Creating a resource

Creating a resource for students can be somewhat intimidating, whether you have been on staff for one semester or five. Finding that balance between thorough information and accessible format is complicated and may be a source of stress or uncertainty for may UWSC staff members. But stress no more; following are some tips and tricks for turning your abundance of knowledge into an effective resource for student use:

Content

  1. Focus on the tips and tricks. Most students don’t want an intensive lesson on the subject. They just want to learn about a topic or strategy quickly.
    1. Use clear and concise language
    2. Remember: the goal is to take something difficult and make it accessible
  2. Avoid quoting other sources. You are the expert. Take inspiration from other sources, but don’t become too dependent on them for your content.
  3. Provide explanations. Many students may not be familiar with certain vocabulary words or concepts. Be sure to explain what these mean to facilitate a better understanding of your overall topic.
  4. Use examples.
    1. Don’t just tell the student, demonstrate to the student how to accomplish the task.
  5. Avoid longer paragraphs. Explaining a concept in a little more detail than a bullet point may be necessary, but long blocks of text are often off-putting. Try to keep such explanations short.

Design

  1. Don’t be afraid to use bullet points. A list of items is much more approachable than several paragraphs of explanations.
  2. Use different styles in your font to make important information stand out.
    1. Ex: italics, underlining, boldface
  3. Aim for a clean, basic design. You don’t want your resource to appear overcrowded.
    1. Use images and charts minimally
    2. Use fonts that are easy to read and professional looking

Things to consider as you’re developing your resource

  1. Keep the ELL/ESL students in mind. This will help you use basic, easy language in your explanations.
  2. Consider linking your resource to an existing one if you feel your topic could use expansion or support from another.
  3. Don’t be afraid to suggest a new resource to Maureen or Annette. If you think we need it, we probably do.