Generally, learning material is any source that helps to acquire training program, subject and topic. Learning materials can be conditionally grouped into the following categories:

• Conventional sources (textbooks, lectures, articles, etc. in paper format),
• E-sources (the same information on disk),
• Formal sources (recommended materials),
• Additional sources (other materials on given topic),
• Practice materials (formulas, schemes, tables, case-studies).

At the current stage, individual studies by trainees are more important. To this end, a wide choice of additional learning materials is needed (theses, monographs, papers, analytical reviews and summaries).

Learning material (definitions):

1. Specially selected tutorials to be presented and learned in the process of training … // New tutorial of terms and concepts …
2. Teaching aids (maps, tables, etc.) distributed among trainees for individual study or demonstrated by lecturer // Vocational education. Dictionary

The term ‘instructional material’ is close to ‘learning material’.

Instructional material (definitions):

1. Type of teaching aids // Pedagogical glossary
2. A kind of study guides for training to activate learning and cognitive activity of trainees and save class time // Information technology in the higher education system

Conventional learning materials include textbooks, lectures, synopses, tutorials and teaching aids, etc.

Along with conventional paper-based learning materials, innovation e-materials are widely used now.

E-tutorials can be stored on servers and distributed on digital media. E-textbooks represent relevant materials using multimedia technology.

E-database is a tool to store structured information on given topic. E-materials substantially ease search of needed information, present huge amount of tutorial materials (that in paper format occupy a lot of space in libraries) in compacted form and have other advantages before conventional learning materials.

Most experts use the terms “learning materials” and “instructional materials” as synonyms. At the same time, the first term is somewhat narrower that the second one. This follows from the concepts of didactics and training, where the first one is wider.

Didactics (definitions):

1. Theory of education and training, branch of pedagogics.
2. Branch of pedagogics describing theory of education and training … // Pedagogical encyclopedia

Training (definitions):

1. Process of transferring and learning knowledge and skills and methods of cognitive activity.
2. Process of acquiring knowledge and skills…

Sources (in Russian):
Didaktika / Slovari i enziklopediyi na Akademike
Didakticheskiy material / Slovari i enziklopediyi na Akademike
Obutcheniye / Slovari i enziklopediyi na Akademike
Soderjaniye utchebnogo materiala
Utchebniye materialy
Utchebniy material / Slovari i enziklopediyi na Akademike

Author: Rysbekov Yu. Kh., SIC ICWC