Next Generation eTextbooks ran its first pilot in Xi’an Jiaotong University, China in November 2014. The initial showcase was an eTextbook on Venture Capital, available online, designed in a Finnish-Chinese collaboration, available both in English and in Manadarin. The course lasted 3 weeks during which the 18 Economics major Bachelor students from Xi’an Jiaotong University, were thought in English by a Finnish teacher, using innovative, outside the box pedagogical approaches such as brainstorming with post-it notes, elevator pitch competitions, peer reviewing and arts & crafts prototyping. The Chinese students were extremely motivated to be learning through creative new styles, but at the same time were eager to have more content in their lessons, to satisfy the needs of the coming examination.
Pilot lessons learned
- Students’ motivation to learn with Finnish content & pedagogical models is high
- Language barrier to using English is significant even on University level. Translation into Chinese is vital, but students are also eager to get chances to practise their English skills.
- Internet speed is low and campuses do not have working WLANs, but all students were able to access the eTextbook using their mobile phones. When working with Chinese – you need an Offline version as a backup. Students were asking for a printed copy of the textbook
- The key functionality to develop this e-textbook further is to allow annotations directly to the e-textbook
- Finnish companies going to the Chinese market should have a smart plan: offering content is not enough. Chinese value 1) Finnish interactive pedagogical style, 2) Foreign universities certificates, 3) Easy to use technology
- Selling just e-textbooks is not enough – but Chinese would be willing to pay for the teacher training & technology