Choosing course components

The materials for each course will vary according to the design selected by the course development team based on the nature of the course. Two of the most common components are:

• an Introduction and Assignments book, which introduces the course as a whole; and
• one or more Course books, which present the content to be studied, self-assessment exercises, and sometimes readings (or there may be a separate Reader), and integrate all the materials for the course.

Other possible components are:

• a Reader, which is a collection of articles and chapters from various sources, arranged to fit with the Course book content (please note that copyright issues arise here and should be discussed with the course team);
• one or more textbooks if they are readable, comprehensive, comparatively inexpensive, and relevant to most of the course content;
• other books such as a workbook or laboratory manual;
• an audiotape or CD, which may be used to present information that is impossible to print (e.g. dialect variation in a language course), personalise a course, clarify difficult topics further, or enhance content; and/or
• a videotape or DVD, which may be used for similar purposes to audiotapes, bearing in mind that many students may not have ready access to this learning aid. This medium is best suited to courses that require students to attend sessions at the Campus (e.g. science or computing).

As planning and producing an audiotape or videotape takes several months, please consult with the other members of your course development team about your ideas as early as possible in the course development process.