Carl Hixson, VP, Digital Asset Management, McGraw-Hill Education

CH: I agree. The new digital workflow that is required as part of implementing digital publishing tools is largely focused on the generation of content in a neutral format that can be easily transformed. Database storage is quite often a central component of digital asset management systems. When content is effectively stored in a database it opens up potential for search, interoperability and custom publishing. The new mindset is perhaps driving towards “content versatility.”

MM: Keeping it in a liquid moldable form — be it tagged XML content or reusable pieces of media. How has that changed the actual ideation and creation process for what ultimately gets published? Be it to a podcast or a book or a website or whatever?

CH: I think it’s had a major impact, in terms of not only how content is being created but also the workflows that dictate the roles and responsibilities of the people that are creating the content.

I think, for example, authors have to now think, “digital.” They have to become digital authors (in addition to maintaining their established expertise in print production).

MM: What does that mean?

CH: It means that authors now need to think about, “What are the benefits of XML? Why do I need to embrace XML? What additional skill set do I need to acquire to fully leverage XML? There’s the traditional format of a book, but the same content now has to also publish out to the web. Or go to an e-book reader. What do I need to do and know as an author to be able to create content that lends itself to neutrality? As opposed to a specific (print) format…”

So now authors are not just developing a “book.” They’re authoring “content.” That’s really a mind shift, to your point. It’s a process change. It is largely embracing a whole new content development process.

MM: How do you get an old dog to do a new trick? Or do you just find a bunch of new dogs that already know the new tricks?

CH: Good question. Our approach has been a combination of education, evangelism, demonstration of benefits and knowledge transfer (user training).

MM: Ie…”As an author, I make more money?”

CH: You certainly have the potential to generate additional revenue. You have an opportunity for the tail of the content to be much longer. I think you have the potential to even reach more users and readers than ever before. By leveraging the “long tail” we have the ability to reach a much larger audience.

My daughter’s method of gathering content is a classic example. She now has several sources to refer to for research and access to information. She often turns to the web first, and then explores other options such as books and printed materials, television, etc. And the generation of today will often multi-task and consume multiple sources of content simultaneously. The demand for real-time information is apparent.

MM: Or a friend?

CH: Yes, her peers as well. The book has become one of many choices. The content creators (individuals that are creating the content) have to be aware of this fact. Once they are, it opens up new content development possibilities. Having an insight into the trends and demands of today and tomorrow will factor into the new process of how digital content needs to be developed.

It’s not just the technology. Ensuring that the process change is associated with the development and implementation of technology is very important.

MM: It seems to me that as the web and the distribution channels and the business models continue to adapt to your daughter (and her generation) — the cognitive reality of your daughter and all her friends — it fundamentally begins to challenge or force a reassessment. Almost a reengineering of intellectual property. Of what an author creates.

CH: Absolutely.

MM: Can you speak to what some of the things are that you’ve learned at McGraw-Hill education? Primarily, the primary responsibility is creating textbooks and curricula. Is that correct?

CH: That’s correct. We’re also developing online learning environments, homework-management systems, custom publishing tools and various other products from our many educational business units.

MM: So what are some of the “a-has” or insights that have bubbled up from that whole ideation and creation process, in terms of new forms of intellectual prop?

CH: Some of the more compelling concepts that have surfaced recently include content correlation systems, online learning environments, advanced search technology and the mapping of student profiles to dynamic assessment tools.

MM: Another way of saying that, Carl, is…”What can McGraw-Hill do to ingrain itself more deeply into the learning and cognitive process of students and teachers?”

CH: I think we have to start producing products that speak to who our new customers are, and position ourselves to establish education partnerships that last throughout their personal development lifecycle.

MM: Please elaborate…

CH: This concept would apply to my daughter and her friends. I think traditionally publishers like McGraw-Hill have targeted the school system, including the school superintendent, the administration, the principal and the various curriculum procurement departments.

Perhaps the FaceBooks and the MySpaces of the world have changed the landscape. Now, publishers like McGraw-Hill really need to become realigned with who the real customer is. And to produce products that address the needs of “new” customer. I think the new client is the child in the digital classroom. The student in the digital classroom requires more dynamic content. It’s likely that they’ll still have a need to purchase the book, but will also have a need for additional sources and formats of information…

The interactive research that a media-technology product provides. A CD or DVD that’s included with the book. I think that’s where — once again — content needs to be created to facilitate multi-media and multi-channel distribution.

The students of today — even though they might not have the revenue, they have the influence. They influence the people that have the revenue that are ultimately going to be making the purchases.

We need to really understand what’s going on in the classroom and understand what’s going on in the mind of the student. This level of awareness of evolving market demands needs to correlate back to requirements gathering to ensure that innovation is a part of the system development process.

MM: So, Carl — another way of saying or reflecting back what you’ve just said…. The challenge for McGraw-Hill and other publishers of curriculum, books and learning objects and such… The real challenge before McGraw-Hill is really looking at the learning environment and emerging trends. What are all the dynamics and needs of the 2.0 learning environment? … And identifying the product development strategy required to enhance your position as the premier provider of high-quality educational content.

CH: Unquestionably. And make sure that the demands for more interactive — more digital learning objects — are reflected in the developmental roadmap of our systems, our products and our services. Information gathering has to become more interactive. Just to reiterate, more inline with where the consumers of our content, our existing clients and new consumers are going to conduct their research and source their information.

MM: So in creating curriculum, I hear you making several key points. Firstly, we need to identify (tag) and itemize content into its structural components. For example, itemize curriculum into learning objects.

CH: Absolutely. The tagging of digital content into re-usable objects is a critical element.

MM: Second, we need to do this in such a way that these learning objects can be correlated with content and presented as custom publishing frameworks. Learning frameworks. Some of these frameworks may be delivered online, as CD ROM products, or as a traditional textbook. The format of this content will lend itself to other distribution methods in the future.

CH: The above statement is completely inline with our digital strategy.

MM: Finally, the ability to look at the learning styles and profiles of individual consumers, and dynamically optimizing these objects and/or frameworks to particular learning styles.

CH: This is what our custom publishing and content correlation initiatives are designed to accomplish. Having the ability to map instructional content to assessment items will lead to learning analytics, and systems that will enhance the educational experience of students and teachers alike.

MM: Be they a reader-thinker or a talker-listener type of individual, a visual versus an auditory thinker, or a visual thinker versus a watcher-doer type of person…

CH: Absolutely. And by creating and developing content to be truly dynamic, it lends itself to being able to facilitate all of the above.