The Organization for Researching and Composing University Textbooks in the Humanities (Samt) in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) holds a first-ever International conference on "University Textbook" in late 2006 to enhance the quality of such textbooks and promote the use of Information Technology in this field.
University textbook is a reality taken for granted that serves the intellectual life of millions of young people every year; ideas come through textbooks, academics invest a great deal of time in it, and huge human and material resources are used to develop it. Thus, making this reality "ideal" would help national resources grow. Samt as the most experienced institute in this field, plans to turn the present deficiencies into future capabilities. It has already taken steps by means of "Sokhan-e-Samt" which is the organ of the Center for Research and Development in Humanities, affiliated to Samt, to establish this necessary specialty in theory and practice.

Objectives

1. Identifying and studying ways of utilizing information and communication techniques in relation to textbooks;
2. Identifying and tracing problems and barriers in textbook production and publication;
3. Creating an atmosphere conducive to research on textbook;
4. Formulating standards and features for a good textbook.

Themes

a) The place of textbook in higher education

- The necessity of having textbooks;
- The role of textbook in higher education;
- Studying the relationship between official syllabi and textbook production.

b) The historical development of textbook

- Comparative studies on new and old textbooks;
- Traditions in textbook writing;
- Methods of textbook writing in Islamic fields of study;
- Developments in contemporary textbook production.

c) The dimensions and features of textbooks

1. Ideological, cultural, and social dimension:
   - The relationship between religious and philosophical values and beliefs and the textbook;
   - The relationship between political attitudes and orientations and the textbook;
   - The relationship between social and cultural attitudes and the textbook.

2. Psychological dimension:
   - The influence of theories of learning in designing the contents of textbooks;
   - The relationship between the students’ needs and interests and the textbook.

3. Linguistic dimension:
   - Factors contributing to comprehension, from word to text;
   - The linguistic structure and scientific style of the textbook;
   - The relationship between the field of study and the language of
the textbook;
   - Authorial voice, tone, and style as reflected in the textbook;
   - Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in the textbook.

4. Artistic dimension:
   - Illustration in textbooks: history, method, style, efficiency, comparative study, pathology;
   - Practical aspects of Iranian drawing and painting to be used in the illustration of modern textbooks;
   - Studying and learning about the artistic aspects of textbooks: graphic design, cover design, logo, Islamic Iranian calligraphy, format, font, page design, printing and binding.

d) Designing and producing the structure and contents of textbooks

- Anatomy and design of the structure of textbooks;
- Principles and methods of organizing the contents;
- The role of tables, charts, illustrations, etc in textbooks;
- Translation in textbooks: text selection, and method of translating.

e) Editing and refining textbooks

- Editing and its versions in textbooks;
- Methods of recording foreign words and proper names in textbooks;
- Various editing style guides and their application in textbooks;
- Methods of including footnotes, endnotes, and appendices in textbooks;
- Methods of printing, binding, and covering textbooks;
- Technicalities of textbook production such as cover design and type, book format, graphic designs, maps, charts, page design, and headings.

f) Textbook assessment

- Principles and methods of assessing and evaluating educational texts in the process of production;
- Techniques of conducting opinion polls on textbooks;
- Techniques of revising textbooks;
- Principles and methods of textbook evaluation and review.

g) Managing textbook production and distribution

- Setting macro policies of textbook production;
- Designing a model of demand forecast for textbooks;
- Designing an optimal distribution system, with an eye to the access strategy;
- Designing a suitable model of information dissemination as well as promotion, marketing, and pricing;
- Studying methods of marketing and electronic sale of textbooks;
- Management of Information Systems (MIS) in textbook production;
- Studying the dynamics of textbook lifecycle, from idea formation to decline;
- Studying environmental dynamics and analyzing strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats of textbooks.

h) Textbooks and ICT

- The role of Information Technology in textbook publication and distribution;
- Studying the techniques of electronic and online textbook development, production, and presentation;
- Advantages, disadvantages, and suitable mechanisms of electronic textbook development, production, and presentation;
- The effect of electronic textbooks on the educational success of students;
- The role of Information Technology in the process of authoring, editing, and updating textbooks;
- Studying the role of systems and software involved in producing the electronic contents of textbooks;
- Studying the standards of producing the electronic contents;
- The role of Information Technology in the interaction among textbook, teacher, and student;
- The role of information banks in producing the electronic contents of textbooks;
- The interaction between textbooks and modern educational hardware.

i) The legal aspects of textbooks

- Studying legal problems associated with the electronic publication of textbooks;
- Legal problems of adaptations and extracts in textbooks;
- Standards and liability concerning authorship and translation, and their boundary.

Papers to Be Turned in

Deadline: August 11, 2006
Length: up to 300-350 words (one page)
Software & Format: MS Word 2000 or later versions; Font: 12, Space between the lines: 1cm; Margins: 2.5 cms.
Address : Conference Secretariat, The Center for Research and Development in Humanities of Samt, SAMT HQ, west of Yadegar-e-Emam Bridge, Jalal-e-Al-e-Ahmad Highway, Tehran, IRAN.
ZIP Code : 14636
Tel : +9821 44246131
Fax : +9821 44246260
Email : utbc@samt.ac.ir.