ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN

UNIVERSITY
Course name: Textbook Development Part -I
Course code: 6552
Assignment no. 1
Student name: Sadiq Muhammad Khan
Roll no. BW610065
Semester: Autumn 2019

Assignment no.1
Q.1 what are the major limitation of the textbooks in present Era?
Explain the Role of content in development of textbooks.
Major limitation of the textbooks

The Limitations of Textbooks

“Using a better frying pan doesn't necessarily mean you make a better omelet." Those are the
words of Thomas Kane, a professor of education at Harvard University and the faculty director
of the Center for Education Policy Research, who just published a multi-state study.

1. “Learning by the Book," designed to measure textbook efficacy since the

implementation of Common Core.
2. As you might guess from this quote, the findings did not suggest alternating textbooks
made much of an impact on how well students learned.
3. Education Week analysis of the study summed up, “None of 14 math textbooks studied
was consistently linked to gains in 4th and 5th grade student test scores collected from
hundreds of schools in six states."
4. Although researchers are still grappling with the mammoth research report's results, the
upshot seems to be, it's not what you have, and it's what you do with it. Obviously,
quality textbooks are to be desired and certainly not disregarded—but equally
 important as having the right materials in place is having the right support systems to
accompany them, in order to leverage learning resources to their fullest.

Rules of Textbook Development:

Textbook Defined

 A textbook is an organized body of material useful for the formal study of a subject area. A
good textbook is distinguished by the following pedagogical features:
 A discrete, well—bounded scope: all the material should relate to a solid understanding of
the subject, usually mixing theory and practice for each topic as it covers the subject
domain.
 Use of examples and problems: the student should be able to better grasp each presented
concept by following examples, and then applying the concept in structured exercises or
problems.
 An internally consistent style: after the first few sections, there should be little or no
surprises for the student in terms of layout and presentation of material. The texts user can
get comfortable with the layout, the tempo of presentation, and the pattern of figures,
illustrations, examples and exercises.
 Utility for future reference: once reviewed, the textbook should isolate material that is
useful to the future application of subject knowledge in well-organized appendices and
tables.
 A structure that makes sense: the textbook is not just a collection of useful material, it is a
guide to the student for an order of review which will aid in mastering the subject area.
Textbook Structure
Topics are presented in major parts, chapters, sections and subsections that are organized in
In a way that facilitates understanding. This means that the text's organization is based on the
intersection of two requirements. The first of these are the requirements of the subject
domain.
Rule of Frameworks: Maintain a consistent structure. The structure acts as a mental roadmap
that allows learners to navigate within and through the subject domain. To best aid in
understanding, the structure should be visible early on.
Rule of Meaningful Names: Create and use consistent titles and terminologies. Use
terminology that is common in your discipline. These names are critical to the ability to recall or
retrieve the things we know and remember.
Rule of Manageable Numbers: Limit the amount of information introduced at one time. For
new material, four to six new elements are a reasonable limit. Most of us are limited in our
ability to absorb new material. As we become familiar with part of a subject domain, this
number expands.
Rule of Hierarchy. New knowledge builds on learned knowledge. When introducing new
material, only refer to foundational material if it is relevant to the new material. The student
needs to understand the foundational knowledge before being introduced to a new concept.
When new concepts are introduced they should be explicitly connected to the foundational
material.
Rule of Repetition: Repeat important concepts. For example, frameworks and important
hierarchies are repeated as many as five or six times; frequently used elements are repeated
three or four times; and elements of lesser utility may not be repeated at all. There is a pattern
of repetition that aids in promoting the elements of a subject from short-term to long-term
memory.

Q. 2 discuss the method of textbook evaluation with the help of

examples.
Method of textbook evaluation with the help of examples
1.1: Textbook contains a comprehensive standard scope and sequence for a particular college

Textbook Quality Criteria

Textbook Quality Criteria

Criterion 1: Scope and Sequence

1.1: Textbook contains a comprehensive standard scope and sequence for a particular college
course or set of courses.

1.2: Textbook is easily divisible into smaller sections, with text that is not overly self-referential
in order to enable modularity as much as possible.

Criterion 2: Content Accuracy

2.1: Textbook contains accurate content without factual errors. Content is presented with no or
minimal bias or slant, taking into account the context of the particular subject being addressed.

2.3: Content is up-to-date and avoids presenting information that will make the text obsolete
quickly, taking into account the particular subject being addressed.

2.4: Content has been reviewed by subject matter experts through a peer review process
preferably, but not restricted to, double-blind peer review.
Criterion 3: Instructional Design

3.1: Textbook contains a variety of instructional materials including reflective questions,

learning activities, and other features which promote learner engagement and active learning.

3.2: The relationship between the use of the textbook and fulfilling particular learning
outcomes is clearly explained. .

Criterion 4: Text Clarity

4.1: Content is written in accessible and internally-consistent prose for the intended reader.

4.2: Textbook contains a structured, clear, and logical progression of topics.

4.3: Textbook contains no grammatical, spelling, or other typographical errors.

Criterion 5: Visual Clarity am: Fidelity

5.1: Textbook does not contain distorted images or charts, and does not contain any other
display features may distract/or confuse the reader.

5.2: Image resolution is up to the current standard for all viewing devices.

Criterion 6: Accessibility and Inclusive Design

6.1: Textbook provides accessible and structured text and images to meet the needs of diverse
learners.

6.2: Textbook reflects diversity and inclusion regarding culture, gender, ethnicity, national
origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, education, and religion, whenever possible, taking into
account the context of the particular subject being addressed.

Criterion 7: Ancillary Materials

7.1: Textbook has high-quality ancillary (supplementary) materials which aid the instructor in
the teaching process.

Ancillary Materials Quality Criteria

Criterion 1: Content Relevance

1: Ancillary materials contain content which fully addresses the targeted learning outcome(s).

Criterion 2: Content Accuracy

2.1: Ancillary materials contain accurate content without factual errors.

2.2: Content is presented with no or minimal bias or slant, taking into account the context of
the particular subject being addressed.

2.3: Content is up-to-date and avoids presenting information that will make the material
obsolete quickly, taking into account the particular subject being addressed.

2.4: Content has been reviewed by subject matter experts through a peer review process
preferably, but not restricted to, double-blind peer review.

Criterion 3: Instructional Design

3.1: The overall set of ancillary materials contain a variety of instructional methods and
activities which promote learner engagement and active learning.

3.2: The relationship between the use of the materials and fulfilling particular learning
outcomes is clearly explained.

Criterion 4: Technical Usability

4.1: Ancillary materials are in standard file formats or markup languages and easily adaptable to
other formats. :

4.2: [For ancillary materials based on coding and/or software platforms] Ancillary materials are
free of technical errors and glitches.

Criterion 5: Clarity and Fidelity

5.1: Ancillary materials do not contain distorted images or charts, and do not contain any other
display features that may distract or confuse the student.

5.2: Audio, video, and ‘image quality are up to the current standard for all devices used to
access the materials.

Criterion 6: Accessibility and Inclusive Design

6.1: Ancillary materials provide accessible and structured text and images to meet the needs of
diverse learners, or provide alternative means of access to multimedia content in formats that
meet the needs of diverse learners when applicable.

6.2: Ancillary materials reflect diversity and inclusion regarding culture, gender, ethnicity,
national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, education, and religion, whenever possible,
taking into account the context of the particular subject being addressed and the format and
goals of the materials.

Q. 3 what are the common controversies in religious textbooks.

Explain the feature of Allama Iqbal Open university production and
management system.
The Pakistani textbooks controversy relates to the reported inaccuracy of most Pakistani

Textbooks and the existence of historical revisionism in them. The content of Pakistan's official
textbooks has often been criticized by several sources including many within Pakistan for
sometimes promoting religious intolerance and Indophobia, leading to calls for curriculum
reform.

According to Husain Haqqani, only officially published textbooks are used in Pakistan's schools
and colleges since the era of Ayub Khan. This is used by Pakistani government to create a
standard narrative of Pakistan's history. During the rule of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq a

Program of Islamization" of the country including the textbooks was started. General Zia‘s

1979 education policy stated that "[the] highest priority would be given to the revision of the
curricula with a view to reorganizing the entire content around Islamic thought and giving
education an ideological orientation so that Islamic ideology permeates the thinking of the
younger generation and helps them with the necessary conviction and ability to refashion
society according to Islamic tenets".

According to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, since the 1970s Pakistan's school
textbooks have systematically inculcated hatred towards India and Hindus through historical
revisionism

The main objectives of the University as enunciated in the Act are as under:

 To provide educational facilities to people who cannot leave their homes and jobs in such
manner as it may determine.
 To provide such facilities to the masses for their educational uplift as it may determine.
 To provide facilities for the training of teachers in such manner as it may determine.
 To provide for instruction-in such branches of learning technology or vocations as it may
deem fit, and to make provision for research and for the advancement and dissemination of
knowledge in such a manner as it may determine.
 To hold examinations and to award and confer degrees, diplomas, certificates and other
academic distinctions.
silent Features

Allama Iqbal Open University, since its establishment has been providing and expanding its
educational and training facilities to help working people and females to enhance their
qualification and occupational skills. Main features of AIOU may be described as under:

Institutional Profile

 Operating semester system offered twice a year i.e. spring and autumn.
 The biggest university in the country with average student enrolment of more than 1.2
million per year.
 More than 2000 courses being offered.
 9 regional campuses, 33 regional centers, 41 approved study centers (for face—to-face
programs) and 138 part-time regional coordinating offices.
 1172 Study Centers are established throughout Pakistan.
 The largest publishing house in Pakistan printing over 1.8 million books annually.
 More emphasis on science and technology by introducing programs in disciplines like
Physics, Agriculture Extension, Livestock Management and Nutrition, Forestry Extension,
provide coaching and practical training in the fields of Computer Science and Management
Sciences.
 The largest Teacher Education institution in Pakistan with average enrolment of above
400,000 Students.
 The first university in Pakistan to establish the student Database.
 Computerization at main campus and the regions by provision of around 700 PCs.
 Provision of networking facilities between the main campus and the region to exchange
data/information and redresses of students’ complaints.
 Provision of Internet service at the main campus.
 Collaboration with Pakistan Atomic Energy ‘Commission (PAEC) for providing lab facilities to
AIOU students.
 Establishment of Resource Centre for ‘Basic Functional Education (mainly for illiterates)
Literacy and Post Literacy materials.
 Pioneer institution in Pakistan to offer post—graduate level programmers in Special
Education.
 The only institution in the country offering post-graduate programmers in Educational
Planning and Management.
 Introduction of Masters, M.Phil. And Ph.D. programs to develop professional and enhance
research capabilities in teaching and research institutions.
 Well established Institute of Educational Technology (IET) having in-house facilities for
production of TV, Radio and non-broadcast programs.
 “AIOU Magazine" is a regular television program produced in IET studios and telecast
fortnightly from PTV-National on the first and the third Mondays of each month. This
feature programs includes reports of latest academic and co-curricular activities happening
during the month.

Q.4 Highlights Needs of textbook development training and resource

center .Suggest some to improve these training and textbook
resource Centers.
A learning resource center is a facility within a school, staffed by a specialist, containing several
information sources.
Purpose Information and communication development opportunities and information flow are
the big challenges arising from a dedicated review of most educational questions, whether from
Theoretical frames or material: wikt: facilitate/facilitations. School libraries are then considered
one of the most important resources within educational facilities. The need to develop school
libraries is urgent in that, on the one hand there is a need to convey information via a wide
diversity of technologies and resources, and on the other hand, there is a myriad of new
teacher and student roles to support. Within this view, came the project of learning centers.
The objective is to raise school libraries to an international and more technical standard.
Learning resource Centers can also be institutionalized in various institutions for teaching and
learning
Purposes. The purpose of a resource center is to advance the learning experience of students
and teachers in any educational sector.
Concept A school utility driven by a qualified expert. It contains several information resources
and their techniques, which the teacher directly deals to acquire searching skills of information,
analyze and evaluate to build a new knowledge and experience, then develop them using
several learning methods. It also provides services to, facilitate the useful for both teaching and
learning.
This view encourages educational trends, ruled in mid of 1960s and 1970s, whereas these are
the methods of self-learning, from programmed learning and learning for mastery and learning
throughout audio media to passing earliest beginnings to employ computer in learning process.
And, information technology and teaching and learning theories have added a new dimension
into learning resources centers concept.
Reasons for establishing resources centers
 The strong connection between learning resources and method, and passing away
supporting and cultural general role of school libraries into essential, accurately planned,
role to achieve the method and its purposes.
 The book and printed material become not the only information resource.
 Development of educational theories, international tends to self-learning, taking in account
differences of individuals, make the learner the axis of educational process, and the teacher
role change into a leader and facilitator of learning process.
 Learning resources centers concentrate on amalgamation of resources, information and
communication technologies with educational practices inside centers.
 Suggestions for improving the efficacy of textbooks are based teaching and
learning strategies that have been shown to improve outcomes for students.
1. Introduce new topics by referencing to what the learner already knows
 Many textbooks introduce new topics by making reference to learning objectives and then
dive in to whatever new topic the chapter introduces. Since research shows that better
learning occurs when students build on prior knowledge, my first suggestions would be to
start chapters with activities that require students to recall and, in a sense, to activate prior
knowledge, thus strengthening the connections between existing knowledge and the new
concepts about to be learnt.
 Activities that require retrieval of prior knowledge or that otherwise help make connections
in the students’ minds between what's already been learnt and what needs to be learnt
should preface every new topic. Careful hyperlinking to previous content, multiple choice
quizzes, cloze exercises or vocabulary tests are all easily embedded into digital resources to
support this principle.
2. Pairing graphics with text
 Clearly textbooks should be aesthetically appealing. We would be wise not to ignore
affective factors that could influence negatively a learner's disposition to learning before it
has a chance to occur. Although stereotypically we tend to determine academic rigor to be
in a negative correlation with the number of illustrations, it is possible to produce textbooks
that are both appealing and supportive of effective instruction.
 My second suggestion would be to eschew superfluous illustrations, which in any case often
contribute to the textbook becoming dated prematurely, and focus on pairing text with
graphics that will support learning by presenting examples and depicting overarching ideas
or concepts and explaining how these ideas and concepts connect. Well-designed graphic
illustrations depict models clearly, represent abstract concepts and reveal underlying
knowledge structures that will help learners make the required connections to take learning
further.
 In digital resources, graphics can literally come alive, which can be very useful, though it is
important to keep animations simple so that they do not become a distraction in
themselves. Carefully chosen video clips can also be embedded (or linked to from a paper
based resource, using, for example, a QR code, to provide examples and facilitate
conceptual understanding.
3. Interleaving different but related topics and skills
 Interleaving is the practice of alternating different topics and types of content. Although
intuitively we feel that we learn better by focusing on one topic or skill at a time, research
shows that better learning is achieved when students interleave different but related topics
or skills, rather than focusing on one topic or skill, then another topic or skill, and so on.
 Although the illusion of better learning is achieved by studying topics in blocks, it is actually
by interleaving topics and skills that long term retention and greater overall understanding
are achieved. This would be very counterintuitive for publishers of content, as many
teachers and students might find it confusing (and therefore feedback negatively) if a
chapter, instead of focusing on one topic at a time, as it is the norm, alternates between
related topics and skills as it seeks to connect to and build on existing knowledge.
 Students and teachers may find this approach less neat and messier, but research shows
conclusively that interleaving leads to better overall learning in the long term. Once again,
careful hyperlinking between related topics can support the interleaving of key topics and
concepts if a digital format is being employed.
4. Encourage distributed practice
Closely related to the principle of interleaving of topics and skills, distributed or spaced practice
is based on the fact that learners remember information better when they are exposed to it
multiple times throughout a course. Textbooks generally adopt a modular structure: study one
topic, assess it, and move on. Job done. Good luck for the exam.
 In linear courses (such as IGCSE and the new GCSE and A level), which typically last two
years, it is conceivable that a topic that is covered during the first term of the course is
never returned to before a hastily arranged revision session just before study leave.
 Although teachers can claim that the topic has been covered — it has — they can't claim to
have covered it in a pedagogically sound manner unless they have ensured the topic has
been studied more than once during the teaching of the course.
 Textbook publishers can facilitate distributed practice by structuring the content so that
students are exposed to key topics and concepts more than once and by building in review
opportunities weeks and even months after new knowledge is acquired.
5. Modelling solved problems
 Modelling is a very effective classroom strategy. Textbooks too can make the most of the
powerful effect of modelling by alternating problems with written-out solutions, worked
examples (i.e. where the steps to achieve the correct solution are laid out) and problems
that the student needs to solve independently. This is also a kind of interleaving.
 This approach ensures that students become familiar, not just with the mechanics of
problem solving, but also with the underlying principles required to master the topic in
question. The student can then be guided to more complex but related problems or
questions and, as the students become more proficient, the textbook can begin to increase
the number of problems or questions for the students to solve or answer independently.
 There are probably many textbooks that already take this or a similar approach
occasionally, perhaps to help with particularly tricky concepts, but few structure their
exercises and tasks in this way from the outset.
6. Teach independent study skills to boost metacognition
 Although many textbooks promote independent learning by, for example, pointing students
to additional sources of reading, relevant websites, video clips, films or TV programs, few
actively seek to teach specific metacognitive strategies to help students become better
learners in a particular subject. The view could easily be taken that, say, a French textbook's
purpose is to teach students French, not to teach students how to learn, which the essence
of metacognition in this context is.
 This view would seem entirely justifiable until one considers the important contribution that
metacognitive strategies bring to successful learning. For example, research suggests that
encouraging learners how to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning by providing
subject specific strategies and guidance has great impact on learning.
Textbooks could interleave activities in which students are asked to identify where a task
might go wrong; to lay out the steps required to achieve mastery of a topic; to produce
their own worked examples, or to formulate appropriate questions and provide possible
answers.
7. Frequent assessments for better retention
 My final suggestion deals with assessment and how it is generally used to determine the
extent to which a student has learnt the required material. In another counterintuitive turn,
it turns out that frequent assessment is more helpful to the learning than it is to the
assessing, that is to say, determining the extent of learning.
 Many textbooks already come with supplementary assessment resources, usually in a
separate pack, which sometimes needs to be purchased separately. In more than a few
cases assessment is clearly an afterthought for many publishers. These assessments also
come in the form of high stakes end-of-unit or end-of-module tests and end-of-year exams.
 Given the unequivocal nature of the research that suggests that frequent retrieval practice
boosts retention, my suggestion would be for textbooks to encourage frequent retrieval
practice by design through low stakes or no stakes testing and quizzing, whereby testing
and quizzing are a part of the learning process, not just the assessing.

Q.5 Discuss the structure for the mapping the curriculum for the
designing textbooks development.
Curriculum mapping is" the process of indexing or diagraming a curriculum to identify and
address academic gaps, redundancies, and misalignments for purposes of improving the overall
coherence of a course of study and, by extension, its effectiveness (a curriculum, in the sense
that the term is typically used by educators, encompasses everything that teachers teach to
students in a school or course, including the instructional materials and techniques they use). In
most cases, curriculum mapping refers to the alignment of learning standards and teaching i.e.,
how well and to what extent a school or teacher has matched the content that students are
actually taught with the academic expectations described in learning standards—but it may also
refer to the mapping and alignment of all the many elements that are entailed in educating
students, including assessments, textbooks, assignments, lessons, and instructional techniques.
Generally speaking, a coherent curriculum is
(1) Well organized and purposefully designed to facilitate learning,
(2) Free of academic gaps and needless repetitions, and
(3) Aligned across lessons, courses, subject areas, and grade levels. When educators map a
curriculum, they are working to ensure that what students are actually taught matches the
academic expectations in a particular subject area or grade level. Before the advent of
computers and the internet, educators would create curriculum maps on paper and poster
board; today, educators are far more likely to use spreadsheets, software programs, and online
services that are specifically dedicated to curriculum mapping.
The final product is often called a “curriculum map," and educators will use the maps to plan
courses, lessons, and teaching strategies in a school. While the specific approach or strategies
used to map a curriculum may vary widely from district to district, school to school, or even
teacher to teacher, the process typically aims to achieve a few common goals:
Vertical coherence:
When a curriculum is vertically aligned/ or vertically coherent, what students learn in one
lesson, course, or grade level prepares them for the next lesson, course, or grade level.
Curriculum mapping aims to ensure that teaching is purposefully structured and logically
sequenced across grade levels so that students are building on what they have previous learned
and learning the knowledge and skills that will progressively prepare them for more
challenging, higher-level work.
Horizontal coherence:
When a curriculum? Is vertically aligned or horizontally coherent, what students are learning in
one ninth grade biology course, for example, mirrors what other students are learning in a
different ninth-grade biology course. Curriculum mapping aims to ensure that the assessments,
tests, and other methods teachers use to evaluate learning achievement and progress are
based on what has actually been taught to students and on the learning standards that the
students are expected to meet in a particular course, subject area, or grade level.
Subject-area coherence:
When a curriculum is coherent within a subject area—such as mathematics, science, or history
—it may be aligned both within and across grade levels. Curriculum mapping for subject-area
coherence aims to ensure that teachers are working toward the same learning standards in
similar courses (say, three different ninth-grade algebra courses taught by different teachers),
and that students are also learning the same amount of content, and receiving the same quality
of instruction, across subject-area courses.
Interdisciplinary coherence: When a curriculum is coherent across multiple subject areas—such
as mathematics, science, and history—it may be aligned both within and across grade levels.
Curriculum mapping for interdisciplinary coherence may focus on skills and work habits that
students need to succeed in any academic course or discipline, such as reading skills, writing
skills, technology skills, and critical-thinking skills. Improving interdisciplinary coherence across
a curriculum, for example, might entail teaching students reading and writing skills in all
academic courses, not just English courses.