Development of an interactive textbook for introductory mechanical design

The tremendous success of the iPad has led to a revolution in portable computing. Many universities, high schools, and elementary schools are attempting to capitalize on this revolution by generating curricula that exploit such portable touchscreen computers. One aspect of this effort is the development of interactive textbooks that go beyond the static display of printed words, equations, and figures. Features that distinguish interactive textbooks include: embedded videos that can be viewed with the tap of a finger, picture slideshows, user-controlled simulations, and interactive forms that accept user input and provide immediate feedback. Unfortunately, the skill sets required to generate such books usually do not reside in one person. Professors have the knowledge and skills to produce traditional textbooks, but they usually lack the knowledge, skill, and time to make the interactive elements. Undergraduate and graduate students can be trained to develop the programming skills to develop the interactive elements, but they lack the knowledge and experience to create the traditional aspects of a textbook. This paper describes how a team was formed to produce an interactive textbook, and it documents the features of such a book created for introductory mechanical design students.