Audio textbook aims to unclog literacy issues for plumbing students

Plumbing textbooks can be pretty dense and hard to read, but a Thompson Rivers University (TRU) associate teaching professor has a plan to help — audio books.

The idea came out of discussions with students at the Kamloops, B.C., university about what could be done to help make the course work more accessible.

Paul Simpson said the suggestion of an audio version of the textbook came up and he immediately thought this would be one way to help students who were struggling with the reading and writing parts of the course.

Literacy B.C. has found that around 40 per cent of adults in British Columbia do not have the literacy skills they need to fully participate in society, but Simpson said it's rare for students to come out and say they are having issues with reading.

"There's a lot of stigma around the fact that reading might be a challenge," he said.

Simpson said some students are encouraged to go into the trades because they have had issues with traditional book learning, only to discover that the reading and writing requirements of the piping trades program are still quite high.

At the start of the year, he connected with the team at B.C. Campus, a group aimed at making courses more accessible for students, and started applying for funding for the project. 

Tim Carson, B.C. Campus provincial trade representative for open education, jumped on the idea of creating an audio book for plumbing students.

"Having another avenue into the brain, I think is a really valuable asset to have," he said.

Simpson soon started recording his first project, the Plumbing Level 1 textbook. He created a modified recording studio in his office using blankets and began reading the book.

He said there are lots of computer programs that will read text, but having someone with experience read the material means the emphasis is on the right words, which improves comprehension.

"The idea is to enhance textbooks and supply other methods of interaction with the material that students can utilize to help them if they need," he said.

He believes this is the first time an audio format has been used for a plumbing textbook in Canada.

Students and former students of the program are already looking forward to having the extra resource when the first audio book is released in the fall.