Page Layout
Transferring a course from lecture or computer notes for online delivery requires careful thought about the page layout.
For example, if a Web page is cluttered with too many images, colors or dense text students may be confused and turned off by the visual overload. Therefore, in order to set students up for successful learning, think about the following points about page layout when developing an online course:
White Space
This is the space on the page that has no text or images. White space between paragraphs helps break up the ideas so that students can focus on what is important. Therefore, do not cram too much information on one page so that it is overloaded, it may be better to break up the information into a longer Web page or several shorter pages.
Headings and Subheadings
Break up the information with headings and subheadings. This allows students to understand the content better. In a regular face-to-face classroom a teacher may use his or her voice to move to the next idea, so consider the learning goals of each online activity or assignment and organize the information as much as possible with several headings, lists or bullet points.
Text
It is very difficult to read a long, dense amount of text on a computer screen and to retain information. A good strategy is to “chunk” the information in shorter paragraphs. Existing lecture notes will need to be “chunked” and edited down to avoid a text overload which may not motivate students to read. Editing may be difficult for teachers who have detailed lecture notes and want to post them verbatim. However, a suggestion is to provide additional alternative representation of course content so that students have a variation and read an online article or take a virtual field trip to, say, the Egyptian pyramids, instead of reading through pages and pages of lecture notes.
Fonts
Font choice, color and size is important when designing online coursework.
Font Style
Use sans-serif font styles such as Arial, Helvetica or Verdana when possible. Avoid serif fonts with curly or unstructured endings such as Times New Roman as serif fonts are sometimes difficult to read on a computer screen, especially for the visually impaired.
Font Color
Colored fonts can be an effective way to emphasize or break up information on a page. Use colored fonts of colors that contrast well with the background color of the Web page so that the text is readable by the visually impaired. Font colors on a page may look exciting or may look cluttered and distracting.
Font Size
Use the default font size (usually 12 point) in Blackboard, Moodle or iLearn and use larger fonts for headings or emphasis. However, do not use smaller fonts that will be difficult to read.
Images and Animations
Images and photos add color and interest to a Web page, they also provide rich information and help keep students interested. Select images carefully and change the size to fit the text and page. Animations may look fun but can be annoying and the flickering can be dangerous to those with epilepsy, so avoid using them, if possible.