LAUSR

For about a century, textbooks have provided a consistent framework for faculty to teach fundamental, common courses across colleges and universities. However, little quantification of students’ textbook reading is documented in higher education. An interactive textbook from zyBooks documents students reading through clicks. With large data sets, including three cohorts with over 280 students and 280,000 reading interactions, measurable differences between students were found using effort‐based reading analytics. Median textbook reading participation at the due date above 90%, which is significantly higher than reports and surveys in the literature. Reading participation increased with every higher final course grade, and a statistically significant difference in reading participation between B and C students was measured. Also, female students read statistically significantly more than male students. Additional reading data taken at the conclusion of the semester found that many students completed reading without the incentive of earning a course grade. Median reading participation increased after the due date, which encompassed 30 to 50 clicks by median and over 400 interactions for some students. Overall, interactive textbooks generate large data sets that monitor reading participation and reinforce proven study practices, such as spaced practice.