Going Paperless:Using iBooks in Faculty

Development Workshops

Rebecca J. Hogue, Madeleine Montpetit,

Colla J. MacDonald

Twitter: @rjhogueEmail: rhogue@pobox.com

Rebecca J. Hogue

• PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa• Faculty of Education• Thesis project in the Department of Family Medicine:“Teaching Family Medicine Preceptor to use Tablet Computers: A Educational Design Research Study”

• Specialize in mobile learning, eLearning, and creating educational programs to support technology adoption

Rebecca.Hogue@uottawa.cahttp://rjhogue.ca@rjhogue

Introduction

Context: – uOttawa Department of Family Medicine,

» Approx 250 preceptors in academic teaching clinics and community-based clinics

– Needs:» Physicians didn’t want paper-based resources» Electronic resources with active hyperlinks

– Opportunities:» Large adoption of iPads in user base (TOH)» Free iBooks Author software

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Study Purpose

• Validate the feasibility of using iBooks Author to generate PDF and eBook guides

• Terminology note: – iBooks Author – application on a MAC– iBooks App – application on the iPad (and now Mac)

to read eBooks– eBook for iPad – special type of eBook for viewing

in the iBooks apps

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Research Questions

1. Can an electronic resource (e.g. participant guide) be created using the iBooks Author Software in a cost effective manner?

2. Can the participants guides be effectively distributed to workshop participants?

3. How satisfied are the workshop participants with the participant guides?

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Educational Intervention

• Essential Teaching Skills 2: Supporting Learners in Difficulty– F2F 4-hour workshop

• Two versions of participants guides were created:– eBooks for iPad– PDF for any other device

Note: eBook now available in the iBookstore (search for “essential teaching skills”

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

eBook Features

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Ability to highlight and take notes

Change font size, view in portrait or

landscape

Integrated video clips and hyperlinks

Design and Development Process

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

1• Iterative cycles of writing and reviewing using Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint

2

• Review and approve final content of participant guide in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint

3• Build the eBook in iBooks Author

4• Export the eBook as an eBook and again as a PDF

5• Create ‘how to use iBooks’ screencasts (e.g. http://ipad-fm.ca)

6• Build a website for distributing the guides (e.g. http://familymedicine.uottawa.ca/ETS2)

Guiding Design Principles

1. Keep it simple (don’t add features that increase cost or file size)

2. Use same media and images on PPT and participant guide

3. Use active hyperlinks to external resources4. Consider whether content can be made local

(embedded)5. Be aware of copyrighted material

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Lessons Learned In Development

• It is faster to use iBooks Author software as compared to Microsoft Word

• The file size of the iBooks Author source file and the eBook file can grow very quickly

• Major Apple announcements can cause problems• Distribution of the eBook version using a website posed

challenges– Not enough notice (1 week, not 48-hours)– iBooks app version issues - Not knowing Apple IDs

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Workshop Facilitator Evaluations

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Workshop Participants

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Active hyperlinks to

resources

Issues Identified in Evaluations

• Inability to load eBook for iPad (issues with versions of iBooks)

• Difficulty navigating

• Comments about inability to annotate

• Facilitators were concerned about having to teach iBooks

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Discussion

• Positives:– Participants liked the electronic format– Ease-of-use scores were higher for

electronic versions than overall likely due to hyperlinks

• Challenges:– Distribution of the eBooks– Novice user-base not doing the tutorials

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Limitations / Future Research

• Limitations:– iBooks Author requires Mac with Lion OS

• Future research:– 3-month feedback from participants– Implementing eBooks across all ETS workshops

• Latest Apple announcement: eBooks for iPad can be accessed on a Mac

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Tools

• iBooks Author (free from Apple Inc.)• Computer with Apple OS 10.7.4 or higher (Lion)• eBook requires iPad 2 or newer• PDF reader on any computer or tablet• Screencast-o-matic ($15/year)• Reflector ($10) to record ‘how-to’ screencasts

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Conclusion – Practical Tips

• Fully develop content using common tools• Keep your content simple• Give participants enough time (>1 week) to install the

guides in advance of the workshop• Provide ‘how to hands-on’ tutorials• If feasible, use the iBookstore• Be aware of Apple announcements

Rebecca J. Hogue, PhD Candidate, @rjhogue

Thank-You

Questions?

Rebecca J. HogueTwitter: @rjhogue

Email: rjhogue@pobox.com