Student-Led Development of an Interactive and Free Biochemical Methods eBook

An approach to create an interactive and inexpensive electronic book (eBook) for an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course is presented. This approach featured the involvement of an undergraduate student in the lead role of designing and developing the eBook using Apple's iBooks Author application. The eBook, entitled Introduction to Biochemical Methods, contains original, interactive course content, including laboratory protocols, lecture slides, images, videos, figures, and quizzes. Access to the book content was expanded through the creation of a Web-based version of the book. User access analytics on both the eBook and the Web site, along with student survey data related to the usage of and attitudes toward the eBook, also are presented. Although the Introduction to Biochemical Methods eBook was developed specifically for use in a particular course, adaptation of its content for use in other classrooms is invited, and educators are encouraged to adopt a similar approach (i.e., involving their students) in developing eBooks for courses at their learning institutions. The immersive nature of the design and development process provided significant learning experiences for the student who led the development of the eBook.