Create eLearning Resources

Infographics, handouts, and worksheets are a great way to provide bite-sized strategies or interactive activities on a specific topic. You can present information in a visually appealing way for learners to incorporate into their own academics. 

Clarify the purpose: 

• Identify the goal of your infographic, handout, or worksheet.  
• Know your audience and be clear about who it is for, the more specific the better: Undergrad, Grad, Faculty, etc. 
• Identify a clear learning outcome. 

Brainstorm and design: 

Before designing the handout, plan out each section and find appropriate media to include. Incorporate graphic design principles to use colour, graphics and text to communicate a message. 

Review the different tools available for creating infographics/handouts/worksheets, the types of activities available, and other features you may require. 

In a document, write out the content, incorporate the various media, determinethe activities.

When designing, aim for

• Content to fit on ⅔ of a page (or less) at 12pt font. If it’s longer than this, think about whether the content could be divided into multiple handouts. 
• Balance: images, space, and text should work together to enhance meaning and not overpower one another. White space is encouraged. 
• An intuitive, logical layout - it should not require additional explanation on how the reader needs to navigate the document. 
  • Does the layout help convey meaning? 
  • Does it direct the students on how to work through the object? 
  • Is there another way to format the information that is more logical? 
  • How is the information on the page interrelated? How are you making that connection? 
    • Are there steps to take? 
    • Or are there different options to choose from? 
    • This will inform how the information is displayed: cycle vs. list, etc. 

When designing, avoid

• Using tables, where possible.  Think about whether using a table is the most logical way to display the information. 
  • Tables can be difficult to make accessible. Consider whether you can display the same information without a table. 
  • If a table makes the most sense, use a proper table with column and row headers. 
• Using colour, italics, or bold to convey meaning, changes or emphasis. Using visual cues to convey meaning isn’t Accessible.