Various effects on information-seeking behavior are observed, including the potential decline of critical thinking in order to evaluate sources and the danger of sidelining search skills in favor of easy information solutions.
The University Library released its web-based discovery service to students in October 2011. Custom textbooks were used by the University's History department to support one of its first-year undergraduate modules, with the aim of providing a source of essential reading. This is combined with a review of the relevant literature surrounding each service. It examines the implementation of each of these initiatives at the University of Reading, using the institution as a case study to explore the implications on students’ information-seeking behavior. This article explores two methods of “packaging” information for students: custom textbooks and web-based discovery services. The biggest advantage of screen reading was convenience, while the primary disadvantages were eyestrain and distraction. Advantages reported for print included ease of annotation and paper’s tactile properties, while among the disadvantages were lack of convenience and expenditure of environmental or monetary resources. Using a fine-grained coding scheme, these responses were quantified. Qualitative questions asked what students liked most and liked least about reading in hardcopy and reading digitally. Students reported they were more likely to re-read printed material than digital they were also more likely to multitask when reading onscreen. Nearly 92% said they concentrated best when reading in print, and more than four-fifths reported that if cost were the same, they would prefer print for both schoolwork and pleasure reading. The quantitative findings revealed high levels of affirmation about advantages of reading in print. The present investigation gathered quantitative and qualitative survey data from 429 university students in the US, Japan, Germany, Slovakia, and India.
Furthermore, we have little systematic knowledge about students’ own attitudes and practices regarding reading in hardcopy versus onscreen. Some studies have indicated that comprehension in the two media is equivalent, while other research has questioned this conclusion. The benefits and drawbacks of using a custom text and the importance of having clear goals before beginning a customization project were discussed.Īs use of digital devices has grown, university students (along with faculty and administrators) are considering whether academic reading should be done in print or on digital screens. Results also indicated that the original goals of the project were met. Results revealed higher satisfaction with the custom textbook as compared to a traditional text, as well as consistency between faculty and students in the perceived helpfulness of different components of the text. For both studies, perceived benefits and drawbacks of the custom textbook were surveyed, as well as the helpfulness of its various components. Study 1 involved faculty members who used the custom textbook, and Study 2 included students who were enrolled in General Psychology. Two studies present data on student and faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of the textbook. A description of custom textbooks is presented, and the specific textbook that our Psychology Department has developed is discussed. This paper describes a model for the articulation and assessment of goals in the development and use of a general psychology custom textbook.
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