Top 4 Books Every Elearning Professional Must Read

As Dr. Suess said, “The MORE that you READ, the more things you’ll know. The More you’ll LEARN, the more PLACES you’ll Go.” This saying holds true for eLearning designers especially instructional designers. The most important quality for an eLearning professional would be “the appetite to Read and Learn more” while staying updated with the current eLearning trends. In my research, I discovered the following 4 eLearning books that are must-read to design eLearning courses effectively.

Book #1: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education – By Karl M. Kapp

Gamification in eLearning is something you can’t afford to ignore as an eLearning professional.  If you want to create game-based eLearning and don’t know where to start, this book can be of great help as it is power-packed with useful advice and gamification examples. And if you think gamification in elearning is just about adding reward points, badges and levels; then you might have to rethink. Karl Kapp in his book explains how to use gamified eLearning to create meaningful learning experiences. It also focuses on modern trends where learning processes work and meet the needs of today’s learners.

This book will be a perfect find for those who would love to do something out of box to engage the learners with interesting game-based approaches.

Book #2: Design for How People Learn (Voices that Matter) – By Julie Dirksen

Want to design a great learning experience, then you should definitely read this smart and insightful book by Julie Dirksen. This great read on learning design HELPS you:

• Figure out how people learn and design effective learning experiences accordingly
• Understand what an instructional designer needs to know before designing eLearning
• Create strategies for meaningful learning interactions

I strongly recommend this book for both newbies and seasoned instructional designers.

Book #3: E-Learning by Design – By William Horton (2^nd edition)

“E-Learning by Design” written by William Horton which is one of the best-selling books on Amazon for designing web-based training or eLearning. William uses his thirty-five years hands-on experience to provide a practical guidance to create effective eLearning. This book covers all aspects of e-Learning design focusing on latest instructional design strategies ranging from – developing meaningful activities, creating online assessments, designing meaningful games to implement eLearning courses. William also touched on aspects of Social learning, mobile learning and virtual classroom.

Dissimilar to other books, William briefs on variety of activities in eLearning where he covers different types of learning activities that fits to Absorb, Do and Connect. These special features made me to include this book into my list of top 4 books.

Book #4: The Accidental Instructional Designer – By Cammy Bean

Accidental meetings may sometimes end up making the most beautiful experiences. According to the author, Cammy Bean, this sentence might hold true for instructional designers who chose this profession unwillingly or unintentionally. Cammy in her 202-page book beautifully explains:

• How to design eLearning that works?
• The essentials of creating scenario-based eLearning, building meaningful eLearning interactions, designing visuals, and working with SMEs.
• How to avoid instructional design mistakes?
• How to move forward in instructional design career?

Well, if you want to transform your journey from an Accidental Instructional Designer to an intentional one then this book has to be your choice.

The instructional design concepts discussed in the books has helped us devise instructional sound eLearning course strategies for varied types of learning problems. Following are a few eLearning courses developed for your review.

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