The Future of “Textbooks”

Prof. Cyrus Sadeghian

Department of Natural Sciences

Prince George’s Community College�Largo, Maryland

DEFENSE STEM EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

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What is the public perception of education at this moment?

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Polling Data

• 51% of U.S. adults believe the public K-12 education system is going in the wrong direction, while only 16% say it's going in the right direction, and 32% are unsure. (Pew)

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• 70% of parents are somewhat or completely satisfied with their own child's education—though this is down from a historical average around 76–82% (Gallup)

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• 82% of teachers say the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse over the past five years; only 5% say it’s improved (Pew)

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• Student loan debt not offset by future potential earnings and job market volatility. “Not worth it”. Bureaucratic hurdles such as administrative processes, registration, and financial aid applications.

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• “Americans’ confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than in two prior readings in 2015 (57%) and 2018 (48%).” (Gallup)

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• Undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, even after the post-Covid return to campuses (National Student Clearinghouse)

K-12

Higher Ed

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How can we affect change?

• Synergize connections between K-12 and college educators, especially in college preparation and advising.
• Being honest!

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• Reduce unnecessary hurdles/costs, and closing equity gaps related to technological proficiency, finances, and resource availability.
• (my focus today ↑)

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Textbooks

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Data compiled and analyzed by:

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Economic Research

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

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PGCC & OERs

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• Prince George’s Community College launched its PGCC Go Open program in 2019.

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• Z-Courses

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OER Study

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• All of my courses are Z-Courses (OER)

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• Essentially every department at PGCC offers some number of Z-Course sections

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• How do students feel about them?

• I surveyed 203 students across 10 biology course sections and one information technology section.

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• Surveys were anonymous and consisted of a variety of questions relating to their course specific OERs.

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Assess this statement:�Your overall experience with the OER textbook has been adequate.

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The alternative to an OER textbook would be a paid alternative textbook that can cost anywhere from $50 - $250. They typically have more course content, practice problems, case studies, and visual aids among other features. There are usually eText versions available from most publishers and even offer online subscription homework access. With that said, which would you prefer?

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Throughout the course, how frequently did you use the OER textbook? Pick the answer that is most applicable.

For Purchased Textbooks:

• Around 54% of students reported always or often purchasing the required textbooks. However, only 37.5% of students reported always or often reading all assigned materials. (Florida Virtual Campus)

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• 65% of students decided not to buy a textbook at some point due to its high cost. Additionally, 94% of those students were concerned that not having the textbook would hurt their grades. (U.S. Public Interest Research Group)

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Conclusion?

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Students don’t like to read...

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What do students do now to study?��Use AI for reading material and as a stand-in tutor.

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What can it do?

Personalized Content Delivery:

• AI can generate tailored reading materials based on a student's learning style, pace, and knowledge gaps. It can also adapt to learning progress as well.

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Dynamic and Interactive Texts:

• AI can enhance traditional reading materials by embedding interactive elements.

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Real-Time Updates:

• AI can maintain up-to-date materials, particularly in rapidly evolving fields like technology or medicine.

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Language and Accessibility Support:

• AI can translate reading materials into multiple languages, and adapt to ADA needs, increasing accessibility for diverse learners.

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What can’t it do?

Foundational Knowledge:

• Academic material provides foundational, peer-reviewed knowledge that is essential for rigorous education. AI-generated materials might lack the credibility or depth of such resources.

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Critical Thinking, Analysis, and Context:

• Reading traditional texts teaches critical thinking and analysis, skills that go beyond simply absorbing information.
• Many courses rely on reading materials that provide historical, cultural, or literary context, which AI might struggle to replicate.

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Academic Standards and Ethics:

• Institutions value the reliability and citation standards of established texts. AI-generated content might not always meet these requirements or could inadvertently propagate errors.

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Human Expertise:

• Expert-authored materials reflect decades of research/experience. While AI can summarize and adapt content, it cannot yet replicate the unique insights of human scholars.

Will it ever replace teachers?

NO.

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Poll: Which answer most closely matches your current mindset with students generating reading/study material exclusively from AI?

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1. I encourage the use of it and would rather them do that than not study at all. I’ll be sure to caution them that it can make mistakes, but the pros outweigh the cons.

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• I am skeptical about students relying on AI too much to study, but also optimistic about it’s potential. I’m not ready to let it exclusively generate my reading/study material quite yet, but I will use it for smaller learning exercises.

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• I’m not comfortable AI generating material for my students at home without my ability to review it. If I do use it to make in-class material for them, I heavily edit it to tailor it to my needs.

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• I discourage the use of it and would prefer if my students only read/studied from material I provide to them. I am concerned with copyright/plagiarism issues along with many other issues as well.

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What Will the Future of “Textbooks” Look Like with AI?

• Exclusively digital

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• Fully AI vs. Integrated AI

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• Virtual Reality immersive environments?

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• Adaptive, engaging, and collaborative.

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• Schools will likely purchase organizational access to specific models of AI that can generate it for them.

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What now?

• For now, AI will be used in conjunction with OER reading material as study companions.

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• Farther into the future, AI will replace the concept of the textbook entirely.

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• There will be a list of topics, where you can either write their prompts, or have them write it themselves.

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• Students will have their own AI tutors, which will also have voice activation.

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Watch Me Generate a Textbook Chapter

My topic: Carbohydrates

What’s on my Syllabus?

• Elemental composition
• Typical molecular structure and function
• Monosaccharides vs Polysaccharides
• Glycosidic Linkages
• Alpha versus Beta structures
• Structure and functions of
• Starch
• Glycogen
• Cellulose
• Chitin
• Peptidoglycan

https://chatgpt.com/

https://chat.openai.com/

“ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”

Create a biology textbook chapter for me on Carbohydrates, which includes the elemental composition, structure and function of typical sugars, mono- vs polysaccharides, the glycosidic linkage properties, alpha versus beta structures, and the common polysaccharides such as starch, glycogen, cellulose, chitin, and peptidoglycan. Please include examples, figures, diagrams, case studies, and a plethora of other resources to help with the comprehension of these macromolecules. I would prefer more of the reading in paragraph form as opposed to the bulleted formats.

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Generate your own textbook chapter or equivalent reading material:

• Create a detailed prompt that lays out everything you want it to give.

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• Ask it to include supplemental material (figures, practice problems, appropriate citations, etc.) and see if it does it well.

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• How does it compare to any “textbooks” or equivalents that you use in your class?

Questions to Consider

Was the textbook chapter generated sufficient for the depth of your class?

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Would you rather your students read/study with what you just generated as opposed to nothing?

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Connect with DoD STEM

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@DoDstem

@DoDSTEM

@DoDstem

DoD STEM

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Contact

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Dr. Rebecca Stanley, �RTI International

Defense STEM Education Consortium, Consortium Chair

rstanley@rti.org

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References

• EconED Conference: “Jose Vazquez: The Problem is Not THIS Textbook: The Problem is THE Textbook Itself,” Macmillan Economics.
• Florida Virtual Campus Student Textbook Survey (2016)
• U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) Report (2014)
• Economic Research, The Federal Reserve of St. Louis “Price changes in textbooks versus recreational books over the past 15 years” (2019)
• Gallup, Megan Brenan, “Americans' Confidence in Higher Education Down Sharply” (2023)
• National Student Clearing House, “Fall Undergraduate Enrollment Declines at a Slower Pace but Nearing Pre-Pandemic Rates.” (2022)
• Pew Research Center, “About half of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction” (2024)
• Gallup, “Americans' View of K-12 Education Improves From 2023 Low” (2024)
• Pew Research Center, “Teachers’ views on the state of public K-12 education” (2024)

Any Questions?

Prof. Cyrus Sadeghian,

Prince George’s Community College�2023-2024 DoD STEM Ambassador

sadeghcx@pgcc.edu

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