Books on E-learning Design

know-how to deliver a world of high-impact e-learning

Technical Design Books about the Look and Feel of Online Page Design

These books have some good information about how to go about designing web pages (course pages) - the look and feel. If you are new at designing web media, then these are excellent places to start.


	Gallery of Recommended Books on e-Learning

• E-learning Instructional Design Books

• Books on the Technical Design

• Design Books with Good Stuff on Scenario-based Courses

• Instructional Design Books for a Solid Foundation

• or Search Amazon right here!

Lectora Books are listed elsewhere.

Here are my top recommended e-learning books for those who already have a solid foundation in how to design training. If you don't, click here for a couple of instructional design suggestions or click here to search Amazon.


	This two by Allen are good books and give you a great perspective on e-learning. They are easy reads.

This book by Horton gives you another excellent way to look at your e-learning courses. There is a lot of meat here but all written so you can apply it.

This is a condensation of most of the other major books on e-learning boiled down to a simple step-by- step applied approach. Until it is completely up on Amazon, you can read more about it by clicking here.

This is one of the best books I have read about learning. It includes a couple of great chapters on motivation.

This is a new addition to the field. It is more general than just e- learning BUT most of it can be applied to e- learning. I highly recommend it to new and experienced trainers.


	If you want to know more about how to select and design graphics for e- learning, this is an excellent resource. It also has a great chapter on how people learn.


	These two books were written for web sites. A lot of what they cover apply equally well to e-learning. If e-learning developers used more of these ideas, learners would have less hassle and learn more.

Lots of good ideas backed by research, not just opinion. Take your time reading it as it is heavy but very good.


	This new one by Allen is mostly about the complete project process and not so much about design. It is more for those who have to manage an e- learning development team.


	This is a good book about the overall project process and a some about the specific design of e- learning. If you are in charge of managing e- learning projects, I recommend this one and Allen's.

Design Books with Good Stuff on Scenario-based Courses

Here are some good books I have found to help you design simulations (scenario-based) e-learning courses. I wish I could say they easy to read. They weren't for me but they were the only ones I could find that contained any helpful stuff.


	These two books cover roughly the same material but from different perspectives. They give good principles to base your work on. Michael Allen references Gee's work a lot in his recent books.


	This is a classic. It has some excellent principles on e-learning in general as well as simulations even though it is a 1998 book.

This is a good one for learning more about how the military learned to build story lines for its simulations.

This one sounds like a good book on activities but it is not. It is more aimed at real simulations (airplane cockpit). It does have some good pointers on creating interactive scenarios. It helps you see things from a different perspective.

Contains some good overall information and a couple of good chapters on game- based learning for adults.

Instructional Design Books for a Solid Foundation


	I recommend these books if you don't have much formal training in how to design instruction. Don't rely on the fact that you sat in a classroom for years. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to design good training. These books will get you started. If you like the field, enroll and get a degree somewhere.

This is your best value overall. I have gone back to my set over and over again. Sometimes I wish I had a new set but I just can't let go of the ones that are my friends.

If you can only afford one, then this is THE one.

Next is the ASTD handbook. You may prefer other resources but the edition I bought 20 years ago I still use today. In fact, I probably should get the new version.

Just select Books, type in "instructional design", click GO.

Please click on as soon as you get to Amazon. If you do a search or go to another page before adding one of these books to your cart, no credit is given to this site and eventually I will remove these books. Thanks.