Concurrent development and cost-benefit analysis of paper-based and digitized instructional material

This article describes the simultaneous development of paper-based and digitized versions of a textbook and related instructional material used in an independent study, undergraduate introductory financial accounting course. Faculty and mangers of postsecondary institutions will be particularly interested in the development process, as there is an increasing need to produce instructional material in these two media. Break-even analysis is used as an initial evaluation measure to determine cost-effectiveness. An ongoing study is described which, when completed, will evaluate the relative efficacy of each medium in terms of learning outcomes, completion rates, and selected qualitative attributes.