Book Review: E-Learning by Design, 2nd Edition, by William Horton

When the first edition of thisbook appeared five years ago, it was an instant hit and joined William Horton’searlier works on many an eLearning designer’s bookshelf. The second edition,which came out exactly a month ago, is bound to have the same success.

If you have the first edition,you need to purchase this one now. If you don’t have the first edition, you really need to add E-Learning by Design to your library. Let me explain why.

Learning for today

This is not a minor upgrade tothe first edition. It is reorganized, and enhanced with new content on games,social networking, and mobile technology.

However, it is stillcharacterized by Horton’s humor and his thoughtful structure, by his tables andmatrixed job aids that simplify design decisions, and by copious figures andillustrations. William has also incorporated new ideas and new approaches thathave appeared or been validated since the first edition. In other words, thisis not a guide to producing eLearning as it was, but to creating eLearning totoday’s standards.

If you are new to the design ofeLearning, whether you have a background in instructional design or not, Hortonprovides a quick guide to the varieties of eLearning and to the intricacies ofinteraction online between design and development, between vision and tools.

If you are more experienced inthis online world, William Horton, who has done lots of what he calls“autopsies” on failed eLearning projects, will help you improve your results.

If you are the manager of atraditional training department or educational organization, Horton’s insightsinto the levels of eLearning, from media to complete curriculum, and intosocial learning, virtual classrooms, collaboration, and breaking the ADDIEhabit will help you succeed in making the transition to online learning.

If you manage a team of designersand developers, this is the book that you can use as a shop reference and asthe basis for “how we do things around here.” If you are a one-person shop oran independent producer or contractor, E-Learningby Design will help you develop your standards and your brand.

Organization

E-Learning by Designis structured not so much around chapters as it is by major sections, each ofwhich deals with a question or an area of practice.

The first section,“Designing E-Learning,” gives a quick (well, 66-page) overview of whateLearning is, and of the basic design principles. At the end of this section,there is a handy guide to which chapter in the book to read next, based onwhere the reader is feeling the need for more information. Horton alsorecommends a couple of more complete guides to instructional design.

The second section isa little different from what you might expect in a book like this. Horton callsthe topic “Absorb-type activities.” When I first saw this, I thought, “OK, he’sgoing to talk about engaging the learner.” Well, that’s not exactly it, althoughthese activities will engage learners. William divides the activities thatpeople engage in while learning into three categories: Absorb, Do, and Connect.The Absorb activities are closest to pure information. Horton says they arebest for highly motivated learners, and for such individuals they can be veryefficient ways to learn. They “usually consist of information and the actionslearners take to extract and comprehend knowledge from that information.” Theintent is to inform and inspire learners, and the activities may include suchthings as presentations, demonstrations, stories, and even field trips (whichcan be done virtually or via a Webquest, as well as through a physical trip).This 60-page section ends, as do all the others, with a guide to finding moreinformation about Absorb activities.

The next two sectionsdeal with the other two types of activity, Do and Connect. “Do” includes suchtraditional eLearning activities as drill-and-practice, hands-on, anddiscovery. The “Do” section also introduces games and simulations. This is theshortest section in the book, only 33 pages. “Connect” activities are a bitmore varied, and the section on them is some 51 pages long. Connect activitieshelp learners close the gap between learning and the rest of their lives. WhereAbsorb and Do activities have as their purpose teaching something new, Connectlinks to something already known or prompts application of learning. Connectactivities include such things as pondering, questioning, stories, job aids,research, and original work. In the summaries of the Absorb, Do, and Connectactivities, Horton provides his excellent charts that help the readerunderstand how to use these activities and how to pick activities to accomplishspecific learning objectives.

In the lasttwo-thirds of the book, Horton addresses Tests, Topics (which he treats aslearning objects), and then new areas: Games and Simulations (almost 80 pages),Social Learning (100 pages), Mobile Learning (only 40 pages, but containsexcellent guidelines for dealing with the limitations of mobile devices), anddesign for the Virtual Classroom (43 pages). He concludes with a short appendixon “Essentialism” – testing your design to make sure it delivers what thelearners need.

Conclusion

This is a thorough,practical guide to creating excellent eLearning, written by a master of thecraft. It clearly communicates William Horton’s 35-year career in our field. Itis also an enjoyable book to read, like Horton’s other works. In my opinion, itbelongs in your library, whether you are new to instructional design or whetheryou have dozens of eLearning projects in your portfolio.

William Horton willbe presenting the Thought Leaders Webinar, “BlunderseLearning Designers Make (Or What I Got Wrong in the First Edition),” onNovember 15. This event is available at no extra cost to all paid membershiplevels (Guild Members, Member Plus, and Premium Members), but you must registerin advance.

My bottom line: Buy this book. Attend theWebinar. These will likely be the best investment of time and money you willmake next week.

Bibliographic Information

Horton, William. E-Learning by Design (Second Edition).(2011) San Francisco: Pfeiffer. 615 pages. ISBN 978-0-470-90002-4.

Amazon.com:$52.99 (Paperback); not available for Kindle at this time

BN.com(Barnes & Noble) (online): $53.82 (Paperback); $44.00 (Nook Book)

Pfeiffer:$65.00 (Paperback)