Authoring for Engagement: Creating a Human Ecosystem for Your Textbook

Writing an instructional book is a comprehensive task. Further to expertise in subject matter, field-specific technology, pedagogy, and course modalities, a key expectation is that authors create engaging content – publications that inspire, empower, and include readers by design. This exploratory presentation addresses the following questions: 1) How can an instructional book engage learners in a rapidly changing education landscape? And 2) How can a book’s structural and content features engage a larger community of stakeholders? Building on reflections of a recent book publication journey, this presentation shares actionable takeaways on how to purposefully embed human connection in an instructional book. The first section provides select background and context on the publication journey. The second section then covers design ideas to engage students around the text. Next, the third section shares several design considerations to make a book instructor-friendly. Finally, the fourth section examines how to support the book’s discoverability in its larger ecosystem. Attendees are invited to share their inquiry and thoughts during several activities. At the end of the presentation, attendees are welcome to share any constructive thoughts and ask questions. This presentation addresses educators who are interested in, or who are currently authoring a book for classroom use.