Style Guide for Writing Custom Online Courses

Written for Subject Matter Experts [SME]

University of Colorado: Employee Learning and Development 3/18/2010

University of Colorado: Employee Learning and Development Office

Style Guide for Subject Matter Experts

Introduction Web-based learning has become an integral component of most training programs because it is scalable and provides an economic instructional advantage over classroom based training offering flexibility, efficiency and consistency. The intent of this style guide is to outline good practices in writing instructional material that will be developed into Web-based training. An effective online course includes just the right amount of content to optimize the learning experience. The subject matter expert (SME) works closely with the course designer to ensure that each screen in the course presents the learning material in the most effective and efficient manner. The use of familiar formatting and navigation schemes makes it easier for users to learn and remember the layout of a course. However, this requires rigorous planning and design to ensure the content is presented in the most effective manner. Learning Needs Assessment (LNA) Before creating a course, a number of questions need to be addressed. This includes: Who is the audience being trained? What are the learning goals? Who is the subject matter expert that will provide the learning material? Figure 1 Complete this LNA. Reason for request:
Select one of the following areas: o Initial training o Refresher training Business justification for training: What is the business need driving this training? What problem is being solved? What are the learning goals? What learning outcomes do you want to achieve? Is this training currently being offered? Is this training required or recommended? Target audience: Who is the target audience? How many people will be trained each year? How often will the content need to be updated or revised? Will this training be of use to other campuses? Requirements of the training: What prerequisite skills, knowledge, or abilities are required prior to taking the course? How will learning be measured? Subject Matter Expert and materials: What materials are available to help develop the course? (e.g., policy statements, web sites, PowerPoint, training manuals) Who will be the subject matter expert?

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Planning the Course When planning a course, develop smaller modules with specific learning objectives allowing the learner to complete training segments in one session. Each module should cover one primary theme. The number of screens included in each module depends on the level of complexity for each of those screens. Adults read web text at about 180 words per minute, so it takes about 1 to 1.5 minutes to read a screen with 150-200 words. A ten-screen module would take between 10-15 minutes to complete. A sample course content outline is in Addendum 1.

Module 1
10 Screens = 10-15 min.

Course

Module 2
10 Screens = 10-15 min.

Quiz

Goals, Objectives and Introduction10

Screens

Goals and Objectives Each course has goals and learning objectives that describe what the learner will be able to do at the end of instruction. Goals and objectives differ in that goals are broad and general while objectives are narrow, tangible and precise. Objectives can be validated and communicate the intent of instruction. A list of common verbs used in writing objectives is available in the Addendum 2. Objectives should contain information on the audience and the anticipated behavior: Audience Who will be doing the performance. o Learners will o Employees will Behavior What the learner will be able to do. o apply mathematical formulas to excel spreadsheets. o identify hazardous wastes.

The first module should introduce the information that is being taught, to set the stage for learning. The introduction tells the learner what you are going to teach them. Here are a few examples: This module addresses In this module you will learn . After completing this module you will know about
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Figure 3

Writing Guidelines Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. William Strunk Jr., Elements of Style Writing the Course Script Just like a movie, a good course needs a good script that includes all the content that is in the course. A course script also includes instructions for the Web developers on how this content should be presented. Follow these general standards when organizing your content. Course scripts provide a consistent structure within each module of the course and also follow recommended instructional design guidelines: Design courses that are 30-45 minutes in duration. Design for the following hierarchy: course introduction, module introduction, content and practice exercise. Write clear, concise and measurable learning objectives for the course and for each module. Write course welcome text that sets the rational for offering the course. The module welcome page text provides the whats in it for me factor. Include practice questions within each module and a summary of the module. Create a course assessment (quiz) and test every learning objective.
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For additional writing conventions see Addendum 3.

Writing content for a self-paced course presents unique challenges. A delicate balance needs to be achieved between including just enough content to clearly teach the important concepts while keeping the learning experience interesting and engaging. Some recommendations from experts include the following: Vary the rhythm include audio or video of real people when appropriate. Vary the format ask a question; include a quote; add lists. Include pictures, icons and other visuals that support the text. Address one concept, procedure or item of instruction on each page. Use familiar words and avoid the use of jargon and contractions. Limit each screen to 200 words. Minimize the number of words in a sentence and sentences in a paragraph. Compose sentences in active rather than passive voice using strong verbs. Be clear about who is doing the action. o Example, Active voice: Students research, review and evaluate projects. NOT: The students are involved with extensive amounts of research, review and evaluation of projects. When describing an action or task that has a natural order or sequence, structure the content so that the sequence is obvious and consistent. Make chronology clear. When including emphasis in a course: o Avoid excessive use of bolding o Do not use italics (they are hard to read on screen) o Do not underline (it can be confused with a hyperlink) o Do not use quotation marks, reserve for citations and dialogue. Toolbox Good online instruction includes having a toolbox with different ways of representing the course material. This will increase the effectiveness of learning and provide a higher level of learner engagement. Presenting the content in a creative manner and adding practice exercises, pictures, scenarios and other learning tools is a matter of conscious planning. Some suggestions for learning tools: o Practice exercises reinforce learning of important or complex concepts. o Charts and tables provide a visual interpretation of learning material. o Scenarios or True Stories provide a real-world context to the learner. o Pictures reinforce the content also support learning. Pictures that do not reinforce content distract from learning. Specific text boxes, as shown in Figure 2, provide additional context to the learner; it tells them what they are seeing and helps them focus. It includes: o Myth Busters o Did you know? o Try It! o FAQs (Frequently Asked Question)

Course scripts should be created as a Word document; each page of the document represents a screen in the course. Specific instructions should be included in this script. A script template is provided in Addendum 4.
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Figure 2a

Figure 2b

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Graphics, Animations, Audio and Video Graphics reinforce the text while audio and video tell a story or make a specific point. Use illustrations, graphics and photographs to teach complex concepts. Web tools can also be used to simulate process steps in procedures or tool training. Review Questions Review questions should be included in each course module providing an informal assessment of the module objectives (See Figures 4, 5, 6). Research shows that using practice tests or quizzes facilitate long term information retention. Good feedback, for correct and incorrect answers is essential because it provides another opportunity to reteach the course information. Feedback provides remediation for the learner. Review questions within the course module are used to improve knowledge acquisition. These review questions may include: Try it simulations provide an interactive means of practicing steps in using software or how to complete a processes. What do you think? requires the learner to apply their learning and think. Scenario based questions offers questions that relate to a real life scenario. Multiple choice, matching or true/false questions. Figure 4

Figure 5

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Figure 6

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Final Course Assessment The summative assessment or course quiz needs to be rigorous to confirm the comprehension of the course content and acquisition of skills or information related to the course objectives. Designing effective tests is complex. Good test development questions: Test the comprehension of the course material. These questions explain or interpret the material in the course and may include the following verbs: explain, predict, interpret, infer, select, translate, etc. Provide an analysis of the course material: compare and contrast, differentiate between concepts, etc. Ask for a judgment to be made based on material that was taught in the course: evaluate, justify, appraise, recommend, etc. Test the steps in a procedure. Good practices in writing test questions for summative or final course assessments include: Use four or five choice items or distracters with each question. Test choice items, should be of similar length Write clear and concise questions Write two questions for each course objective to increase reliability Avoid all of the above or none of the above as an item choice Avoid true/false questions

Resources Resources used in this document include: Associated Press Stylebook, 2009 Edition Conrad, Kerri. (2000) Instructional Design for Web-based Training. Horton, William. (2000) Designing Web-Based Training. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Horton, William. (2006) e-Learning by Design. Pfeiffer. Johnson, Robert. (2006) eLearning Style Guide for the Virginia Department of Health. MITT Training and Development. http://web.mit.edu/training/index.html Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines (April 2007) ISBN 0-16076270-7 Tessmer, M. (2009) Writing Online Training Tutorials. ISBN# 978-0-557-06196-9.

http://www.tutorialwriting.com/blog/

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Addendums Addendum 1: Course Content Outline Course Name Introduction 1.1 Course Purpose 1.2 Course Goals, Objectives and Outcomes Module 1 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

1.7 Module 2 1.8 1.9

Objectives Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 1.6.1 External Link 1.6.2 Topic 3a 1.6.3 Topic 3b Topic 4

1.10 1.11 Module 3

Objectives Topic 1 1.9.1 Topic 1a 1.9.1.1 Topic 2 Topic 3

External Link

Resources (May includes contact information, URLs, FAQs, links to documents.) Quiz

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Addendum 2: Verbs to Use in Creating Educational Objectives (Based on Blooms Taxonomy)

Knowledge acquire attend choose collect complete copy define describe detect differentiate distinguish duplicate find identify imitate indicate isolate label list mark match name order outline place recall recognize reproduce select state underline Comprehension arrange categorize change chart cite circle classify compile demonstrate determine diagram differentiate distinguish document draw edit estimate explain extend extrapolate follow formulate gather give example illustrate infer interpolate interpret itemize locate make organize paraphrase predict prepare quote read rearrange record relate reorder rephrase represent restate rewrite summarize translate update Application apply calculate change choose classify compute conduct construct demonstrate develop discover employ generalize manipulate modify operate organize predict prepare produce relate restructure show solve transfer use Analysis analyze appraise break down categorize classify combine compare conclude contrast criticize deduce defend detect diagram differentiate discriminate distinguish evaluate formulate generate identify illustrate induce infer outline paraphrase plan point out present question recognize relate save select separate shorten structure subdivide Synthesis alter calculate categorize change classify combine compile compose conduct constitute construct create deduce derive design devise develop discover discuss document expand explain formulate generalize generate modify organize originate paraphrase plan predict produce propose rearrange reconstruct relate reorganize revise rewrite signify simplify specify summarize synthesize systematize tell transmit write Evaluation appraise argue assess compare conclude consider contrast critique decide describe discriminate explain interpret judge justify recommend relate standardize summarize validate

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Addendum 3: Writing Conventions: Abbreviations, Acronyms, Lists, Numbers, Acronyms and Abbreviations Guidelines for the use of acronyms and abbreviations: To introduce an acronym for the first time, write out the full name of the entity, followed by its acronym in parentheses. Acronyms do not include spaces or periods. Abbreviations should be used when using titles before and after names (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ph D). Abbreviations should be used when the acronym for a corporation, institution or country is more familiar than the full name (e.g., USA, IBM, FBI). Abbreviations should be used for mathematical measurements (e.g., lb., kg.). Bulleted and Numbered Lists Guidelines for the use of lists: Arrange lists and tasks in an order that best facilitates efficient and successful user performance. Make lists easy to scan and understand. Provide an introductory heading, or stem, (i.e., word or phrase) to start each bulleted list. Be consistent with punctuation. Use numbered bullets where sequence is important. Only capitalize the first letter of the first word of a list item, a list box item, check box labels, and radio button labels. Maintain parallel construction in a bullet list, e.g., start all bulleted items with a verb. Do not use a bullet (number or symbol) when there is only one item; there must be a least two items to make a bullet list. Numbers, Dates, Time Guidelines for using numbers: Use figures to express the numbers 10 and above, all numbers representing mathematical functions or quantities, dates, ages, time, money, and numbers as part of a series Spell out the numbers nine and below unless they represent a precise measurement (e.g., 8.2578) or are part of a complex mathematical formula Spell out any number that begins a sentence, title, or heading Write out the date in full (e.g., July 4, 1776) Use a colon to separate hours and minutes (e.g., 9:00 a.m.)

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Addendum 4: Course Script Example Page 1. A course script is written as a Microsoft Word document with the following formatting preferences: Course title that is limited to 27 characters (this complies with HRMS standards) Course title is referenced as <H1> in the course script; Headings are labeled as <H2> for the Module Title; <H3> for the module subtitle Font is Arial 11 Page orientation is landscape Include page numbers Each page of the document represents one screen in the course Indicate within a parenthesis the URL needed for an external link or document Include a glossary if the course includes a lot of acronyms or specialized terms Place all notes for the course developer - tips, pop-up messages - in a shaded text box Sample Script (Module 1) <H2>Course Overview <H3>Introduction (1.1)
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Note: Place all notes, tips, pop-up messages, and the like within a shaded text-box. Title text should be bold, as shown in this example.

2. Quiz questions should be written in the following template: Question Maps to Page Possible Answers (* indicates correct) Correct Feedback InCorrect Feedback Maps to Objective Maps to Module

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Addendum 5: Examples of Screens From Custom Courses

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