style in module writing

8/11/2019 Style in Module Writing

1/42


2/42

Overview of presentation

Introduction

Style in the writing of modules Guidelines for clear writing

Using familiar words

Short vs. long words Short vs. long sentences

Specific vs. General

Kondwani Mkandawire


3/42

Overview of presentation/...

Writing in logical order

Negatives vs. positives Maximising cohesion

Using first and second person

Signposting Active vs. passive voice

Other considerations

ConclusionKondwani Mkandawire


4/42

Introduction

Modules fall within the group of self-

instructional/study materials. They are specifically designed to enable

students study partly or wholly by

themselves.

This is why Rowntree (1998) described themas Tutorial-in-Print.

Kondwani Mkandawire


5/42

Introduction/...

Unlike most books, modules:

Have clear objectives Offer advice on how to study the materials

Involve the learner actively

They include activities and self-assessmentquestions throughout

They guide the learner

Specially designed for a specific groupKondwani Mkandawire


6/42

Introduction/...

Are written in a friendly and encouraging

tone (you and I style).Assist the learner to apply new knowledge.

Have a clear structure.

Divide content into small sections, and

contain more headings and sign-posts.

Have access devices to help the learner

Provide space for learners to make notes

Kondwani Mkandawire


7/42

Style in the writing of modules

The above and many other characteristics

demonstrate how important modules/self-instructional materials are.

More importantly, however, these

distinguishing characteristics point to the

need for modules, like most self-instructionalmaterials, to be written in a unique style.

Kondwani Mkandawire


8/42

Style/...

However well planned and constructed your

course is, it may fail to work well if the styleused is not appropriate to your student

population.

Kondwani Mkandawire


9/42

Guidelines for clear writing

Use of familiar words

Use of short words Use of short sentences

Avoiding unnecessary words

Preferring the specific instead of the general Writing in logical order

Use of positives instead of negatives

Kondwani Mkandawire


10/42

Guidelines/....

Maximising cohesion

Use of first and second person Use of lots of signposting

Use of active rather than passive voice

Kondwani Mkandawire


11/42

Using familiar words

Text is always easier for students to

understand if they are familiar with the wordsbeing used.

Occasionally, of course, you will need to use

the less familiar word because it is the only

one that can convey your meaning withprecision. This is particularly true when using

technical terms.

Kondwani Mkandawire


12/42

Using familiar words/...

Less familiar

facilitate

attenuate

detriment

influx

More familiar

Help

Reduce

Harm

arrival

Kondwani Mkandawire


13/42

Using short instead of long words

Generally, short words are easier to

understand than longer ones. Sometimes, though, the longer word is the

more familiar, so it should be used in

preference to the shorter one.

Kondwani Mkandawire


14/42

Using short/...

Long

Fundamental

Intoxicated

Indistinct

Inundation

Short

Basic

Drunk

Unclear

Flood

Kondwani Mkandawire


15/42


16/42

The specific vs. The general

We tend to understand specific, concrete

instances better than vague or generalisedones.

For this reason, it is best to use specific

examples or precise data whenever the

context permits it.

Kondwani Mkandawire


17/42

The specific vs. the general/...

The general/vague

Write a short answer

Many people

Very fast

Poor quality hinge

The specific/precise

Write about 300 words

Around 65% of the adults

Over 150 km/hr

A hinge that breaks after

500 flexings

Kondwani Mkandawire


18/42

Writing in a logical order

Probably the best way to ensure a logical

order is to plan your course or unit in asystematic waya process which, in itself,

helps to force a logical order on your writing.

However, what constitutes a logical order will

depend on the subject matter.

Kondwani Mkandawire


19/42

Writing in a logical order/...

Kondwani Mkandawire

Topic 1

Sub-topic 1.1Sub-topic 1.2

Sub-sub-topic 1.2.1

Sub-topic 1.3

etc.


20/42

Kondwani Mkandawire


21/42

Negatives vs. positives

On the whole, it is easier to understand a

statement in a positive form than in anegative one.

There are some occasions, though, when the

negative is clearer or essential. For example:

Danger. Do not touch. Double negatives should also be avoided as

they are confusing to understand.

Kondwani Mkandawire


22/42

Kondwani Mkandawire


23/42

Maximising cohesion

Cohesion is clear relationships being

established between the words in a piece oftext. For example, pronouns that refer back

to a noun help create cohesion, as does the

use of linking words such as thus, however

and in the next example.

Kondwani Mkandawire


24/42

Maximising cohesion/...

Cohesion is promoted by:

repetition of key words, and the use of transition words and phrases.

Kondwani Mkandawire


25/42

Repetition of key words

The cohesion of a piece of text is increased

by the repetition of key words or phrases,

which help the reader see how points in a

series are logically related.

Kondwani Mkandawire


26/42

It is worth noting that the tutorial style was

developed for use in print self-study materials.

It can be extended to the web,but care needsto be taken in the navigation of web tutorial

sites. The tutorialmethod assumes a carefully

controlled order in the presentation of input,

activity and feedback. If learners are allowed to

freely navigate a web site, this order will be

lost and the tutorials structure undermined.

This problem can be avoided by constructingcourse web sites with . and by careful

control of hypertext links within the site.


27/42

Use of transitional words

Transitional words and phrases are ones that

show:

sequence and order

Relationships

the flow of an argument

cause and effect

exceptions and parentheses.

Kondwani Mkandawire


28/42

Use of transitional words/...

Examples of transitional words and phrases

include:

in addition

Firstly

for example

at the same time

to return to the point I made earlier

howeverKondwani Mkandawire


29/42

Use of first and second person

There is widespread agreement among

experts that self-instructional materials

should address the learner as you and the

author should be I or we.

Kondwani Mkandawire


30/42

Use of first and second person/...Traditional Academic style More friendly self-instructional

style

The student should note that You should note that

Students should prepare an essay on

You should now write an essay on

It can be seen that You can see that

It is understood by most instructional

designers that they should expect to

cut

As instructional designers, we can

expect to have to cut

Kondwani Mkandawire


31/42

Signposting in self-instructional

materials

Signposting refers to all of those devices

that we use to help learners find their way

around a text or the web site.

These are considered to be important for two

reasons:

First, many learners have little experience oflearning from text or web sites, and so need

as much help as possible.

Kondwani Mkandawire


32/42


materials/...

Second, self-study materials tend to have a

fairly complicated structure, with lots of

separate components (e.g., activities,

examples, tests), so learners need help in

working their way through the materials.

Kondwani Mkandawire


33/42


materials/...

Examples of signposting include the use of:

headings and subheadings contents lists

Summaries

Indexes

icons

Kondwani Mkandawire


34/42


materials/...

different fonts and type sizes to indicate

different aspects of the text, for example:

- 11-point Times Roman for explanatory

text

- 11-point Arial for activities

Kondwani Mkandawire


35/42


materials/...

phrases such as:

- on the next page - in the last section

- the next example will show you

Kondwani Mkandawire


36/42

The active vs. passive voice

Although much formal and academic writing

uses the passive voice, the active voice is

generally more direct and easier to understand.

For this reason, most self-study writing

should avoid the passive voice.

However, there are times when the passive isappropriate and therefore should be used.

Kondwani Mkandawire


37/42

Other considerations

Be consistent in your style

Use humour where possible Use relevant and/or practical examples

Use gender sensitive language

Leave white margins and white space for

learners to make notes and to answer SMAs

and other types of self-assessment.

Kondwani Mkandawire


38/42

Other considerations/...

Include keywords (to explain technical terms,

new concepts, difficult words - decide where

to include your keywords)

Use graphics and illustrations (to break

monotony, makes materials interesting and

appealing)

Kondwani Mkandawire


39/42

Conclusion

Writing objectives and content using

language that is clear, specific and relevant

to the context of the learner is important for

enhancing the appeal and readability of your

materials.

Creating the zeal or desire for learners tocontinue to interact with the self-study

materials depends on how easy it is to

understand and apply the information.Kondwani Mkandawire


40/42

Conclusion/...

At the same time keeping your text straight to

the point while using a conversational and

friendly tone helps to keep your learner on

task and makes the lesson more

personalized and sociable.

Kondwani Mkandawire


41/42

Sources

http://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_t

o_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Con

tent_Development_Methodology_for_ODL

Commonwealth of Learning. (2005). Creating

Learning materials for open and distance

learning: A Handbook for authors andinstructional designers. Vancouver:

Commonwealth of Learning

Kondwani Mkandawire COS 110
http://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_to_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Content_Development_Methodology_for_ODLhttp://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_to_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Content_Development_Methodology_for_ODLhttp://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_to_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Content_Development_Methodology_for_ODLhttp://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_to_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Content_Development_Methodology_for_ODLhttp://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_to_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Content_Development_Methodology_for_ODLhttp://wikieducator.org/Training_Educators_to_Design_and_Develop_ODL_Materials/Content_Development_Methodology_for_ODL


42/42

Thanks for your attention

style in module writing

Documents