An icon-driven template has been popular for the past decade. In the example below, from Portland State University, the designers decided to use icons to navigate both
content and communication tools. The “contextos” are the weekly lessons. The decision for this choice was one that involved catering to students’ visual memory for navigation instead of word memory. In later Spanish courses the icons are used with the Spanish names instead of the English names.
Icons may be used as the sole navigation or in conjunction with the typical learning management system navigation as a left bar.
In the next example, Figure 4.5, designer Virgil Varvel, at the University of Illinois, decided to combine the linear navigation available in the learning management system with a pictorial navigation representing the relationships of themes and content to the metaphor of real-world practice of copyright and intellectual property law. This navigational template is one that allows learners to approach the course in a number of different ways.
Activity templates
Once the navigation template is determined, the template (or multiple template) for the internal lessons are the next step. Again, depending on the topic, students, faculty, and time and budget constraints these templates may be simple or complex.
In figure 4.6, from Gail Wortmann, Bryan Bauer, Dave Carson, and Paula Yalpani at Lowa Public Television (IPTV), the internal modular design is one that provides a great deal of complexity by providing access to all materials needed for this particular lesson on the opening page of the lesson. Though the template is complex, the design is clear and simple to follow. The student knows the learning goals, what is expected in terms of active learning and participation, and how to access all the lesson materials needed to complete the required activities. In addition, the “special instructions” area at the bottom of the page draws the students’ attention to any unique requirements for this particular unit and prepares them for a future unit.