Stop Making Digital Textbooks: Rethinking eLearning from First Principles
The problems plaguing eLearning today are many, but at their core lies a fundamental flaw: it is still trying too hard to be a book. Text reigns supreme, while multimedia elements are mere supporting actors — decorative, illustrative, but rarely essential. We might as well call this “the original sin of eLearning.”
This sin is inherited from formal education, which has long treated knowledge as something best accumulated through reading. And by “book knowledge,” we don’t just mean physical books — we’re talking PowerPoint slides, PDFs, handouts, and anything that can be assigned with the solemn words: “See required readings.” Imagine trying to teach a college course without any readings at all. No matter the subject, text (with a few strategically placed images) has been the gold standard for centuries. We don’t just learn from books — we equate knowledge with books. Everything else? That’s relegated to “skills,” as if doing things were some lesser form of knowing.
If this all sounds familiar, it should — photography, too, spent its early years trying to imitate painting. And just as early photographers eventually realized they weren’t bound by canvas and oil, eLearning needs to wake up and smell the pixels. Instead, it still clings to the textbook model: a syllabus, neatly divided into lessons and modules, content broken into digestible chunks, and a few images thrown in for good measure. Assessments, if they exist, are often tacked on like an afterthought — much like that one sad parsley sprig on a diner plate.
Now, let’s be clear: I’m not calling for the abolition of this book-based approach. If it’s a crime, I’ve committed it more times than I can count. The issue isn’t the digital textbook itself — it’s what happens when that’s all there is. Without additional learning components, a digitized textbook is like a showroom car with no engine: great to look at, but don’t expect it to take you anywhere.
The digital world brings a different challenge, one I call media habituation. Learners today don’t just expect content — they expect it to compete for their attention. A static PDF has to battle against an infinite scroll of videos, memes, and bite-sized infotainment. Simply pasting textbook content onto a screen and calling it eLearning is like opening a restaurant that serves plain rice on white plates and wondering why no one’s lining up.
Recognizing this, many instructional designers have scrambled for solutions: microlearning, gamification, storytelling, and, above all, video. And while these strategies sometimes work, the overall approach is reminiscent of a patient trying every trendy supplement without ever diagnosing the real issue. We don’t need more flashy features — we need to understand what actually makes learning effective in the digital age.
What YouTube Got Right (That MOOCs Didn’t)
One of the biggest missed lessons in eLearning comes from an unexpected source: YouTube. Over the past two decades, it was YouTube — not MOOCs — that truly revolutionized self-paced learning. What was the magic ingredient? It wasn’t just “video.” It was a fundamental shift from learning to consumption.
If traditional education struggles with its reputation for requiring heavy cognitive effort, YouTube flipped the script: it made learning feel effortless. The secret? Desirable packaging, seamless discovery, and — above all — the illusion of low effort. You don’t feel like you’re learning, but you are.
Meanwhile, platforms like YouTube and TikTok have mastered the science of engagement. They remove friction, offer frequent dopamine hits, and create an experience so smooth that learning feels like a happy accident. YouTube’s algorithm hands you the next relevant video without you lifting a finger. TikTok’s short-form format captures attention instantly, rewarding you before you even realize it. Plus, digital media adds layers that traditional learning often lacks: immediacy (live streams), emotional connection (seeing a real person’s face), and shareability (comments and discussions that turn learning into a social act).
While eLearning has no intention of becoming another YouTube, it has spent the past decade playing catch-up with these strategies. Most successful Udemy or LinkedIn Learning courses are, functionally, just structured YouTube playlists. The only real difference? YouTube playlists are notoriously bad at guiding learners through a clear progression — something eLearning designers are still trying to perfect.
Of course, the “consume and learn” model isn’t without its pitfalls. Not everything can or should be learned in five-minute bites. A “talking head” video against a boring background doesn’t automatically make for an engaging lesson. Gamification doesn’t guarantee actual participation. And reducing learning to snackable content can create a habit of superficiality — like trying to get a deep understanding of history from TikTok explainers.
So, how do we take what works without falling into the trap of mindless content consumption? Instead of blindly adding more “exotic ingredients” to eLearning, we should focus on the fundamentals of learning itself. This is where first-principles thinking comes in.
First-Principles Thinking: What Cybertruck Can Teach Us About eLearning
First-principles thinking means breaking a problem down to its most fundamental components and questioning every assumption. Instead of tweaking the existing system, we rebuild from scratch, focusing on what really matters.
Take the Cybertruck. Instead of designing another truck with incremental improvements, Tesla started with the core question:
- What is the primary function of a pickup truck? Structural integrity and weather protection.
- What’s the best material for that? Cold-rolled 30X stainless steel — strong, durable, and cost-effective.
- What does that mean for manufacturing? No need for paint (bye-bye, paint shop) and a form that favors folding over stamping (hello, sharp angles).
This wasn’t just a stylistic choice — the entire manufacturing process was rethought from the ground up. Traditional truck assembly requires massive investments in curved panel stamping, specialized robots, and complex tooling. By stripping away unnecessary elements, Tesla didn’t just make a weird-looking truck — it revolutionized how trucks are made.
Applying First-Principles Thinking to eLearning
Now, what does this have to do with eLearning? Modern learning theory already follows a first-principles approach:
1. What are we trying to achieve? Define clear learning objectives (Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great start).
2. What’s the best way to achieve it? Choose learning activities that actually build these skills — simulations, real-world projects, collaborative discussions.
3. How should content be structured? Instead of defaulting to textbook formats, build a learning experience that guides learners intuitively from one step to the next.
Instead of blindly following tradition (a.k.a. “just make a digital textbook”), we should think like designers, not just content creators. The goal isn’t to deliver content — it’s to design an experience where learning happens naturally.
Ultimately, rethinking eLearning through first principles requires challenging assumptions, experimenting with bold new approaches, and prioritizing the learner’s experience above all else. The future of eLearning isn’t about stuffing more content into digital textbooks — it’s about reimagining what’s possible when we stop copying old models and start designing learning experiences from the ground up.
We don’t need better textbooks. We need better architects.
