Developing a new open-source textbook for introductory logic students at SFU

Grant program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)

Principal Investigator: Bruno Guindon, lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Project Team: Thomas Donaldson, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Kesavan Thanagopal, research assistant

Timeframe: September 2021 to May 2023

TILT Support: $5000

Courses Addressed: PHIL 110 – Introduction to Logic and Reasoning

Final Report: View Bruno Guindon's final report (PDF), Appx A (PDF), Appx B (PDF), Appx C (PDF), Appx D (PDF), Appx E (PDF) and Appx F (PDF)

Description: 

This project focused on the development of a free, open-source textbook tailored to the pedagogical needs of students enrolled in PHIL 110 – Introduction to Logic and Reasoning at Simon Fraser University. Existing introductory logic textbooks were found to be poorly suited to SFU students: more affordable texts tended to provide overly superficial coverage of key topics, while more comprehensive texts were expensive and frequently included advanced material inappropriate for an introductory audience, contributing to student anxiety and math phobia.

A second motivating problem concerned the abrupt conceptual transition students experience when moving from truth-functional logic to first-order logic. Traditionally, students first learn to manipulate abstract sentential letters (e.g., A, B, P, Q) and are later introduced to the more complex syntax of predicates, variables, constants, and quantifiers. This project was driven by the idea that introducing the basic elements of first-order sentences from the start could ease this transition and reduce cognitive overload when quantifiers are introduced later in the term.

Using forallx by M. D. Magnus as an open-source base text, the investigators created a custom derivative, forallx: SFU, governed by a Creative Commons license. The textbook was substantially reorganized, simplified, and expanded through an iterative process across multiple course offerings. A stripped-down pilot version was used in Fall 2021 (≈200 students), followed by a more developed version used in Summer 2022 (≈100 students) and Spring 2023 (≈150 students). Anonymous student surveys were administered after each major iteration to gather feedback on length, clarity, exercise difficulty, and overall usability.

Survey results consistently showed strong student support for the open-source textbook. Across iterations, over 70% of students reported that readings and exercises were “about right” in length and difficulty, and 100% of respondents in the later iteration preferred forallx: SFU to a traditionally published textbook. Student feedback directly resulted in adding substantially more practice exercises and full solutions.

Questions addressed: 

• Which proof system and formal language are best suited for introductory logic students at SFU?
• Can early exposure to first-order sentence structure reduce student difficulty when learning quantification?
• How do students perceive the effectiveness of a custom open-source logic textbook compared to commercial texts?

Knowledge sharing: The textbook has been shared informally within the Department of Philosophy and has been used by multiple instructors teaching PHIL 110, supporting curricular consistency. It is available for download via the principal investigator’s website, with plans to develop an independent course website hosting the textbook and related teaching materials.

Keywords: Introduction to logic, open educational resources, open-source textbook, natural deduction, first-order logic, truth-functional logic, curriculum design, student learning