Make course materials easier to follow
Use these practical checks while preparing or revising a course item. They are illustrative teaching guidance, not a determination that a material meets institutional requirements or applicable standards. For a complex or sensitive case, seek guidance from the appropriate trained institutional role.
- Structure: Use descriptive headings in a logical order so the topic and its parts are easy to scan.
- Readable text: Keep instructions direct, define unfamiliar terms, and use formatting consistently.
- Link wording: Name the destination or action in the link text rather than relying on “click here.”
- Media: Check that relevant audio or video has captions or a transcript appropriate to the material and its use.
- Meaning beyond color: Pair color cues with a label, shape, pattern, or written explanation.
Before and after: make a handout easier to navigate
A fictional editing example with visible changes a reader can verify.
Hard to follow
A handout starts with a long block of text, uses bold text as the only section marker, says “click here,” and marks priority items only in red.
- Sections are difficult to locate while scanning.
- The link gives no clue about its destination.
- The color cue may not communicate priority on its own.
Clearer version
The same handout uses descriptive section headings, labels the link “Open the case comparison,” and marks priority items with both a text label and a visual cue.
- Readers can scan the document by topic.
- The link label explains where it leads.
- The label carries meaning even without color.