On the Differences Between Digital Textbooks and Electronic Textbooks: A Case Study of the Groundwater Engineering Knowledge Micro- Unit at Tongji University

Abstract

The development and construction of digital textbooks have become the focus and difficulty in promoting the digital transformation of education. Currently, there is no recognized model for the concept and connotation of digital textbooks at home and abroad, and they are often confused with electronic textbooks, which seriously hinders the development of digital textbooks. Electronic textbooks are electronic versions of text-based textbooks that only provide information to students; digital textbooks not only provide information but also collect students’ learning data to improve learning effects and textbook quality. They are characterized by personalization, intelligence, and interactivity, constructing a course scenario-based teaching environment for students. Digital textbooks adopt a knowledge graph structure, collect and analyze learning data, generate individual learning behavior portraits for each student, propose and dynamically update intelligent learning management suggestions, and present visual and interactive learning data analysis results. Taking the groundwater engineering knowledge micro-unit at Tongji University as an example, this paper illustrates how digital textbooks help students intuitively understand the hard-to-observe laws of groundwater movement and recognize engineering practices. For similar engineering courses with complex knowledge systems, strong practicality, and rapid updates, the construction of digital textbooks is imperative.