Visual and pedagogical design of eLearning content
Olimpius Istrate
Centre for Innovation in Education (TEHNE Romania)
Taken from: eLearning Papers • www.elearningpapers.eu • Nº 17 • December 2009 • ISSN 1887-154
1. Premises for Pedagogical Design
A possible approach syntax of the teaching and learning content reveals a number of designing rules:
− Following simultaneously competences development and knowledge transmission;
− Facilitating independent content structuring actions in an effort of synergistic action of
controlled and uncontrolled learning;
− Choose appropriate manners of issues raising in respect to the priority objectives set, in
order to assist independent productive thinking;
− Anticipate and organize the development and training of effective thinking strategies;
− Organize content structure so as to vary mental activity levels;
− Create conditions and elements for teaching and learning efficient orientation;
− Create self-control didactical situations.
2. Text Design Principles
Even if the materials being designed are for multimedia education (on CD-ROM) or web-based education and they include images, sound and even short videos, text continues to play a major part in distance learning. This is why the application of some text organisation principles in the design process will make sense of direction in a page easier and contents can be mentally structured in a proper manner. In this way, the instructional designer can create the conditions for enhancing the capacity for handling the body of knowledge.
Clarity and elegance. An appropriate degree of attention to the text aesthetics and its presentation in a form which is accessible to the reader are the major objectives conferring to a text the attributes of an efficient component of the design of an eLearning material. An elegant aspect and well-ordered and logical arrangement translate the consideration for the learner.
Predictability and regularity. Once established, the structure of a material presentation must remain the same for all course units. In case that a variation in the structure appears, the changes must be justified by instructional needs, but no changes should be made just for the sake of changing things, even if they may be aimed at a better design.
Standardisation and consistency in the use of style. This principle refers to the production of an
arrangement which allows a rapid focus without any hesitation on the important elements. The
focus shall remain identical for all the sequences of a training material.
Good sense of direction in the content. The length of the section containing the main text or the summary of the content should be relatively short, if possible, so short as to fit the screen (without scrolling). With a rapid loading of relevant information, the user will be able to decide if they want to read, review or abandon the current page.
In addition, in case of digital support, it would be suitable to have customized marking in the contents for the sequences that have been viewed in order to differentiate them from those that are to be assimilated.
In a longer series of screens leading to the content information, a way to indicate the actual
position in the structure of the material would be appropriate.
Unity and simplicity. Course authors and the designers of support materials tend to include too many details. It is recommended that a course unit should contain the main ideas and means to access more information on the content. Some research conducted for a comparative analysis of “dense” texts and texts including only the main ideas (by removing 40% of the content of the first ones) resulted in the conclusion that students’ level of achievement stays the same while the duration of the preparation is significantly shorter in the case of the “processed” texts.
Position based on importance. The pieces of information should be positioned in a page in the order of their importance and relevance, the privileged place being the upper left part of the page.
Grouping elements based on their significance. This principle includes a few suggestions for the “topography” of the page. Elements that relate to the same idea should be differentiated from other elements or groups of elements through blank spaces, text boxes or other labelling.
Interpolated indicators. Materials for distance courses need dialogue boxes that indicate student support services such as self-assessment support (themes for reflection, raising issues, optional questions), indicators of other available resources, how tutors can be contacted etc.
They should not be abundant in a page, leaving room for the information itself from which they must differentiate clearly through paragraph formats, different fonts, different colours or other design devices. A consistency in the position of these indicators in the visual context facilitates their differentiation.
Including lists and tables to structure the content. A table can resume complex information so as to support learning.
Suggestions for the arrangement of lists are useful for an efficient visual arrangement:
− using “bullets” or indented numbering to mark each item
− vertical arrangement of the lists
− left alignment (- facilitates reading).
Spacing. We recommend that the body of the text occupy from 25 to 40% of the total space of a page. Line spacing should take into consideration the size of the characters and be proportional
to it.
Highlighting text units using attributes such as underlined, bold or italic text. A different colour can highlight pieces of information that are considered important. However, exaggeration when using different ways of highlighting a text can lead to a more difficult perception of the message.
Balance and symmetry. Text should have a balanced distribution in a page with graphs and images included. An avalanche of raw information, unprocessed from a visual point of view, is to be avoided as it can impair learning.
Comentario de las autoras del blog:
"It is necessary to emphasize the importance of the various virtualtextbooks and teaching materials that are part of the teaching-learning processes.
Therefore, today's teachers must know the rules and different characteristics of these educational resources that affectpositively or negatively depending on the proper use of these principles or not learning, so that the various principles for the creation of texts is meet the needs of readers and allow accessibility of such knowledge and, above all the possibility to access more information provided". Luz y Eli.
Comentario de las autoras del blog:
"It is necessary to emphasize the importance of the various virtualtextbooks and teaching materials that are part of the teaching-learning processes.
Therefore, today's teachers must know the rules and different characteristics of these educational resources that affectpositively or negatively depending on the proper use of these principles or not learning, so that the various principles for the creation of texts is meet the needs of readers and allow accessibility of such knowledge and, above all the possibility to access more information provided". Luz y Eli.
