Providing current instructional resources for students, especially in technology-based courses challenges instructors to keep pace with Moore’s Law; it is like balancing an elephant on a razor blade.

In Applied Technology for Personal and Professional Productivity, the course instructor teaches for the University of Cincinnati Clermont College, instructor currently using at least two textbooks to meet this challenge—but it is costly to students. When the author for our primary textbook retired, it prompted the instructor to consider replacing the outdated material, synthesizing the content from two texts into to a single text, aligning material with the learning objectives of the course and creating an accessible resource for students.

After collaborating with the University of Cincinnati Clermont College Instructional Design & eLearning Team, instructors decided that writing an eText for course could support learning while helping me keep pace with ever-changing technology. As an example, Microsoft Sway is a digital storytelling app that may be replacing Microsoft PowerPoint for creating presentations. The purpose of this presentation is to share lessons instructors has learned to research and writing an eText that incorporates the latest technologies.