Overview
This page outlines guidelines for both OEX and Smart Author. Guidelines that are specific to each platform have been noted. Defer to the OEX guidelines for courses not in OEX or Smart Author, or simply ensure the style used in the course is consistently applied throughout the course.
The curriculum delivery platforms (e.g., COS-A, Smart Author, OEX) WGU has used have changed over time. Each platform uses a different structural hierarchy. The following is an example of this structure (to be read from broad to specific):
Smart Author:
Unit
Module
Page
OEX:
Section
Lesson
Unit
Course Resources
Course Resources page or section: This section includes information on materials a student must or may obtain in a way other than through the WGU-provided course. Such materials may include textbooks they can order a hard copy of, lab kits they need to order, or external classes they need to register for (e.g., AMNH classes). Because most open resources cannot be purchased, this page uses APA references.
ISBN: For resources listed on the Course Resources page, always include the ISBN for the hard-copy version of the textbook even if it is provided as an e-text. This is to ensure that students purchase the correct edition of the text if they want a hard-copy book. ISBNs are added to the end of the reference with a colon after "ISBN" and no period at the end.
Example:
Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (2010). Organizational behavior (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill. IBSN: 9780073530451
Intellectual property notice: The following intellectual property notice is typically placed on the course resources page and is required for all WGU-created courses. This includes courses containing content with a CC license. However, if a course includes content licensed under a CC BY-SA or CC BY-NC-SA license, do not place this notice on that course. For the latter two licenses, WGU Legal will need to determine the notice that will be used.
© Western Governors University. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise stated and identified in the course, this course is owned by Western Governors University ("WGU"). There are certain course assets, elements, and materials in the course that are owned by third parties and used by WGU under license. Those third-party materials have been identified throughout the course. Please be aware of WGU’s and any third party’s intellectual property rights in the course and seek permission from either WGU or the third party to use the content from this course. Permission for WGU content can be sought by emailing legal@wgu.edu.
Smart Author Introductory Content
Getting Started Paragraphs
For information on how to write getting started paragraphs, visit the ID Getting Started Paragraphs page.
Instructor Assistance
The following paragraph should be included in all courses:
As you prepare to demonstrate competency in this subject, remember that instructors can help you reach your educational goals. As subject matter experts, instructors enjoy and take pride in helping students become reflective learners, problem solvers, and critical thinkers. Instructors are able to share tips on approaches, tools, and skills that can help you apply the content you are studying. If your first try on your assessment does not go well, instructors act as a support system to help you prepare for another attempt. Instructors are excited to hear from you and to work with you.
Preparing for Success
The Preparing for Success section is primarily found in COS-a courses as an introduction to and summary of the Course Resource and Topics and Pacing sections. Including this page in COS-b courses is optional.
Course Resources Page
Previously called the Learning Resource page
Content: The Course Resources page lists resources for the course that students could obtain on their own or need to take additional steps to obtain (e.g., a hard copy of a textbook, lab kit). Use a reference or attribution for each resource listed.
Intellectual property notice: Depending on the type of license covering the utilized content, an intellectual property notice may need to be listed on this page. This notice should be placed at the bottom of this page's content.
Introductory text: The Course Resources page should begin with the following text:
This page provides additional information on accessing the resources for this course. For many resources, WGU has provided automatic access throughout the course. You may, however, need to enroll manually or acquire resources independently. Some resources may be available in another format than what is provided in the course. Read the full instructions provided on this page to ensure you have access to all your resources in a timely manner.
Following are the learning resource materials you will need to obtain.
Textbooks and ISBN: To introduce textbooks that the student can obtain on their own, use the following language:
If you prefer to use hard copies of the texts, you may purchase them through a retailer of your choice. If you choose to do so, please use the ISBN listed to ensure that you receive the correct edition.
For resources listed on the Course Resources page, always include the ISBN for the hard copy version of the textbook even if it is provided as an e-text. This is to ensure that students purchase the correct edition of the text if they want a hard copy. ISBNs are added to the end of the reference with a colon after ISBN and no period at the end. Hyphens in ISBNs should be included wherever possible. It is better to have the ISBN-13 rather than the ISBN-10; however, if there is no ISBN-13, use ISBN-10.
Example of ISBN-10:
Friend, M. (2018). Special education (5th ed.). Pearson Education. ISBN: 0134489055
Example of ISBN-13:
Friend, M. (2018). Special education (5th ed.). Pearson Education. ISBN: 9780134489056
Resources text: The following text should be used to introduce specific resources students may need to acquire.
AMNH Seminar (Optional)
Online seminars offered by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) use multimedia and discussions to connect teachers and future teachers from around the world to current research, classroom resources, and peers. Participating in the seminars develops your understanding of the content, models an appropriate teaching technique, and exposes you to an array of resources that can be used in your classroom. While this is an optional learning resource, you are strongly encouraged to use this opportunity.
The following seminars are related to this course:
"Title of Seminar"
Each six-week seminar requires about eight hours per week of your time. Review the AMNH Calendar to determine when the course is offered and consult your program mentor to coordinate this seminar with your schedule. Discuss the AMNH-WGU FAQ document with your program mentor to better understand how you can successfully use the AMNH seminar as a learning resource.
Graphing Calculator
Acquire a graphing calculator and familiarize yourself with how to use it. Refer to the WGU Calculator and Scratch Paper Guidelines for calculators permitted on WGU exams. If you are in a secondary mathematics program, refer to the WGU Calculator Recommendations for Secondary Math and Science Programs for calculator suggestions for your degree program.
LabPaq
LabPaq is a laboratory kit that contains the lab manual, science equipment, specimens, supplies, and chemicals necessary to complete laboratory experiments at home. To order this resource, you will need to complete and submit a lab work form. For additional information and to download the form, please see the LabPaq Instructions.
Note: This resource is only available to students in a program with a version of 200810 or newer.
WGU Library Articles
This course uses resources from the WGU Library and has articles available for you to open and download. For instructions on how to access WGU Library articles, see Accessing WGU Library Articles.
The following WGU Library articles will be used in this course:
Last, F. M., & Smith, O. T. (2010). Article title. Journal Title, vol. no.(issue no.), pages.
Topics and Pacing
Section title: The title of this page should be "Topics and Pacing," not "Pacing Guide" or "Topics and Pacing Guide." A section title should not be included to avoid redundancy with the page title.
Introductory text: The following is standard wording that should be placed before the pacing list:
The topics and pacing section suggests a weekly structure to pace your completion of learning activities. It is provided as a suggestion and does not represent a mandatory schedule. Follow the pacing carefully to complete the course in the suggested time frame.
Structure: The pacing list should be included directly on the page, not as a separate document. The pacing should be based on a weekly structure.
Following is a suggested format for the pacing list.
Week Topics
1 Unit 1: Course Overview
Unit 2: Designing, Evaluating, and Improving Curricula
● Module 1: Curriculum Design Theories and Models
● Module 2: Curriculum Basics
● Module 3: Curriculum Evaluation and Improvement
Unit 2 Quiz
2 Unit 3: Implementing and Aligning the Curriculum
● Module 4: Aligning the Curriculum
● Module 5: Implementing the Curriculum
Unit 3 Quiz
3 Pre-Assessment
Final Assessment
Policy Matters and Dispositions Statements
The Policy Matters page is a separate page within the course introduction pages. This page can be replaced by the Teaching Dispositions Statement and the Nursing Dispositions Statement pages.
Dispositions statements: When dispositions statements are needed, include the following standard wording in running text, not in a frame as other outside links would be:
Please review the Statement of Teaching Dispositions.
Please review the Statement of Nursing Dispositions.
Formatting and Style
Emphasis: When it is necessary to emphasize text, rewrite the sentence so it focuses on the word or phrase. If it is necessary to have the emphasis, italics should be used instead of bold or quotation marks. To meet accessibility standards, italics should be used sparingly, and information that is important to the student should be in a callout or new paragraph.
Smart Author: In Smart Author, alt text cannot be formatted in bold or italics, so rewrite the statement if emphasis is needed.
Hyperlinks: When including hyperlinks in a sentence, write the sentence as you normally would, and link relevant keywords. Do not include URLs in the text. Avoid wording that includes instructions like "click here" or "found here." If using the title of the resource as the hyperlinked text, make sure the text matches the exact wording of the title of the resource and the link goes to where it says it does.
Example:
Learn from WolframAlpha and Computable Documents, which allows you to use interactive demonstrations.
Do not include articles (e.g., the, a, our) in the linked text unless it is in the title of the resource. Do not include terminal punctuation or quotation marks in the linked text.
Resources without a title: Use descriptive wording of the linked item as the hyperlink only when no specific title for the linked item is given.
Pronouns: First-person pronouns should be avoided, except in very rare instances (e.g., quotations, scenarios). Refer to the student in second-person singular (i.e., you). Within a given section of a course, make sure the use of either second person or third person is consistent.
Punctuation: Use "straight" quotation marks and apostrophes rather than curly ("smart") quotes. Doing so will help prevent display problems on certain devices.
Dialogue and quotations: Dialogue and quotes in course material are exempt from rules concerning first-person language and contractions. Dialogue should be used sparingly and should be set in roman and in quotations. To properly format quotes and avoid plagiarism, see the American Psychological Association's guidelines.
Titles
Multipart modules, pages, or lessons:
Smart Author: Modules that are part of a multipart series should be titled with roman numerals (e.g., Standards, Part II). Pages that are part of a multipart series should be titled with arabic numerals (e.g., Develop Communication Strategies, Part 2).
OEX: Pages that are part of a multipart series should be titled with arabic numerals (e.g., Lesson 1.1: Communication Strategies (1 of 2).)
References to Other Sections of the Course: References to other sections of a course, especially when they are generic, should be limited as much as possible. When doing so, include the full title on the first instance. Use headline style for the title, and hyperlink the title to the chapter or section. In subsequent usage, it is acceptable to include only the relevant term (e.g., page, module, unit, lesson, section) and the associated number.
Examples:
Lesson 5.4: "Setting Team Goals" discusses. . . . Lesson 5.4 also discussed SMART goals.
Use the Preparing for Success section.
Abbreviations
Spell out the first appearance of a term in each module or lesson. Spell out the first appearance of a term in each formative item.
Headings: If the first appearance of the term is in a heading, do not include the abbreviation in the heading. Instead, place the abbreviation in the first appearance in the text.
Glossary and key terms: The term should be written out and include its abbreviation in parentheses, except for those commonly abbreviated terms.
Terms and Definitions
In-Line Formatting
Smart Author: When glossary terms are created in the text in Smart Author, the term automatically appears in the text as bold, italics, and green. The definition appears in a pop-up box when your cursor is moved over the term. Note: In Smart Author, formatting in the glossary is done automatically.
OEX: Bold the first instance of a key term. The term should be defined in a key terms list on that same page.
Glossary and Key Terms List Formatting
Lowercase the key term unless the term is a proper name. Use italics only if the term is always italicized (e.g., court cases). Because definitions should be incomplete sentences, do not start the phrase with an initial cap or end the phrase with a period unless grammatically correct to do so. Definitions should not be bolded.
Smart Author:
- Terms should be listed in alphabetical order.
- Follow the letter-by-letter alphabetical system (i.e., ignore spaces and punctuation).
- Each term should be listed on a new line. Definitions should be placed on a new line.
OEX:
- This section should appear at the bottom of the page where the term appears (but before the Attributions and References microunit, if those also occur on the page). Title the microunit “Key Term” (or “Key Terms” if more than one term).
- Terms should appear in the order they appear on the page.
- The list of terms should be bulleted.
- The term should be bolded, followed by a bolded colon.
Tables and Figures
Figures are defined as informational images, graphs, infographics, or other visual aids that are not tables and are essential for understanding the text.
Numbering: Make sure the numbering is clear, is consistent across the course, and does not repeat. The first number should be the number of the unit or section. The second number after the period should be sequential to the order that the figure or table appears in the text.
Example:
Table 2.5. Average GDP for Top 5 Largest Countries
In text: When referred to in text, figure and table numbers should be capitalized and followed by the figure or table number without a colon. The title of the figure or table should not be included.
Example:
As shown in Figure 1.5, . . .
Capitalization: The column and row headings of the table should be in headline style.
Abbreviations: There should be no abbreviations in a table, figure, or graph unless they are well established within the surrounding text, or they are industry-wide terms (such as BP for blood pressure or GDP for gross domestic product).
Symbols: In columns that have the same sign or symbol for each value (such as with percentages or dollar signs), the value should be placed in parentheses following the header as part of the column head. Where space is at a premium, it is okay to put symbols in parentheses following the row headings. Otherwise, include the symbol on each entry.
Multimedia
Although the following standards highlight important aspects of making WGU courses accessible, it is recommended that you use the accessibility checklist as well. Additional guidelines about how to create alt text, descriptions, and accessibility long descriptions can be found on the "DAMS Metadata Guidelines" page of the WGUx site.
Image Type |
Description |
Alt Text |
Accessibility Long Description |
Reference or Attribution |
Caption |
Decorative |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
Functional |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Informative |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
Complex (called functional images in Smart Author) |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
External Readings and Videos
Section types and labels
Smart Author:
Reading and video section types: There are two types of activities: essential and for enrichment. An essential activity (Essential Reading or Essential Video) is content that the student needs to know for competency. An enrichment activity (Reading for Enrichment or Enrichment Video) is an optional reading or video to help students understand a concept more fully. Both types should follow these guidelines, but be sure to use the appropriate box type. Most readings and videos will be categorized as essential.
Student action label: When creating an activity, use the "Self Report" learning check type and format. The completion checkbox should be labeled either "I read it." or "I watched it." For activities that are not readings or videos, use the student action label "I completed it."
Hyperlinks: The title of videos that cannot be embedded and all external readings should be hyperlinked in the instructions. Do not include quotation marks, parentheses, or terminal punctuation in the hyperlink. An icon indicating the link opens a new tab is automatically added to the hyperlinked title, and closing punctuation should follow this icon.
Readings and video titles: Titles should be in headline style regardless of the original title capitalization and formatted with italics or quotation marks as appropriate for the resource (e.g., book, chapter, article, journal, magazine, video). If the learning resource has a spelling error in the title, this should be fixed. All other formatting should match the source title (e.g., colons, hyphens).
Content description: Each activity (e.g., reading, video) should include a brief description or synopsis of the content to let the student know what the content will cover and what benefit it may bring. This content should be original and not taken directly from the text of the reading or video.
Grouping: Designers may group closely related resources together in the same box. Use a bulleted list that hyperlinks the individual sections, and write a brief description that applies to all the readings or videos. See an example of this under "Readings."
Links: Links to external readings should go directly to the section or page indicated whenever possible. Hyperlinked text within the instructions should align with whatever portion the student is expected to read. For example, if students are to read pages 99–102, hyperlink "pages 99–102" (do not hyperlink the quotation marks). Keep the amount of hyperlinked text as limited as possible.
Title—book: Include the chapter number and chapter title. Place a colon after the chapter number and quotation marks around the chapter titles.
Book chapters: Capitalize chapter, and hyperlink chapter and the chapter number only. The book title should be italicized and follow headline style. Do not include the chapter title in the instructions; it should only be in the heading of the activity section.
Smart Author:
Read Chapter # in Book Title.
OEX:
Read Chapter # in Book Title.
Pages and sections: Refer students to section titles whenever possible to guide their reading. When using section titles, place them in parentheses and the titles in quotation marks. If there are no corresponding section titles for the reading selection, use the page numbers only.
In all cases, hyperlink the page range only, use numerals, and lowercase the word page. When giving a page range, use an en dash (–) and not a hyphen.
Smart Author:
Read page # ("Section Title") in Book Title.
Read pages #–# ("Section Title") in Book Title.
OEX:
Read page # ("Section Title") in Book Title.
Read pages #–# ("Section Title") in Book Title.
For readings across more than one section, use the phrase to the end of between the section titles, and italicize it. If the reading begins on the first page of the chapter, which has no separate section name, use the chapter number in the parentheses.
Smart Author:
Read pages #–# (beginning of Chapter 5 to the end of "Section Title") in Book Title.
Read pages #–# ("Section Title" to the end of "Section Title") in Book Title.
OEX:
Read pages #–# (beginning of Chapter 5 to the end of "Section Title") in Book Title.
Read pages #–# ("Section Title" to the end of "Section Title") in Book Title.
Title—article: Include the full article title in quotation marks. Use the (lowercase and roman) only when it is part of the title.
Online article: The synopsis of the article includes the article title and the resource it was published in. Hyperlink the article title (do not hyperlink the quotation marks). Use the official periodical name, website, or resource title where the article was published. Use the original publication or reputable websites whenever possible.
Smart Author:
Read the article "Article Title" from Periodical Title.
OEX:
Read the article "Article Title" from Periodical Title.
Title—website: Include the official website name, even if you are referring to a specific web page for reading. Remember, web pages are the various pages that compose the larger website.
Activity headings: If the reading is specific to one web page, use the title of the web page as the title of the activity. Otherwise, use the website title as the title of the activity.
General reading or review: When students are not required to read a specific section of a website but rather are asked to explore or scan website content, use the word review within the instructions. Hyperlink the official name of the website or web page.
Smart Author:
Review the information found at "Web Page Title."
Review the information found at Website Title.
OEX:
Review the information found at "Web Page Title."
Review the information found at Website Title.
Specific reading: If the reading is directing students to a specific website page, put the page title in quotation marks, hyperlink the title (not the quotation marks), and include the official website name.
Smart Author:
Read "Web Page Title" at Website Title.
OEX:
Read "Web Page Title" at Website Title.
Links: Some videos should not be embedded in a course for legal and copyright reasons. If a video should not be embedded in the course, the title of the video should link to the video, and the video itself would not be embedded in the activity.
Introductory sentence: The sentence introducing a video should include the title of the video followed by the length of the video ([hours]:[minutes]:[seconds]) and the source it comes from. If the video comes from a streaming service, include the name of the service the video is on or the username associated with the video as it is stated in the source. If it comes from a website, use the name of the website instead. Be as specific as possible so the student would be able to find the video on their own if necessary.
Smart Author:
Watch "Video Title" (hours:minutes:seconds) from Username.
Watch "Video Title" (hours:minutes:seconds) from Website.
OEX:
Watch "Video Title" (hours:minutes:seconds) from Username.
Watch "Video Title" (hours:minutes:seconds) from Website.
Links: If the audio clip is hosted on a website, link the title of the clip to the site, even if the audio clip is also embedded in the activity. Note that some audio clips may not have a source site (e.g., some podcast episodes are hosted on many platforms and do not have a home site). In this case, do not hyperlink the title. Whenever possible, also include a link to the audio clip transcript (see the example below).
Introductory sentence: The introductory sentence should include the title of the audio clip followed by the length of the audio clip ([hours]:[minutes]:[seconds]) and the source it comes from.
Smart Author:
Listen to "Audio Clip Title" (hours:minutes:seconds) from Source Title. (Transcript)
OEX:
Listen to "Audio Clip Title" (hours:minutes:seconds) from Source Title. (Transcript)
Formative Assessments
Formative assessments include lesson quizzes, section tests, knowledge checks, and learning checks and are often created as part of curriculum development. Formative assessment items should follow all guidelines in the "General Item Standards," "Formatting," "Numbers and Mathematics," and "Item Types" sections of the "Objective Assessments" style guide page other than the excpetions noted below.
Exceptions:
- Reflection-focused items and answer option feedback may use second-person language.
- The guidelines are more flexible regarding the number of answer options for each item type.
- Item types that are normally restricted or discouraged from use in summative assessments may be used in formative assessments (e.g., true-false, fill-in-the-blank, submit and compare).
The following information is specific to formative assessment items.
Smart Author (SA)
SA Formative Assessment Item Types
True or false: To avoid confusion, true or false items should have "True or false:" on the first line with the statement underneath it on a new line.
Multiple select: For a course in the Leavitt School of Health, use "Choose all that apply." For all other colleges, use "Choose [numeral] answers." This statement should be on a new line.
Example:
Which phases are part of osmosis?
Choose all that apply.
Fill-in-the-blank or drop-down: Learning checks written as drop-down lists should be in complete sentences. The answer options should make sense within the sentence and be capitalized appropriately. They should not include punctuation. The punctuation should be outside of the drop-down box. Avoid using a(n) or anything of the like, but rather put the article in the answer option. Make sure that the way the sentence is constructed does not give away the answer.
Drag-and-drop or multiple-choice grid: There should be correct and incorrect feedback for each answer option. Use headline-style capitalization for the column headings. Any content in the table or grid or the answer options should have sentence-style capitalization. Only answer options that are complete sentences should be followed by a period. The question stem for drag and drop should end with the following wording on a new line: "Drag the [aspects] to their matching [descriptions]."
Example instructions:
Drag the research methodologies to their matching descriptions.
Example formatting for drag-and-drop:
Example multiple-choice grid:
SA Formative Assessment Feedback
Each answer option (correct and incorrect) should have unique feedback that does not repeat what the answer options state. The feedback should start with the terms Correct!, Incorrect., or Partially correct. and be followed by a complete sentence.
Feedback for incorrect answers should not give away the correct answer but should instead explain why the answer option is incorrect. Correct answer feedback should expound on why it is correct. Partially correct answer options should include both explanations.
Do not include references to textbooks, pages in the course, or other material that could change.
Exception:
If the platform that will house the course does not allow unique feedback, write an explanation for the correct answer only.
Examples:
Correct! Extreme heat is one of the means by which metamorphic rocks are formed.
Incorrect. The gradual layering of material is the process by which sedimentary, not metamorphic, rock is formed.
Partially correct. Extreme heat is one of the means by which metamorphic rocks are formed, but the gradual layering of material is the process by which sedimentary, not metamorphic, rock is formed.
OEX
More information about formative assessments in OEX can be found on the "Formative Assessment in OEX" page of the WGUx site.
OEX Formative Assessment Item Types
Multiple Choice
Check boxes
Text input
Numerical input
Drag and Drop
Dropdown Problem
Submit and Compare
Survey
