A New Learning Platform using E-textbooks for Socially Networked Online Learners

Conventional learning management systems that focus on traditional classrooms do not fit many-participant online courses such as massive open online courses (MOOCs). A learning platform, Creative Higher Education with Learning Objects (CHiLO) based on e-textbooks aims to develop a flexible learning environment for large-scale online courses. CHiLO essentially has high portability in electronic publication 3.0 (EPUB3) format as well as a comprehensive open network learning system using various existing technologies and learning resources, including open educational resources on open network communities, such as social networking service. We produced a series of CHiLO Books called “Nihongo Starter A1” in cooperation with the Open University of Japan (OUJ) and the Japan Foundation, and delivered them as a learning course of OUJ MOOC in Japan MOOC. Our set of experimental outcomes shows that CHiLO using not Web services but e-textbooks is available for large-scale online courses. The result reveals a positive completion rate of 22% and active participants posting at 25%.