Analysis of Digital Textbooks and the Improvements on the Development Process of Digital Textbooks from the Universal Design for Learning Perspective

The purpose of the study is to analyze the digital textbooks currently utilized in the educational field and to identify future improvements on the process of the digital textbook developments through developers’ input from the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) perspective. To achieve the objective, digital textbooks (grades 3–4 social studies and science subjects) developed based on the 2015 revised curriculum were analyzed based on the UDL principles. Additionally, the focus group interviews (FGI) were conducted with seven developers who had an experience on developing digital textbooks. First of all, from the analysis of digital textbooks, it was revealed that the level of UDL applicability in current digital textbooks is very low, thus the improvements on the digital textbooks were suggested for the following principle: options for perception, for physical action, for executive functions, and for sustaining effort and persistence. Furthermore, based on the findings from the FGI, improvements on the process of the digital textbook developments were suggested as follows: Time and budget support, development of technical standards, national pilot projects and usability testing of students with disabilities, providing Cloud-based LMS service, improving accessibility of platforms, provision of high-quality equipment and internet at the school site, and continuous management. Based on the results, we discussed and suggested further studies.