The key to referring to objects for online instruction is to give potential students a variety of ways to get to the subject instead of just one. Let me give you some examples:
- Module Titles. For a module title: not "Module One," not "Elements of the Business Letter," but "Module One: Elements of the Business Letter."
For a textbook reference: not "read pages 4-18," not "read Chapter One," not "read the section introducing healthy lifestyles," but "read Chapter One, pages 4-18, which introduce the concepts of healthy lifestyles."
- External Llinks. For an external link: certainly not "click here," not "National Society of Engineers," not http:/www.nsoe.org but "visit the National Society of Engineeers site at http://www.nsoe.org, a major professional organization for engineers. Pay special attention to the section on professional standards for engineers." If you would like to know how to create the hypertext link itself, and make it open in a new window, "Basic HTML for Enhancing Blackboard Documents" will explain how.
- Aid to Students. The reason for all this extra detail is twofold.
- You make it more likely that students will understand the concept you want them to get or go to the link or reading with appropriate preparation.
- You make the course more robust. If the link address changes slightly, students might still be able to do a Web search for the new address. If the book changes editions and page numbers shift, students might still be able to figure out the appropriate reading. This is important, as we don't want these small shifts to completely break the course site over time.
— From Neil Hollands, director of the North Carolina Virtual Learning Community. | |