Written Formats for Content

When moving a course partially or completely online, there tends to be a lot of focus on video lectures with narrated slides because that most closely replicates the instructor experience of lecturing in a classroom. However, there are other ways to provide your personal content and instruction to your students.

Before Beginning this Assignment

Before beginning this assignment, please read Developing Your Own Instructional Materials

If you are developing text-based content, it will also be useful to review either Improving Accessibility in Online Course Material (1 page).

What To Do

Choose your content: Choose a piece of content that you would normally give students in a lecture. Consider the key features of the content and decide whether they would be better explained in text and images.
Choose your format: You have several options for providing text-based content to students. You may want to explore more than one of the following options before deciding on one.

Tool	Pros	Considerations
Microsoft Word/Google Docs or PDFs made from a Word or Google doc	familiarity with the tool can insert images formatting tools built-in good for both large and small amounts of content	must be formatted correctly to be accessible can be easily shared publicly by students
Canvas page (link to Canvas guide) While the guide shows using pages in the pages tool, the best use is to use them as part of modules.	can be easily inserted into a module can feature links to other parts of Canvas or files stored in Canvas can include images, videos, and knowledge checks with Quick Check formatting tools built in good for shorter amounts of content	must be formatted correctly to be accessible page viewing restricted to class only students can copy and paste text into a document to share publicly
Pressbooks (link to IU Pressbook site) Pressbooks is an etext creation tool available to all IU faculty	formatting tools built in built for accessibility in default formatting good for longer amounts of content can include images, videos, and interactive elements plug-ins allow creation of interactive tables and other learning tools like flash cards, multiple choice questions, etc. can import Word documents multiple authors can work together on different sections	may need some help to learn how to use it - the IU Knowledge Base article on getting started with Pressbooks and the Guide to Using Pressbooks are very helpful theme options are limited access can be limited to class only or made public

Tool

Pros

Considerations

Microsoft Word/Google Docs or PDFs made from a Word or Google doc

familiarity with the tool
can insert images
formatting tools built-in
good for both large and small amounts of content

must be formatted correctly to be accessible
can be easily shared publicly by students

Canvas page (link to Canvas guide)

While the guide shows using pages in the pages tool, the best use is to use them as part of modules.

can be easily inserted into a module
can feature links to other parts of Canvas or files stored in Canvas
can include images, videos, and knowledge checks with Quick Check
formatting tools built in
good for shorter amounts of content

must be formatted correctly to be accessible
page viewing restricted to class only
students can copy and paste text into a document to share publicly

Pressbooks (link to IU Pressbook site)

Pressbooks is an etext creation tool available to all IU faculty

formatting tools built in
built for accessibility in default formatting
good for longer amounts of content
can include images, videos, and interactive elements
plug-ins allow creation of interactive tables and other learning tools like flash cards, multiple choice questions, etc.
can import Word documents
multiple authors can work together on different sections

may need some help to learn how to use it - the IU Knowledge Base article on getting started with Pressbooks and the Guide to Using Pressbooks are very helpful
theme options are limited
access can be limited to class only or made public

Notice that PowerPoint files are not one of the text options. PowerPoint is a visual tool. Giving students large amounts of text on slides poses both usability and accessibility problems for students and should be avoided as the sole means of providing content.

Logically structure your content: Once you've chosen an option, take your content and lay it out in a logical format with headings identifying sections and subsections.
Add all the text necessary for students to learn the content: This is more than just lecture notes. Think of it as a textbook section. You need to provide the examples and explain the connections linkages so that students can follow your narrative.
- Make sure to write in a friendly style using "you" and "your" instead of "the students" or sounding like you're writing an academic journal article.
- Avoid jargon as much as possible and spell out acronyms fully the first time you use them.
Add any instructional images, videos, or interactives you would like to include:
- Images should include alternative text describing the image (alt text instructions).
- In Canvas pages or Pressbooks you can insert video from Kaltura or YouTube.
- You can create a knowledge check at the bottom of a page by using a Canvas Assignment and the Quick Check tool.
- You can create interactives in Pressbooks using the H5P plug-in or the Tablepress tool.
Proofread your text for readability, conversational style, grammar, spelling, and citations: We strongly recommend using free Grammarly browser plug-in for proofing grammar and spelling in Canvas pages and Pressbooks.

To set a good example for your students, please cite any quoted text in the same way you would ask your students to cite in their writing for you. If you submit a Word or PDF document or via Google docs to this assignment, it will be sent through Turnitin (TII) just to give you the opportunity to see a TII report if you have never used it. Don't worry, your document will not be stored in the TII repository. You should be able to see your report within a hour or two after you submit your assignment by going to the Grades tool in this course and clicking on the colored flag to the right of this assignment title.
Check for accessibility: Run the accessibility checker in Microsoft Word ( Word accessibility instructions), Adobe Acrobat ( PDF accessibility instructions), or Canvas ( Canvas accessibility instructions) and make sure that
- headers and lists use built-in formats.
- any links use meaningful text. There shouldn't be any naked URLs in the text.
- color is not used as the sole means of identifying something as important or belonging to a particular category or type.

Self-Evaluate

Is your text written using 2nd person (you/your) and in a welcoming style? (Think more textbook and less journal article.)
Has your text been proofread to be free of typos and grammar and spelling errors?
Does it include citations for any material that should be cited?
Is your text structured logically and does it uses headers to show the structure of the document?
Is your text accessible with properly formatted headers and lists, meaningful text on links, and alternative text on any instructional images? Is any text in images large enough and clear enough to read?

Written Formats for Content