Q&A with lecturer and alum Viet Vu
|
By Carol Jean Tomoguchi-Perez
March 26, 2024 Viet Vu '17 has filled many roles: high school teacher, curriculum developer, textbook author, and postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at UC Irvine. This spring, however, Vu took on the challenge of authoring an interactive e-book in response to the needs of his students. A graduate of the School of Education's Ph.D. program with an emphasis in language, literacy and technology, Vu used his background and experience to design and author the e-book. Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your textbook Foundational Issues in K-12 Education? A: When I was looking for a textbook to use in the Education 50: Issues in K-12 course that I regularly teach at UCI, I didn’t find one that met my needs. First, I knew I needed an interactive ebook because student reading habits had moved online or on their devices. The interactive ebook that I needed had to engage my students and constantly provide feedback on their learning. Second, I needed a book that could easily be integrated into Canvas and allow my students to stay within that ecosystem for their learning needs. I didn’t want to use Canvas to simply list readings or assignments or for quizzing purposes. I wanted it to be the place for all of their learning needs. Finally, I needed a textbook that was not just informative but had a particular narrative. Since I didn’t find an interactive ebook that met all of my criteria, I set out to create my own for this course and for other professors who teach similar courses and have similar needs. |
Viet Vu
|
How does your background in Language, Literacy, and Technology influence the approach taken in your book?
I’ve always been interested in using technology effectively to support student learning. Therefore, it was natural to use my background and experience to create an interactive e-book.
What unique features does your fully interactive and digital textbook offer compared to traditional printed textbooks?
This interactive ebook can be integrated into a college’s learning management system such as Canvas. Through this integration, students don’t have to leave the Canvas ecosystem to complete the readings and assignments, which is normally the case when a traditional textbook is used. The readings in my ebook integrate interactive components to engage readers. These components include formative assessment questions, embedded short videos, discussion boards, quizzes, and assignments. I believe the modality of this book will make learning more accessible for students because the required content is centrally located in Canvas. As a benefit to instructors, the modality will make it easier for instructors to deploy because they don’t have to spend time creating new activities or assignments in Canvas.
What knowledge do you hope students will gain from your digital textbook?
This textbook was designed for an introductory course in education for undergrad students. It provides foundational knowledge that students in this type of course should know including historical events, laws that govern schools, information about school financing, major educational polices, important figures in education, trends in federal government intervention, and programs and initiatives to address issues of educational inequality.
Could you share some examples of the interactive elements included in your textbook that enhance the learning experience?
The readings have interactive components to engage readers. They include formative assessment questions to check for comprehension, embedded short videos, accompanying discussion boards, end-of-chapter quizzes, and assignments such as publisher created study guides.
What challenges did you encounter while creating a fully online and interactive textbook, and how did you overcome them?
I had never created an interactive ebook so I spent some time researching and reviewing the interactive ebooks in the market. I met regularly with the book publisher on many occasions to get their opinion and advice and ultimately went through many iterations. Additionally, I used a preliminary version of the book in my courses for two quarters. This allowed me to get student feedback and to make revisions. The first edition that (was published) on March 11 is a product of the feedback I received from my students and the things I learned from using the textbook in those two quarters.
How does your textbook cater to diverse needs within the college and university student population?
I made sure there were various types of activities, assessments that were both formative and summative, assignments that students could do individually or in groups, projects that students could do online as well as offline, and videos that provided multiple viewpoints. Additionally, the book is offered as an interactive e-book and in print as well.
I’ve always been interested in using technology effectively to support student learning. Therefore, it was natural to use my background and experience to create an interactive e-book.
What unique features does your fully interactive and digital textbook offer compared to traditional printed textbooks?
This interactive ebook can be integrated into a college’s learning management system such as Canvas. Through this integration, students don’t have to leave the Canvas ecosystem to complete the readings and assignments, which is normally the case when a traditional textbook is used. The readings in my ebook integrate interactive components to engage readers. These components include formative assessment questions, embedded short videos, discussion boards, quizzes, and assignments. I believe the modality of this book will make learning more accessible for students because the required content is centrally located in Canvas. As a benefit to instructors, the modality will make it easier for instructors to deploy because they don’t have to spend time creating new activities or assignments in Canvas.
What knowledge do you hope students will gain from your digital textbook?
This textbook was designed for an introductory course in education for undergrad students. It provides foundational knowledge that students in this type of course should know including historical events, laws that govern schools, information about school financing, major educational polices, important figures in education, trends in federal government intervention, and programs and initiatives to address issues of educational inequality.
Could you share some examples of the interactive elements included in your textbook that enhance the learning experience?
The readings have interactive components to engage readers. They include formative assessment questions to check for comprehension, embedded short videos, accompanying discussion boards, end-of-chapter quizzes, and assignments such as publisher created study guides.
What challenges did you encounter while creating a fully online and interactive textbook, and how did you overcome them?
I had never created an interactive ebook so I spent some time researching and reviewing the interactive ebooks in the market. I met regularly with the book publisher on many occasions to get their opinion and advice and ultimately went through many iterations. Additionally, I used a preliminary version of the book in my courses for two quarters. This allowed me to get student feedback and to make revisions. The first edition that (was published) on March 11 is a product of the feedback I received from my students and the things I learned from using the textbook in those two quarters.
How does your textbook cater to diverse needs within the college and university student population?
I made sure there were various types of activities, assessments that were both formative and summative, assignments that students could do individually or in groups, projects that students could do online as well as offline, and videos that provided multiple viewpoints. Additionally, the book is offered as an interactive e-book and in print as well.
