Textbooks No Longer Relevant in Today’s Age Of Learning Management Systems and E-learning?

In the days before e-learning tools like learning management systems were being used everywhere, people who wanted to create instructional material for academic and/or financial purposes, did so on paper. And this paper-based learning material was subject to the whims and profits of the publishing industry.

Of course, paper-based material and publishing houses still exist. And the notion of organizing and developing instructional material either to sell or for in-house use continues to enthrall many people. Anyone who happens to have knowledge in a particular field may be interested in creating content.

However, the traditional paper-based system of creating and distributing academic or training material is not sustainable, practical, or easy. Nor is it cheap for anyone involved.

In the past twenty years, textbook prices have increased dramatically. outpacing inflation 2-to-1, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The bulky books are more expensive than ever, indicating a competitive paper-based market. The effect is easy to see in universities, where students are forced to pay exorbitant amounts for paper-bound learning content. And for those learners making their own way through college or vocational school or whatever higher education system, the financial sting is especially harsh.

When all of these factors are considered, one can safely say that paper-based instructional material is on its way out. And learning content developers should take this state of the industry into account.

For these reasons and others, for many learning content developers, the future is decidedly in e-learning content development. Using learning management system (LMS) and other elearning tools, content developers have a wide and exciting range of tools to make their content unique and powerful.

Some of these tools are podcast recording, video, animation, screen and audio recording, and simple migration tools. Web 2.0 tools are also a great option for allowing students to discuss, collaborate, and share information.

Unlike when an author’s textbook is published, when one’s elearning content is put on the market, the author maintains full control over it. As an author, you can choose to change it, delete parts of it or all of it, or syndicate it on other web publishers’ websites for maximum exposure and an expanded market.

Of course, the preparation and organization of learning material still takes time. But actually uploading your elearning content to a learning management system is typically a simple and often free process–not to mention fun.