Course Description
EDUC 439/639: eBook Authoring
Comprehensive overview of eBook authoring and publication. Introduces the international EPUB standard and explains how to write eBooks that are Apple specific or device independent. Provides instruction in eBook authoring tools including Pages on the Macintosh as well as MS Word for Windows. Explains which tools to use depending on the targeted audience and degree of multimedia content. Informed by these techniques, participants decide upon an authoring tool and create a brief eBook project on a topic of their choosing. Publication options include making the eBook freely available or offering it for sale in the Apple Book Store or via Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. The course concludes with instruction on obtaining an ISBN, submitting an eBook for publication, and troubleshooting problems as the eBook progresses through the validation process on its way to publication.
Course Modules
This course is organized into a series of modules that are presented to you via the Web. The modules are attached to a collabsible menu that organizes the modules in roughly the same order in which they will be discussed in class. You need not complete these modules in this prescribed order, however. Rather, you can work through the course at your own pace, skipping modules that do not interest you, and spending more time on those that do.
Assignments
Your grade in this course will be based on your performance on a series of assignments that appear on this online syllabus. At any time, you can view the assignments. This list of assignments provides you with a snapshot of what you need to do in this course. All the rest is optional. It is totally up to you how much of the other material you will want to complete. Your instructor will help guide you, depending on the topics you choose to pursue.
Grading
You will receive grades on three kinds of activities. First, there are communication assignments that involve you in online discussions with your fellow classmates and your instructor. Second, you will blog about your thoughts and experiences as you explore the educational technology resources presented in this course. Third, you will create a brief eBook and publish it. These three parts of the course each constitute a third of your final grade.
Authoring Tools
The recommended authoring tools for use in this course are Pages on the Macintosh, or MS Word for Windows. You may also need a freely available Web page editor such as Atom, or an EPUB editor such as Sigil or Calibre, to solve some problems that may arise during the publication process. During the course your professor will give you advice about which tools you may need and how to get them freely or via educational discounts.
