and news articles.
This project came about when our librarian notified science faculty of a trial subscription to a science database, asking them to examine the database and provide feedback about adding it to the library’s subscription collection … One geology instructor decided to use the database in lieu of his current textbook.
One geology instructor decided to use the database in lieu of his current textbook. He had found that students seemed bored with the text and frequently did not do the assigned readings, and that some did not purchase the textbook due to its high cost, even though he had approved the use of older and thus less expensive editions. Circulation data also showed that few students were using the textbook placed on course reserve in the library. An astronomy instructor noted students often searched Wikipedia for answers to their homework rather than referring to the assigned text, a practice leading to incorrect answers and an incomplete understanding of course material.
The instructors speculated that students might be more interested in online sources, especially if they resembled something familiar, like Wikipedia. Unlike Wikipedia, however, the database articles are written by experts in the fields of study, with their credentials clearly visible at the beginning of each article. The librarian was interested to see if exposure to a high-quality resource would encourage students to use the database for reference when not required to do so.
The study took place at Georgia Perimeter College, a public, two-year, Associate degree-granting institution with an open access mission, meaning that admission is not restricted based on standardized test scores or high school grade point average. While the school has a few professional programs,