Clemson Online: Where Tech and Teaching Meet

Follow Up Friday: What’s Changing in Digital Course Materials?

Posted on by bblair

For years, PDFs have been the standard format for digital course materials. While they are easy to distribute, they often fall short in terms of accessibility, engagement, and interactivity. As education technology continues to evolve, interactive e-books and dynamic digital content are emerging as the future of course materials—offering features that go beyond simple text and images.

A person wearing an orange plaid shirt is typing on a white laptop placed on a wooden desk. Surrounding the laptop are various digital icons representing cloud computing, file storage, email, social networking, and data analytics, overlaid in a semi-transparent, futuristic style. The desk also has a notebook, a pen, a coffee cup, and some snacks. The background features abstract graphics of global connectivity, bar charts, and network diagrams, emphasizing a theme of digital work and online collaboration.

What’s Changing in Digital Course Materials?

If you haven’t been keeping up with recent innovations, here are some exciting advancements in interactive course materials:

  1. Multimedia Integration – New e-books allow for embedded videos, audio explanations, and animations that enhance learning.
  2. Adaptive Learning Technologies – Some interactive textbooks now adjust content based on student progress, offering personalized quizzes and targeted reviews.
  3. Built-in Accessibility Features – Modern e-books support text-to-speech, adjustable fonts, and high-contrast modes, making them more inclusive.
  4. Collaborative Annotation Tools – Students can highlight, comment, and share notes in real-time, making studying a more interactive experience.
  5. Interactive Simulations – STEM courses, in particular, are benefiting from e-books with virtual labs and hands-on simulations.

Why It Matters

Traditional PDFs often lack engagement and can be difficult for students with disabilities to navigate. As technology continues to advance, universities and instructors have a new opportunity to adopt more dynamic, accessible, and student-friendly course materials. Making the shift to interactive e-books can improve student comprehension, foster collaboration, and create a more inclusive learning experience.

The future of digital course materials is already here—have you explored what’s available? Now is the time to consider how these tools can enhance your course design and better support your students.

Upcoming Events

Best Practices for Designing a Welcoming Canvas Course

Wednesday, April 2, 1:30-2:30pm

Join us for our “Best Practices for Designing a Welcoming Canvas Course” presentation on April 2, from 1:30-2:30 pm! This presentation will provide helpful tips and techniques to make your Canvas course inclusive to a wide variety of learners. 

Facilitated by Leslie Fuller, PhD, Digital Learning Strategist.

Register here to receive the Zoom link.

Clemson Online Spring 2025 Events Calendar

Image of a spring calendar with flowers

Review our Spring 2025 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!

We have a robust lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, engaging your students, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!

All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.

Contact Millie Tullis with any questions regarding these sessions.

Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet

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