New Features of Open Textbook for Integrative STEMx Education

Over the last 10 years it was observed that scientific literacy has two orientations: (1) scientific content is presented to be used later for anything and (2) scientific content is presented to be used in life. According to data provided by the Michigan State University, STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations are growing at nearly two times the rate of the non-STEM jobs. In addition, many fields are seeking employers with STEM-related skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, and technical abilities. Thus, as STEM has progressively expanded, there is a perceived need for new focused on high-demand jobs in scientific literacy. For open textbooks to be a unique experience in STEM education, it is important to design new features. This chapter explores the open textbook area for integrative STEMx education. It considers how open textbooks can provide students a unique way forward to learn about learning strategies and to develop global skills on-demand. The conclusion is provided at the end.

Overview of Open Textbooks

This chapter highlights the specific features of open education from the perspective of dynamic (social) equilibrium. It is an attempt to bring the current lines of frontier research in pedagogy with the emergence of open textbooks for the global audience. To broaden the opportunities of open textbooks for self-regulated learning, this chapter analyzes the affordability of open education and the feasibility of open textbooks versus non-open textbooks. On the first line, the open education represents a transition from closed to the open system where co-exist a bio-digital fusion of various objects, processes, and environments. On the second line, the open education is an attempt to explore the complexity of global issues related to the emergence of open textbooks. The objectives of this chapter are to discuss (1) the added value of industrialization and digitalization on instructional design of textbooks, (2) the issues of open data, open knowledge, and open pedagogy, and (3) the terminology and the specific features of open textbooks.

Metasystems Learning Design Theory

Open textbooks play an important role in skills development. They provide open access to global knowledge and offer the collaborative way for problem solving, critical thinking, and development of on-demand skills. The emergence of the open textbooks represents a metasystem transition from printed textbooks to OERs. This causes a contradiction between what students learn, how they learn, and what they need to learn for better adaptivity at the variety of learning environments. This chapter explores the state-of-the-art in metasystems learning design theory and norms for practical applications in designing of the open textbooks. It is argued that learning is a metasystem transition from knowledge acquisition to soft skills development and that learning is more than the achievement of the instructional objectives. The open textbooks may have an important impact on self-regulated learning if the design of open textbook will be focused on metasystems technology of thinking.

Open Education and Instructional Design Models

Open education is about the way people produce, insight, share, and build on knowledge in an open learning environment. Proponents of open education believe that high-quality educational resources and practical experiences of higher qualified specialists should be freely available for everyone. However, they neglect two important drivers: Cartesian view and social learning. In the context of the other chapters of this book, it appeared to be appropriate for this chapter to focus on metasystems transition perspective of instructional design. This chapter aims to understand the correlation between instructional design models and metasystems transition perspective. The book chapter concludes with solutions with recommendations for future research concerning the role of metasystems in learning theory and design.

Anticipating Competence Development With Open Textbooks

Today's workplace is showing that global quality of learning embodied development of hard skills and soft skills. The hard skills are specific tangible abilities such as reading, communication, leadership, flexibility, motivation, persuasion, and problem solving. Soft skills are less tangible because they refer to personality traits, social graces, and personal habits that are used in relationships with other people. Development of soft skills in an open learning environment involves motivation, mind, and body movement. OER has the power to transform education. The aim of this chapter is to explore issues of using and collaborative creation of open textbooks and the pedagogy of hard and soft skills development. After summarizing the idea of hard and soft skills development, the author suggests new study topics that may promote an interesting line of future research in the area of frontier pedagogy.

Specific Features of Fragmented Content

In the future, data will connect everything and everybody. Open data is related to transparency, affordability, and participative education. The open pedagogy will be concerned with a specific feature of fragmented content. This chapter provides an informal introduction to micro-learning and nano-learning, especially as it may be applied to open textbook use and development. What is fragmented content? What is nano-curriculum? What is nano-learning? In which ways are they similar, and what distinguishes one from another? The principal characteristics of each are described. An assumption, made explicit from the start, is that fragmented content should not just be used as content, but as a strong correlation between the content, context, and learning process. This innovation is described involving a metacognitive collaborative activity “student as a partner.” Based on the outcomes of this project, a further methodological idea was undertaken. This chapter suggests that fragmented content is an excellent means for enhancing the self-regulation competence of university student.

Shifting Perspectives With Open Textbooks

Digital screens are everywhere. The world of textbooks becomes vibrant, challenging, interesting, and filled with various global opportunities and tremendous risks. Open textbooks are used for reading, digital literacy, visual literacy, and multimedia. They are incorporated into a variety of learning environments. It is a real need for new psychopedagogical models based on adaptive learning. But, what open textbooks are in need to be developed for success? This chapter explores the shifting perspectives of learning with open textbooks and concludes with the need for future research in adaptivity and interactivity. It analyzes the concepts of affordability, adaptivity, feasibility, open learning, open science, open culture, and open learning environment in order to outline the scientific framework of the metasystems learning design theory. The conclusion is provided at the end.