User:Kminol/Writing for Open and Distance Learning

In writing Open and Distance Learning (ODL) course materials, there are some very important considerations writers need to first make. These are some of the most important:

1. Have a Course Plan

Design a course plan that breaks up your course into units for the teaching term or semester. Write clearly defined, measurable and attainable objectives for each unit. Try to ensure the units are presented in logical sequence so that one unit builds on to the next. Also build in unit activities, assessment and resources in your course plan. Having a course plan will guide you as you proceed through the stages of your course writing.

2. Use Personalised Language

Remember that learners are not in the same room as you, they can neither ask you questions nor can they listen to or see you directly. For these reasons, always address them in your writing by using the second person narrative voice. Put simply, always use the pronoun 'you' in your writing so that you are addressing your students as if you were actually talking to them. This makes the writing friendlier for the learners and makes them feel involved in the learning process. For example, an introductory sentence may read:

This unit will cover the basics of book keeping.

If you were to change the tone to make it sound more personalised, your sentence should read something like this:

'In this unit, you will be introduced to the basics of book keeping.

This is just a short but very simple which I hope has given you a general idea of using Personalised Language.