Hello,

I'm Henry Jakubowski, the creator of this video describing my free and interactive web text, Biochemistry Online.  I welcome your comments after viewing my video and visiting the web links for the books described in the summary (top right).  I would especially like to hear from

• students who use online textbooks - What works for you?  What would you like to see most in an online text?
• educators who have written their own online textbooks or have used them in teaching classes - Any pearls of wisdom that would enhance the book’s use and value?
• molecular modelers and math instructors -  Any hints on best using Jsmol for molecular modeling tutorials and programs like Mathematica and SageMath for interactive graphs?
• for others who just want to know a bit more about the molecules of life - Any ideas that would make this book easier for you to understand?

In addition to adding written comments, please use the presenter or public icons to indicate your choices.

Thank you very much for your time, interest and input!

Greetings Henry and visitors to Dr. Jakubowski's open access biochemistry online textbook. How cool he shows us worldwide usage and total hits and growth over five years. Henry has posed some terrific questions for students, educators, molecular modelers, math instructors and other visitors above. I look forward to hearing your reactions! 

What a great idea! Having recently done online research on knee anatomy and function, I am convinced of the value of good illustrations showing the biological structure from different points of view. An interactive movmented  illustration puts all the views together in one go. The ability to update as new information becomes available keeps information up to date without publishing a whole new paper book. I am convinced the free, interactive nature makes a more accessible and equitable learning platform for students. 

This is a great use of the medium. Too often we see "e-books" as just electronic versions of the hard copy, however, Henry and collaborators have re-envisioned what it means to be a textbook. I also appreciate the worldwide impact of the project, but am curious if the numbers hold to pages beyond the table of contents (i.e. how do folks actually use the website? Do they?). Furthermore, I wonder whether/how there could be tangible interactive to be used along with the digital website. Is this something the team has considered? My curiosity stems from the literature and my own experience struggling to get students to grasp three dimensional concepts in a two-dimensional digital space. 

You have raised an important and emerging issue in higher education--affordability, not just of tuition, but also of books and learning materials.  Open educational resources (OER) is making an important contribution to reducing the cost of college--but it's still in its infancy.  Your work demonstrates that OER materials are not only more accessible, but potentially better (!).  How are you disseminating BiochemistryOnline?  are you just waiting for people to find it or do you have a strategy for scaling dissemination?

I love the idea of online textbooks and see that you have a  vision for more than just text - for really taking full advantage of the online environment. I will definitely include this in the biochemistry course I plan to teach next spring.

WOW HENRY!

What a great idea. I love the interactive figures. This may be a way to bridge the gap between generations. Static books may not be for today's kids but this could really change the learning. Kids that have played video games all their lives can now learn from a book that allows them to interact with it.