HANDOUTS, STUDY GUIDES, AND VISUALS

By: Raheen Brooks

PRINTED MEDIA Printed lesson was used to convey content information as well as

to assess learning in correspondence study. Printed materials can enhance teaching, learning, and managing

in distance education. Two kinds od instructor created print media can significantly

improve the distance education environment through the course syllabus and study guide.

Graphic design principles can be applied to develop study guides that use visual mnemonics and word pictures for the visualization of key instructional ideas.

DISTANCE EDUCATION SYLLABUS

The typical distance education course syllabus is similar to the syllabus used in any other course.

Course logistics Course title Course meeting dates, times, and locations Instructor information including name, office address, telephone number, email address, biographical information, and emergency

contact information Office hours Textbook and course materials

Course policies Appendance policies Homework policies Participation information

DISTANCE EDUCATION SYLLABUS

Instructional activities

Class schedule with topic list Topic list and topic organizational concept map Course goals and objectives Reading assignments with links to topics Discussion questions for readings Assignments Test and examination information Interactive study guides Teaching and learning at a distance design

DISTANCE EDUCATION SYLLABUSAssessment information

Grading scheme Project evaluation criteria Grading contracts, if used Student precourse assessment Student postcourse assessment

Additional information

Student biographical information Project/assignmnet examples

THE INTERACTIVE STUDY GUIDE

The interactive study guide is a structured note taking system that leads the learner through a series of concepts, and that requires some active and interactive involvement by the students.

ISG handout, specifically are important to the distance educator. First, the use of handouts improves student note taking and makes it more efficient. Second, the ISG is a management tool that directs course activities before, during, and after instruction. Finally, the ISG handout can be used in any classroom including all categories of distance education systems.

ISG is different from other handouts because it is more organized and more systematically sequenced than other types.

THE INTERACTIVE STUDY GUIDESteps to producing ISG Identify the behavior objective for the lesson Create a detailed outline of topics that relate to each objective For narrative sections, identify the key words Use geometric shapes to show relationships or visuals to assist the learner in understanding each

section Creating word pictures for the narrative where students will fill in the key words Sequence the displays in order that they will be presented or that they will be discussed Develop sub-displays for topics that have more than one visual or word picture Produce the ISG using proper graphic design principles

GRAPHIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Interactive study guides are often used as the basis for interactive television graphics in distance education courses Size: letter size is closely related to legibility, large, bold lettering is easier to see and read than

smaller lettering. Font: the thin extensions to letters often used in textbooks and printed documents. Color and contrast: color if often misused in television. Colors should be bold and simple and

should not be overdone. Alignment: centering text for television display is not as effective as aligning text to the left. Capitalization: the literature or readability is quite clear that uppercase and lowercase

lettering, rather than all uppercase or lowercase, reads the best.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

The elements of design and combined according to the guidelines provided by the principles of design, there are six principles: Balance: is the sense of equilibrium in a visual. The two kinds of balance are formal and

informal. The Center of interest: the visual focal point of the graphic and should relate to its purpose. Emphasis: closely related to the center of interest. Unity: means that a visual hold together to convey its purpose. Contrast: refers to the characteristic of an object that cause it to stand out Rhythm: comes form repetition through variety and is used to draw a viewer through the

various objects in a visual.

SUMMARY

In this chapter an analogy is a way to describe something is unfamiliar by making it familiar to something.

The syllabus is the glue that holds the course and the learning experience together.

Visual to be meaningful and instructional to designed effectively. Documents provide background information, amplify concepts and give a sense of direction to any and all instructional events.