Prepare course materials students can use

Northstar Learning Network is a fictional, multi-campus example. This guide helps faculty and course authors make course resources easier to navigate, perceive, and use. It offers practical examples, not local policy.

An empty classroom with desks and chairs

Give documents a clear structure

Use the document's built-in structure so readers can scan and navigate it.

Clear structure
Use a real heading hierarchy

In a sample course handout, the author applies the document editor's Heading 1 style to “Week 3: Field observations,” then Heading 2 styles to “Before class” and “Submit your notes.” The outline and reading order are clearer, and headings can be found with navigation tools.

  • Keep headings in a logical order.
  • Use built-in heading styles rather than styling text by appearance alone.
Visual-only formatting
Avoid bold text as a heading substitute

In the contrasting draft, “Week 3: Field observations” is merely bold and enlarged. It may look like a heading, but the document structure does not identify it as one, making navigation and scanning harder.

  • Apply a heading style to each section title.
  • Check the document outline after editing.

Prepare media and assessment materials

Make essential information available in useful ways and keep instructions explicit.

For recorded media

Review captions for accuracy, speaker changes, and meaningful non-speech audio. When using a transcript, check that it conveys the information learners need rather than relying on visuals or sound alone.

  • Check a sample from the beginning, middle, and end of the recording.
  • Describe important visual information in narration or another appropriate text format.
For assessments

State the task, required parts, and how students should present a response. Keep instructions distinct from background context so the action is easy to locate.

  • Use a numbered sequence when learners must complete steps in order.
  • Do not rely on color alone to distinguish answer choices or indicate meaning.

Worked example: revise a handout before sharing

A Northstar course author reviews a two-page “Field observation notes” handout. The original uses bold, enlarged text for section titles, places the submission deadline in a paragraph of background text, and refers to a diagram only as “the image below.”

The author applies heading styles to the section titles, moves the deadline into a clearly labeled “Submission” section, and explains what the diagram communicates. The author also checks reading order and makes sure the diagram's essential information is described in nearby text.

Review decision: These edits improve structure and instructions, but do not settle local requirements or an individual learner's needs. If the diagram contains specialist, regulated, safety-critical, or sensitive information, the author asks the appropriate trained campus or domain role to review the approved source material before sharing it.

Coordinate specialist review when needed

Use the relevant local support route; responsibilities and processes vary by organization and campus.

  1. 1
    Identify the review question
    Note which essential information, format, or instruction is difficult to make accessible with the tools available.
    Faculty or course author
  2. 2
    Route to the appropriate role
    Ask the campus accessibility or academic support role about access questions or coordinated responses to learner-specific requests.
    Campus accessibility or academic support role
  3. 3
    Use approved domain material
    For regulated, safety-critical, or sensitive content, consult the responsible domain owner and follow that owner's approved local materials and procedures.
    Responsible domain owner

Scope, ownership, and review

This guide is for faculty and course authors preparing teaching materials. It does not establish policy, determine eligibility, or replace specialist or subject-matter review.

Example owner: Campus and Academic Operations. For a correction or review request, use your organization's established support route to reach the designated content owner. Review the page when local guidance, tools, or the responsible support route changes.