Creating and Evaluating a General Psychology Custom Textbook: A Goal-Oriented Approach

Abstract

This paper describes a model for the articulation and assessment of goals in the development and use of a general psychology custom textbook. A description of custom textbooks is presented, and the specific textbook that our Psychology Department has developed is discussed. Two studies present data on student and faculty perceptions of the effectiveness of the textbook. Study 1 involved faculty members who used the custom textbook, and Study 2 included students who were enrolled in General Psychology. For both studies, perceived benefits and drawbacks of the custom textbook were surveyed, as well as the helpfulness of its various components. Results revealed higher satisfaction with the custom textbook as compared to a traditional text, as well as consistency between faculty and students in the perceived helpfulness of different components of the text. Results also indicated that the original goals of the project were met. The benefits and drawbacks of using a custom text and the importance of having clear goals before beginning a customization project were discussed.