ADDITIONAL NOTES : P REPARATION AND EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

What is in this course?

 Selecting your instructional material
 Guidelines to consider in selecting, preparing and using instructional materials
 Tips for teachers in preparing, using and developing instructional materials

Other definition of instructional material

 These are materials that are use to aid in the transference of information from one to another.
 These instructional materials could include power point presentations (visual aids), books,
articles, materials for project development.
 Content that conveys the essential knowledge and skills of a subject in the school curriculum
through a medium or a combination of media for conveying information to a student. The term
includes a book, supplementary materials, a combination of a book, workbook, and
supplementary materials, computer software, magnetic media, DVD, CD-ROM, computer
courseware, on-line services, or an electronic medium, or other means of conveying information
to the student or otherwise contributing to the learning process through electronic means,
including open-source instructional material

ROLES OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Mass Instruction, Individualized Learning, Group Learning
 Delivery vehicles for instructional lessons or in a constructivist way as partners in the learning
process.
 It helps the learner build more meaningful personal interpretations of life and his/her world.
 Serves as a medium in representing what the learner knows and what he/she is learning.

IMs are made to comply with the following requirements:

o Functional
o Biotechnological
o Aesthetic
o Economic
o Safety
o Hygienic Requirements

Using chalk or marker board

 Keep it clean
 Write or draw large enough for everyone
in the group to see.
 Use colored chalk or marker for emphasis.
 Use a pointer when appropriate.
 Erase all irrelevant material.
 Stand to one side of the board to avoid hiding the essential information.

Using and Evaluating IM

The Proper Use of Materials
P- prepare yourself (know the lesson objective/s)
P- prepare your student (set class expectations & learning goals)
P- present the material (rehearse and carefully planned performance)
F- follow up (it is mean to an end)
Educators are generally well versed in managing content, and it is likely that instructional materials will
reach their production stage with the content issues clarified
However, there are production issues that have to be considered for their educational impact on
any material.
These are illustration, the relationship of illustration to words, and colour, particularly in the
printing process.

What Illustrations are Best?

The following guidelines apply to instructional material for participants who may not have a high level of
visual or pictorial literacy:

 Avoid pictures with depth.

 There should be a moderate amount of detail.
 Eliminate background and unnecessary detail.
 The important objects should have enrichment of detail: texture, gradients of texture, shading, etc.
 Portrayal should be realistic, no impressionism or expressionism.

The following are ranked in order of usefulness:

 blocked-out photographs (photographs with the background eliminated). They provide good
contrast, realistic cues and details for identification of the objects portrayed, and the neutral
background eliminates distracting details
 photographs
 silhouettes
 line drawings, especially in the form of diagrams or cartoons, are visual shorthand impoverished
of all details

Pictures can be more expressive and informative using some features of Egyptian art. That is, drawing in
two dimensions rather than using perspective to create three-dimensional effects.

Other tips include the following:

 Use consistent physiognomy, clothing, complexion, etc. in depicting people.

 Action should be simplified.
 Behaviour should be depicted in accordance with the viewers' and not the producer's traditions.
 Pictures of people and places should be relevant to daily life and environment for proper
recognition (be in the correct cultural context).
 Colours and shapes must be carefully chosen because of symbolic meanings attributed to colours
and shapes which can distort the intended meaning. Especially the use of colours in the context of
an election as some colours may be associated with political parties. The use of symbols,
themselves, can also be tricky and may be best avoided.

Illustrations versus Words

Illustrations are interesting in their own right, compared with words that are not particularly interesting as
things in themselves - it is the ideas conveyed by the words that matter. Thus, illustrations may attract or
distract the reader.
  Illustrations are good for conveying concrete images and providing support material when
teaching a concept, as a way of avoiding technical jargon, and for conveying visual and spatial
concepts (e.g. relative size of objects).
 Words are good for conveying abstract ideas and for communicating concepts that have already
been learned and for conveying propositional concepts.
 Illustrations and diagrams are good for conveying ideas that have to be considered
simultaneously. They allow learners to make multiple discriminations easily.
 Words are possibly better for conveying ideas that have to be treated sequentially when the order
in which the ideas are encountered is critical (a poem or set of instructions) though cartoon strips
are useful for instruction.
 The positioning of illustrations is very important and should be tested if necessary.
 Pictures should not be used when the information can be readily conveyed in words.
 -dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects cause some difficulty in some cultures.
 Translation of time into space includes learned conventions: authors must either teach the code or
be sure readers know it. (This is a crucial point in teaching the mechanics of voting).
 Illustrations of a process involving separate steps or actions should have at least as many
individual pictures or frames as there are main steps or actions.
 Illustrations of things (especially line drawings) are more easily remembered than their names.
 Illustrations are usually better with captions. Labelling of illustrations aids classification and
helps long term recall.
 Simple line drawings are best for instructional material particularly for signifying general
concepts (a stick figure "man"), while highly detailed illustrations can be used for particular
concepts ("a foreign election monitor").
 People are attracted by relative complexity and change.
 Beware of problems of ambiguity, literal or figurative meaning, depth cues, action, changes in
scale, etc., especially for illiterate people.
 Reading illustrations, tables, diagrams, graphs and symbols has to be taught. People have to learn
to interpret the conventions of illustrations in much the same way as they have to learn to read.
Authors and designers must therefore have knowledge of the background experience of their
potential readers.
 Place diagrams and illustrations where readers will see them and repeat them if necessary.

Colour

In some cases, colour may be unnecessary and can cause problems. Some points to consider are:

 Do not use too many colours or too few (e.g. when using it to depict or represent several
functions).
 Colour codes must be understood and these are culturally constructed although there appears to
be some more universal constructs.
 8.5 percent of all men and 0.5 percent of women are colour blind.
 If the material refers to a colour, it should have a name in the language of the learner. Use the
general name of colours as opposed to colour variations that may not be very popular (for
instance, purple is more popularly known than lilac)

Colours and Printing

The following happens with certain colours when printed:

  Pale colours are almost invisible for words or fine lines.
 Dark colours appear almost black for words or fine lines.
 Bright colours dazzle for words or fine lines.

For contrast, black on white is best. Legibility of printed text suffers on coloured paper or when
used over illustrations or photographs. Strong colours or black and white patterns distract if too close to
text.
Materials producers should allow for what will happen to the page if it is photocopied, unless
they are able to control whether it is copied or not. Educational materials are likely to be copied, and it
may be that this will be encouraged to extend their usefulness and range of distribution.

General Suggestions for Developing/Evaluating Instructional Materials

A) Make it Concrete
i. illustrate abstract concepts
ii. use active verbs
iii. include examples
B) Control the Step Size
i. use consistent terminology throughout the material
ii. make explicit references to what has already been learned
iii. consider learner characteristics when planning for step size
C) Use Appropriate Pacing
i. include an appropriate number of examples or exercises with each idea
D) Maintain Consistency
i. terms (e.g., index vs. database, journal vs. magazine)
ii. spelling
E) Use Cues
i. objectives
ii. overviews
iii. headings
iv. type face
v. layout
Source: Morrison, Ross, & Kemp (2004)

Criteria for Evaluating Web-Based Instructional Materials

 The instructional design is pedagogically effective, i.e. it teaches well according to the scope and
stated learning objectives
 The technology used to create the material enhances the learning experience
 This material provides instruction using technology in an innovative manner
 The content and language of the material are clear and effective
 All information included within the material is accurate
 Organization of the material is clear and easy to use
 This material demonstrates unique or creative use of graphics, examples, interactive elements
such as programmed feedback and flexible learning paths
 This material is relevant to those outside of the developer’s institution because it presents a model
for other developers

Source: PRIMO: Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online Selection Criteria (2005)