Using ePUB3 eBook-based SNS to Enhance Students’ Learning Effects in Flipped Classes

Abstract

In flipped learning, students take self-conducted activities before and in their classes. Taking advantage of flipped learning, we presented an ePUB3 eBook-based method in our earlier study that provided students with flipped learning activities centering the curricular contents in ePUB3 eBooks. However, an important issue in its success is the effectiveness of the class discussions because discussions can activate students’ learning from their interactions and the articulation and reflection of learning contents in their own words. In this paper, we introduce an ePUB3 eBook-based SNS platform that takes advantage of the robust features from ePUB3 eBook and Social Network Software (SNS) to provide students with an active and effective way for their class discussions. Then, we explore the adoption of such an SNS platform in our earlier ePUB3 eBook-based flipped learning method to enhance the effectiveness of students’ discussions. The adopted method is then applied to an academic “Reading & Writing” class where a quasi-experimental study on the comparative analysis of experimental and controlled groups is conduced to verify its validity.