Interactive textbook for new learning environment wins award
Beyond the classroom, students gather information from popular websites, video sources and social media. An interactive textbook authored by University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Geography Professor Michael Ritter is now available online for geography students using the same multiple communication channels they use every day.
“The Physical Environment: An Introduction to Physical Geography” integrates traditional educational content, but adds historic video clips, select websites and interactive discussion opportunities all in an organized and categorized online platform. Based on this textbook and its quality and impact in advancing the learning and teaching of geography at any level for any group, the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) recognized Ritter with the annual Geographic Excellence in Media Award at the national NCGE conference.
Ritter’s online teaching methods and materials evolve as new technology changes, so he is constantly creating updates for new platforms and applications. His testing and quiz time intervals have changed over the years to foster improved learning. “The course is designed around the concept mastery approach with multiple means of engaging in content through the online textbook,” Ritter said. “Students in the online course take a more active role in their learning than sitting passively through a conventional lecture.”
Ritter sees the future landscape of textbooks continuing to evolve with technology and an even greater emphasis on student self-assessment. “Students are no longer being fed the information, now they are seeking it out.”
He hopes to change the nature of textbook publishing and improve access to education. “With the multitude of information sources, the role of faculty as the dispenser of information is changing, and so is the nature of learning,” he said. “In an online course, the instructor becomes more of a facilitator of learning than a dispenser of content. It’s just as important for students to be ‘knowledge-able’ as it is knowledgeable. When presented with a problem, students need to know where they can turn to find the answer and effectively assess the information they retrieve.”
Ritter completed his doctorate from Indiana University and has been teaching geography at UW-Stevens Point since 1986. He cites Tom Detwyler, a retired colleague, as a mentor in the 1990s for his work in “technology-enhanced instruction.” He resides in Stevens Point with his wife, Sarah, and enjoys blogging about educational technology, photography and traveling.
Skip to main content
