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  • The Evolution of the Digital Coursepack

    By Joshua Kim October 28, 2010 9:15 pm EDT

    Digital coursepacks have the ability to incorporate content that today is available only through the learning management system (LMS). The iPad is a great platform to develop coursepack specific apps, ones that can facilitate the efficient consumption and navigation of course content and deliverables.

    A well designed iPad coursepack app would offer a superior reading experience for text (articles, chapters or instructor created content), while also integrating multimedia. The next step is annotation, sharing, and community functions. Coursepack vendors are moving beyond their traditional roles of clearing copyrights and offering Web or print coursepacks. They are moving into creating platforms that support and mirror the entire narrative of a course, from instructor generated content to multimedia..

    This content on a digital coursepack can include:

    • Learning outcomes for each class module.
    • Articles.
    • Web content.
    • Book chapters.
    • Video of captured lectures/ presentations (synced audio, slides and sometimes video).
    • Assignments by week.
    • Information on course projects.
    • Curricular videos, animations and learning objects.
    • Screencasts and tutorials.

    (What am I missing? Assessments? Simulations?)

    The course content can be arranged in narrative format, with metadata surrounding each piece of content. Students can utilize their digital coursepack to understand the narrative flow of the course, a map of all the curriculum and deliverables.

    Digital coursepacks are different from the LMS, as the main purpose is to consume content as opposed to interact and collaborate with other students. The LMS, conversely, should become more social, and evolve to facilitate the rapid authoring and sharing of content.

    A digital coursepack is primarily about consumption, and should be one option in a menu of coursepack formats that includes: print (whole paper coursepacks delivered from a print-on-demand order), the ability to print individual content pieces, browser based access, offline application access, and mobile device versions. For mobile I'd include a Kindle version and perhaps other formats (such as Android or Blackberry).

    The point is to allow the student to select the format and device that she wants to consume the course content on.

    I know of 3 vendors in the marketplace who are moving in this direction, Symtext, XanEDU, and Study.Net. (In terms of supporting multimedia within their traditional content clearance and multi-platform (print, Web, iPad etc.) coursepack models. Am I missing any players in the digital coursepack field?

    Do you have any experience with digital coursepacks? Do you think this method of delivering course content has potential to grow? Will Blackboard buy into this business, as the digital coursepack has the potential to threaten their mobile play?

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Comments on The Evolution of the Digital Coursepack

  • Are We Paying for These Coursepacks? If so, why?
  • Posted by StevenB on October 29, 2010 at 8:30am EDT
  • I'm with you on the idea that a coursepack, for many courses - not all - is the superior solution to a costly commercial textbook. Not only does it takes advantage of content that's already available to the faculty (e.g., content in subscription library databases, open access content, etc)but it's customized to meet learning outcomes, it's integrated in to the learning space - and it saves the students money. But I'm not sure if you are suggesting that the coursepacks are coming from commercial publishers like Xanadu (which has been at this for many years - often re-selling content in ProQuest databases that the library already subscribes to - back to the institution a second time. If so, would you say that faculty, with the help of instructional technologists and librarians, could compile these coursepacks on their own. If not - why not?
  • digital coursepacks
  • Posted by Laura M , Executive Editor at Nelson Education on October 29, 2010 at 10:00am EDT
  • Cengage has just launched 'Course Reader' - digital coursepacks. Much of the content comes from the Gale collection. It has both print and media and they are organized by discipline/subject. The first collections are mainly world history, western civilization, and composition.
  • Learning is about producing not consuming!
  • Posted by Denise Lindstrom , Curriculum and Instructional Technology at Fairmont State University on October 29, 2010 at 11:15am EDT
  • The revolution behind Web 2.0 is the ease with which we can produce and distribute information. My problem with prepackaged course content; digital or print is it hinders deep and meaningful learning. Ask a provocative question. Students research and validate their sources then make a video, a podcast, a blog post, an image whatever to demonstrate what they have learned. For those who can critical think, information is free! The cost of higher education has outpaced health care. If we are going to stay competitive in the 21st century we can't do what we've always done and call it innovative just because you can access it online.

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