18. Creating OER: Textbook Structure and Design

With an open textbook, we have the ability to create our ideal textbook, to look beyond the tradition of what a textbook has meant to us, and instead imagine what we wish it would be. An open textbook allows for a highly customized body of content and for a student centered delivery.

That said, a textbook is a familiar learning device. Students have a strong expectation of what a textbook should be. Just like with other instructional materials, the student experience should be carefully considered.

Designing a Textbook

When looking to write a textbook, some general rules of design will be helpful.

• Begin with the end in mind. What is it that you are trying to achieve? What is the scope of the book? What knowledge should a student have before and after they have used the book? What are the learning objectives?
• Sketch out the general parameters of your book. What types of media do you want to incorporate to your book?
• Make a plan for the future. Who will review your book? How often do you anticipate the content will need to be updated?

Now that I’ve completed the process of writing an open textbook, there are a few changes I would make if I were starting over. For one, I would take more time to make a detailed outline of the entire text. I was so overwhelmed by the process of writing that I just wanted to jump in before I got cold feet, but it made writing the first few chapters a bit challenging. As I went on, I got better about taking the time to map out the entire chapter thoroughly before writing and it actually made the writing easier. Thinking more broadly, I would just go into the project with more confidence, knowing that the time spent writing and editing the text was absolutely going to be worth it. — Caitie Finlayson, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Mary Washington. Author of World Regional Geography (CC BY NC SA).

What goes into a textbook? How is it structured?

We will use two categories of terms:

• Book Structure: How the book is organized on a high level.
• Book Elements: Internal components of a book that may be replicated within the overall structure. See the next chapter for more on elements.

Fleshing out the basic structure of your book allows you to address the matter of consistency. Creating consistent, repeatable, expected content for student readers provides a better learning experience. It also allows you to consistently frame how the materials will be taught.

Content Structure

While defining your content structure outline, it may be helpful to keep in mind what pre-requisite knowledge the students will have prior to using your book, what your anticipated time constraints are and where your students will go next. You may find that your structure is modified after you begin to include elements.

This list is meant to assist in the process of creating your structure. It is in no way exhaustive and many categories of content may be known by different terminology.

Structural Units

• Cover Page
• Legal Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Unit
• Chapter
• Section
• Sub Section
• Bibliography
• Resources
• Appendices
• Index
• Teachers’ Edition Materials

Content Elements

After you have created a general outline for your book structure (in the previous chapter), look to the common elements within that structure.  Elements, just as structural components, should be fairly consistent throughout your book.

It is at this point when you might start to look for matches among existing content. For example, do you have a case study that can be used for each unit or chapter you are creating? If you only have one case study you intend to use, can it become a chapter in itself? Does it belong in the appendices? As you build your elements, you may find that your overarching structure is modified as well.

This list is meant to assist in the process of creating your elements. It is in no way exhaustive and many categories of content may be repeated with different terminology.

Elements

• Headings
• Titles
• Objectives
• Overview
• Introduction
• Body
• Graphs
• Images
• Tables
• Maps
• Sidebar
• Key Terms
• Vocabulary Terms
• Practice Questions
• Example Sets
• Answer Keys
• Key Takeaways
• Summary
• Conclusion
• Case Studies
• Quiz

With an open textbook, we have the ability to create our ideal textbook, to look beyond the tradition of what a textbook has meant to us, and instead imagine what we wish it would be. An open textbook allows for a highly customized body of content and for a student centered delivery.

That said, a textbook is a familiar learning device. Students have a strong expectation of what a textbook should be. Just like with other instructional materials, the student experience should be carefully considered.

When looking to write a textbook, some general rules of design will be helpful.

• Begin with the end in mind. What is it that you are trying to achieve? What is the scope of the book? What knowledge should a student have before and after they have used the book? What are the learning objectives?
• Sketch out the general parameters of your book. What types of media do you want to incorporate to your book?
• Make a plan for the future. Who will review your book? How often do you anticipate the content will need to be updated?