Table 1
Mapping of survey questions to cleaned column names.
| ORIGINAL SURVEY QUESTION | CLEANED COLUMN NAME |
|---|---|
| What is your preferred mode of studying? | Q1_Preferred_Study_Mode |
| What type of textbook did you primarily use for this course? | Q2_Textbook_Type_Used |
| Have you used open online textbooks in any other courses before? | Q3_Prior_Open_Textbook_Experience |
| The textbook provided clear explanations of key concepts. | Q4_Clear_Explanations |
| The textbook helped me understand difficult topics in biology. | Q4_Understanding_Difficult_Topics |
| The textbook included useful examples or applications of biological concepts. | Q4_Useful_Examples |
| I feel the textbook contributed to my overall success in this course. | Q4_Overall_Success_Contribution |
| How often did you use the textbook to prepare for class or exams? | Q5_Textbook_Use_Preparation_Frequency |
| Did you find the textbook to be effective for completing assignments or studying? | Q6_Textbook_Effectiveness_Assignments_Studying |
| Text readability | Q7_Engagement_Text_Readability |
| Visual design (e.g., images, tables) | Q7_Engagement_Visual_Design |
| Navigation (e.g., ease of finding sections/topics) | Q7_Engagement_Navigation_Ease |
| To what extent did the textbook enhance your ability to connect with course material? | Q8_Textbook_Enhancement_Course_Connection |
| To what extent did the textbook contribute to retaining information for exams? | Q9_Textbook_Contribution_Retention |
| Did you use any interactive features in the textbook? | Q10_Used_Interactive_Features |
| How often did you use these features? | Q11_Interactive_Feature_Usage_Frequency |
| How useful were these features for your learning? | Q12_Interactive_Feature_Usefulness |
| Understanding key concepts | Q13_Effectiveness_Understanding |
| Retaining information for exams | Q13_Effectiveness_Retention |
| Applying concepts to assignments | Q13_Effectiveness_ApplyingConcepts |
| Revising or reviewing material | Q13_Effectiveness_Reviewing |
| Other (Effectiveness – write-in) | Q13_Effectiveness_Other |
| How accessible did you find the textbook? | Q15_Textbook_Accessibility |
| Which type of textbook would you prefer for future courses? | Q16_Textbook_Preference_Futur |
| Did you find the textbook distracting compared to other types of textbooks you’ve used? | Q17_Textbook_Distracting |
| Overall, how satisfied were you with the textbook you used? | Q18_Overall_Satisfaction |
Figure 1
Comparison of (a) accessibility and (b) satisfaction between students using online and traditional textbook.
(a) Perceived accessibility by textbook type. (b) Overall satisfaction by textbook type.
Figure 2
Panel (a) shows students’ ratings of textbook effectiveness for studying, indicating comparable perceptions for online and traditional formats. panel (b) presents textbook format preferences for future courses, showing a tendency toward open online materials or mixed-format use.
(a) Perceived effectiveness of textbook for studying. (b) Preferred textbook format for future courses.
Figure 3
Summary of student performance across online and traditional textbook groups. while median scores were comparable, online users showed greater grade variability, achieving more a’s and f’s.
(a) Comparison of final course marks by textbook type. (b) Distribution of letter grades by textbook type.
Table 2
Distribution of final course grades by textbook format. the online group had more a– and a+ grades, but also more failing grades (f). traditional students were more concentrated in the mid-grade range (b and c).
| CATEGORY | GRADE | ONLINE | TRADITIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | A+ | 5 | 3 |
| A | 3 | 5 | |
| A- | 11 | 6 | |
| MID | B+ | 2 | 2 |
| B | 9 | 16 | |
| B– | 3 | 9 | |
| C+ | 7 | 5 | |
| C | 5 | 15 | |
| C– | 7 | 5 | |
| LOW | D | 5 | 2 |
| F | 14 | 6 |
Figure 4
Distribution of scores (marks) between the online textbook users.
(a) Distribution of final scores for online textbook users. (b) Distribution of final scores for traditional users.
Table 3
Summary of key findings across textbook formats.
| OUTCOME | RESULT | p-value | INTERPRETATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Online rated higher | p = 0.013 | Statistically significant |
| Satisfaction | Comparable | p = 0.396 | Slightly higher for online |
| Effectiveness | Comparable | p = 0.757 | No difference |
| Future Preference | Comparable | p = 0.63 | Most prefer online/mix |
| Academic Performance | Comparable | p = 0.30 | No disadvantage for online |
| Effect Size | Cohen’s d = –0.25 | – | Small, negligible |