This is part two of our Pressbooks Results Series, where we’re sharing the stories of four faculty members who have used Pressbooks Results in their classroom to achieve unique pedagogical goals including reducing withdrawals, empowering faculty, and scaling personalized learning.
Quick Overview
Faculty member: Kate Neff, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Spanish Language Program, University of Virginia
- Kate uses Pressbooks Results to embed regularly-spaced, low-stakes H5P activities directly into her Spanish course materials.
- Her focus is on scaffolded learning, frequent practice, and formative feedback to build language skills steadily over time. She specifically addresses common barriers in second language learning, like fear of making mistakes and the need for repeated exposure and reinforcement.
- By using Pressbooks Results, she can track and intervene early when students struggle with vocabulary, grammar, or comprehension — key pillars in a cumulative skill-building course like Spanish.
Background
At the University of Virginia, Senior Lecturer Kate Neff is leading a transformative open educational resources (OER) initiative in the Spanish Language Program. Her goal is to improve accessibility, affordability, and pedagogical effectiveness in language education, while shifting away from traditional grammar-based instruction to a proficiency-focused model.
By leveraging Pressbooks Results, Kate has created an innovative, interactive Spanish textbook that integrates cultural content and flexible learning opportunities.
Course Context and Adoption
Kate’s OER project focuses on the Spanish language courses SPAN 2010 (Intermediate Spanish) and SPAN 2020 (Advanced Intermediate Spanish). These courses serve between 600 and 700 students each semester, and the OER initiative is part of a broader curriculum redesign.
The project uses Pressbooks, supported by the UVA Library, to develop interactive resources, including over 200 H5P activities, and integrates these with the Canvas Learning Management System to streamline course management for instructors. The project is currently focused on Spanish 2010, with plans to expand to Spanish 2020 in the future.
Addressing Key Challenges
One significant pedagogical challenge Kate and her team are addressing is the need to shift from a grammar-centered approach to language learning focused on proficiency and cultural understanding. Applying findings from second language acquisition research, Kate and her team aim to prioritize comprehensible input—real-world language use—over memorization of discrete grammar rules.
To achieve this, they have reorganized their course materials around cultural texts, using both OER resources and instructor-created materials. Their openly licensed textbook includes “Lecciones” (lessons) centered around cultural themes, and invites students to engage with vocabulary and grammar in context through H5P activities embedded in the lessons.
Additionally, optional “Referencia” pages provide grammatical explanations and more practice exercises, giving students the freedom to review material at their own pace. This approach allows students to take ownership of their learning while providing ample opportunities for repetition and self-assessment.
Because Pressbooks Results records the details of student performance on each individual activity and provides course designers with a range of grading options, Kate is able to include a mix of both required and optional activities, and to organize the course gradebook to reflect the relative importance of each type of assignment.
Impact
Their departmental adoption of Pressbooks has had a significant positive impact on both students and instructors. By integrating H5P activities and a flexible, interactive textbook, they have been able to:
Provide Affordable, High-Quality Resources
Students no longer have to purchase costly textbooks, making language learning more accessible.
Increase Engagement and Participation
Interactive activities, such as vocabulary matching, grammar quizzes, and cultural readings, help keep students engaged in the course between class sessions.
Support Self-Paced Learning
The variety of H5P activities included in their book allows students to practice at their own pace, with multiple opportunities for repetition and feedback until they master the material.
Reduce Repetitive Set Up
Pressbooks Results also enhances instructor efficiency through its seamless integration with Canvas. Kate sets up the Pressbooks content and graded assignments in a ‘parent’ course, which is then shared across multiple course sections. Thanks to the LTI integration, any updates made to the Pressbooks book are automatically reflected in all linked courses—eliminating the need to manually update each section and significantly reducing setup time and maintenance.
The student response to Pressbooks Results has been overwhelmingly positive. During a mid-semester survey, students shared their appreciation for the diverse forms of practice available, the ease of navigation, and the flexibility of the material. Kate shared some sample responses:
“I really like the practice in the textbook and I find it helpful that there are different forms of practice because the diversity keeps me engaged.”
“I appreciate how forgiving the activities are; I can try again until I get it right.”
“The textbook is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. I think the way it is set up works perfectly.”
Pressbooks Results has helped transform Kate’s courses by supporting active, student-centered learning and streamlining course management. Students benefit from engaging, flexible activities, while instructors save time through seamless Canvas integration and centralized content updates. The result is a more accessible, efficient, and effective learning experience.
Watch Kate’s story on YouTube 👇
More about Pressbooks Results
Are you interested in learning more about how you can enhance student success with Pressbooks Results? Let us know by filling out the form on this page and we’ll contact with you the information you need to get started.
Read the other blogs in the series: