Skip to content

Book Levels MicroSim

Use this MicroSim to create an interactive tool to view the five levels of intelligent textbooks.

Run the Book Levels MicroSim - Responsive Version

Edit the Book Levels MicroSim (Responsive)

Copy this iframe to your website to include this MicroSim in your class website:

1
2
<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/intelligent-textbooks/sims/book-levels/main.html" height="500px" scrolling="no"
  style="overflow: hidden;"></iframe>

How to Use Five Levels of Intelligent Textbooks Infographic in Your Classroom

This guide explains how to use the interactive "Five Levels of Intelligent Textbooks" MicroSim to understand the progression from traditional static textbooks to advanced AI-driven educational resources. The iframe above makes it easy to include on any website.

Overview

The MicroSim presents a visual stair-step diagram showing the five levels of intelligent textbooks:

  1. Level 1: Static Textbooks (Red)
  2. Level 2: Interactive Content Textbooks (Blue)
  3. Level 3: Adaptive Textbooks (Teal)
  4. Level 4: Textbooks with Chatbots (Purple)
  5. Level 5: Autonomous AI Textbooks (Gold)

How to Interact with the MicroSim

  1. Hover Interaction: Move your cursor over any of the five colored step levels to display detailed information about that level.
  2. Touch Interaction: On touch devices, tap a step to see its description.
  3. Responsive Design: The visualization automatically adjusts to your screen size, making it accessible on various devices.

Understanding Each Level

Level 1: Static Textbooks

  • Characteristics: Traditional printed or digital formats with no interactive elements
  • Usage: Over 90% of college textbooks remain at this level
  • Applications: Suitable for simple content delivery where interaction isn't necessary

Level 2: Interactive Content Textbooks

  • Characteristics: Digital elements that engage readers beyond passive consumption
  • Features: Keyword search, hyperlinks, embedded videos, simple quizzes, AI-generated MicroSims
  • Benefits: Cost-effective enhancements that improve engagement with multimedia elements

Level 3: Adaptive Textbooks

  • Characteristics: Dynamic content adjustment based on user input and performance
  • Features: Personalized learning pathways, concept graph traversal, performance-based content selection
  • Implementation: Requires data management systems and graph algorithms
  • Privacy Caution: These systems collect and analyze student learning data to provide adaptivity, raising important privacy considerations that educators should address when implementing

Level 4: Textbooks with Chatbots

  • Characteristics: Integration of intelligent conversational interfaces
  • Features: LLM-powered tutoring assistants, GraphRAG architecture combining multiple AI technologies
  • Implementation: Balances powerful LLMs with cost-effective smaller models
  • Privacy Caution: Interactions with chatbots involve collecting potentially sensitive student questions and responses; institutions should implement proper data protection measures and transparency about how this interaction data is used

Level 5: Autonomous AI Textbooks

  • Characteristics: Future systems that fully understand individual learner needs
  • Features: Deep understanding of student knowledge, real-time generation of customized lessons
  • Current Status: Aspirational, requiring advanced hardware and more reliable LLMs
  • Privacy Caution: The most advanced system would require extensive student data collection, including detailed cognitive and behavioral patterns; the educational benefits must be balanced against stringent privacy protections and ethical considerations about AI autonomy in educational settings

Educational Applications

  • Comparative Analysis: Use the MicroSim to compare the features and capabilities of different textbook technologies
  • Educational Planning: Help administrators understand the progression of educational technology to make informed decisions about textbook adoption
  • Student Information: Introduce students to the different types of learning resources they might encounter in their educational journey

Privacy Considerations Across Levels

As textbooks advance from static (Level 1) to autonomous (Level 5), data collection and privacy concerns increase significantly:

  • Level 1-2: Minimal privacy concerns as little or no student-specific data is collected
  • Level 3: Begins collecting student performance and behavior data to enable adaptation
  • Level 4: Stores conversation histories and student queries that may contain personal information
  • Level 5: Would require comprehensive student profiling to deliver fully personalized experiences

Educational institutions implementing higher-level intelligent textbooks should:

  1. Develop clear data privacy policies
  2. Obtain informed consent from students
  3. Implement robust data security measures
  4. Consider data minimization principles
  5. Provide transparency about how AI systems use student data
  6. Offer opt-out options where feasible

Technical Notes

The MicroSim is built using p5.js and adapts to different screen sizes by: - Adjusting step sizes and text formatting based on screen width - Shortening labels on smaller screens for better readability - Maintaining touch functionality for mobile devices

By exploring this MicroSim, users can gain a deeper understanding of how educational content is evolving with technology and the important considerations that come with these advancements.