Interactive eBooks an Ideal eLearning Platform

An eBook can be a one-stop shop for eLearning, packinginteractivity, video and audio files, quizzes, and much more into a singleportable, accessible file. And eBooks are easy to create, easy to use, and easyto update.

An underappreciated platform for eLearning, eBooks areversatile and creating them “is as simple as creating a Word document,”according to Sarah Gilbert, president of meLearning Solutions. Gilbert’s teamwon Best in Show at the FocusOn Learning 2017 DemoFest in June for anxAPI-enabled interactive eBook.

What do eBooks offer for eLearning?

Gilbert said that schools and universities have been usingeBooks for years as a way to replace print textbooks. The eBooks offer morefunctionality than a print book, are easier to update, and can reduce schools’or students’ costs. Corporate trainers have been slower to adopt eBooks, eventhough the platform offers a lot of in-demand features:

• “The EPUB format can include embedded audio,video, images, 3-D models, and quizzes,” Gilbert said. EPUB is an open formatthat can be read on most eBook readers (and converted for others, like Kindle).
• Apps to read eBooks are available for almost anydevice, including laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones, making eBooksportable and accessible anywhere.
• eBooks can embed or link to all kinds ofinteractive activities and resources. “Developers that have experience workingin HTML5 (HTML, JavaScript, and CSS3) can create pretty much any interaction inthis format,” Gilbert said.
• Once an eBook is downloaded, all of the featuresand functions are available locally, with no need for an Internet connection.
• Adding xAPI reporting to an eBook means thatlearner interactions, like taking a quiz, watching a video, or reading asection of text, can be tracked and recorded by an LRS and documented in acompany’s LMS.
• It’s easy to add accessibility features—liketext readers, scalable type, and adjustable contrast—to eBooks.
• Developers can use free tools, like open-source Sigil, to createeBooks.

Gilbert sees eBooks as a versatile option for corporatetraining and performance support. “The interactive eBook solution is ideal fordelivering performance support documents, such as job aids, user manuals, andother technical documentation. It is also a great platform for teaching newconcepts,” she said. “The benefits of this format include ensuring that thecontent is available on any device or screen, it can be quickly updated, andrich media can be incorporated to add value and context to the content.”

Tracking and reporting capabilities complete the picture

Gilbert conceived of the xAPI eBook project when she gotrepeated questions from clients about tracking eBook use among learners.Increasing availability of free and low-cost LRS platforms convinced her to tryit. Tracking with xAPI statements, then reporting to a learning record storethat is connected to a learning management system, “supports the collection ofmicro-level data on users’ interaction with content,” she said. “I was excitedabout the possibilities this afforded designers and developers, because we cannow access data to help us paint the picture of how our learners useinteractive eBooks. We can capture page views, link clicks, video launches,highlights, and quiz results, just to name a few.”

The interactive eBook project was part of the spring xAPI Learning Cohort, afree 12-week virtual-classroom-based program run by TorranceLearning. The fallcohort started on August 31; typically, TorranceLearning runs two groups peryear. Anyone who wants to learn more about xAPI is invited to join. Learn morein “Collaborative eLearning: It’s the Developers’ Turn.”

Want more?

Sarah Gilbert will offer a session on “xAPI Basics for Mobile Learning” at The eLearning Guild’s DevLearn 2017 Conference & Expo, October 25 – 27 in Las Vegas. Registration for DevLearn is open!