At Park University, online courses assignment directions are also designed to be scannable. We try to make sure that the directions are clear and concise so that any student trying to attempt an assignment between 10 pm and midnight will be sucessful. Our goal is that a student will be able to quickly scan the instructions to determine if he or she can get the assignment done because they have all the information they need to complete it. We feel bulleted lists of instructions do this best.
We use headers consistently and link to rubrics and additional course details on the Assignments and Grading page when necessary.
When I am creating assignment directions, I think of online students as people you may have worked all day, come home to take care of their families, and finally sit down late at night to complete an assignment after their long day.
Mary Burkart Portfolio 