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University of Colorado: Employee Learning and Development Office

Style Guide for Writing

Custom Online CoursesWritten for Subject Matter Experts [SME]University of Colorado: Employee Learning and Development

3/18/2010


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Style Guide for Subject Matter Experts

Introduction

Web-based learning has become an integral component of most training programsbecause it is scalable and provides an economic instructional advantage over classroombased training offering flexibility, efficiency and consistency. The intent of this style guideis to outline good practices in writing instructional material that will be developed intoWeb-based training.

An effective online course includes just the right amount of content to optimize thelearning experience. The subject matter expert (SME) works closely with the coursedesigner to ensure that each screen in the course presents the learning material in themost effective and efficient manner. The use of familiar formatting and navigationschemes 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 subjectmatter expert that will provide the learning material?

Figure 1 Complete this LNA.

Reason for request:

Select one of the following areas:o Initial trainingo 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, websites, 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 moduleshould cover one primary theme. The number of screens included in each moduledepends on the level of complexity for each of those screens. Adults read web text atabout 180 words per minute, so it takes about 1 to 1.5 minutes to read a screen with150-200 words. A ten-screen module would take between 10-15 minutes to complete.A sample course content outline is in Addendum 1.

Goals, Objectives and Introduction

Goals and Objectives

Each course has goals and learning objectives that describe what the learner will beable 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 bevalidated and communicate the intent of instruction. A list of common verbs used inwriting 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 stagefor learning. The introduction tells the learner what you are going to teach them. Hereare a few examples:

This module addresses

In this module you will learn .

After completing this module you will know about

Course

Module 110 Screens = 10-15 min.

Module 2

10 Screens = 10-15 min.

Quiz


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Figure 3

Writing Guidelines

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, aparagraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should haveno 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 isin the course. A course script also includes instructions for the Web developers on howthis content should be presented. Follow these general standards when organizing yourcontent. Course scripts provide a consistent structure within each module of the courseand 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 foreach module.

Write course welcome text that sets the rational for offering the course. Themodule 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 balanceneeds to be achieved between including just enough content to clearly teach theimportant 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 andsentences in a paragraph.

Compose sentences in active rather than passive voice using strong verbs. Beclear 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, structurethe content so that the sequence is obvious and consistent. Make chronologyclear.

When including emphasis in a course:o Avoid excessive use of boldingo 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 representingthe course material. This will increase the effectiveness of learning and provide a higherlevel of learner engagement. Presenting the content in a creative manner and addingpractice exercises, pictures, scenarios and other learning tools is a matter of consciousplanning. 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 Busterso Did you know?o Try It!o FAQs (Frequently Asked Question)

Course scripts should be created as a Word document; each page of the documentrepresents a screen in the course. Specific instructions should be included in thisscript. 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 informalassessment of the module objectives (See Figures 4, 5, 6). Research shows that usingpractice tests or quizzes facilitate long term information retention. Good feedback, forcorrect and incorrect answers is essential because it provides another opportunity toreteach the course information. Feedback provides remediation for the learner. Reviewquestions within the course module are used to improve knowledge acquisition. Thesereview questions may include:

Try it simulations provide an interactive means of practicing steps in usingsoftware 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 thecomprehension of the course content and acquisition of skills or information related to

the course objectives. Designing effective tests is complex. Good test developmentquestions:

Test the comprehension of the course material. These questions explain orinterpret 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, differentiatebetween 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 0-16-076270-7

Tessmer, M. (2009) Writing Online Training Tutorials. ISBN# 978-0-557-06196-9.

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


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Addendums

Addendum 1: Course Content Outline

Course Name

Introduction

1.1 Course Purpose1.2 Course Goals, Objectives and Outcomes

Module 1

1.3 Objectives1.4 Topic 11.5 Topic 21.6 Topic 3

1.6.1 External Link1.6.2 Topic 3a1.6.3 Topic 3b

1.7 Topic 4

Module 2

1.8 Objectives1.9 Topic 1

1.9.1 Topic 1a1.9.1.1 External Link

1.10 Topic 21.11 Topic 3

Module 3

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

Quiz


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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 orcountry 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 aspart of a series

Spell out the numbers nine and below unless they represent a precisemeasurement (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 formattingpreferences:

Course title that is limited to 27 characters (this complies with HRMS standards)

Course title is referenced as in the course script; Headings are labeled as for the Module Title; 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 shadedtext box

Sample Script

(Module 1)Course Overview

Introduction (1.1)

Page 1 of 1

Persto dolus dignissim genitus tincidunt decet dignissim euismod abbas, nulla. Oppetoquibus usitas hos utrum et gilvus, valetudo proprius mauris quod. Praemitto, reprobosaepius mos minim pagus. Si sagaciter letalis, reprobo reprobo, eu iustum.

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:

Mapsto

Objective

MapstoModule

Maps

toPage

Question PossibleAnswers

(* indicates

correct)

CorrectFeedback

InCorrectFeedback


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Addendum 5: Examples of Screens From Custom Courses


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