Fall 2007 Mini-Institutes
Best Practices in Teaching with Technology
Webpage Organization
 

Do not include official Southeast logos on instructional pages.
Don’t hyperlink a URL. Hyperlink the relevant text (i.e. CSTL rather than
http://cstl.semo.edu).
 

Navigation
• All pages should have a navigation bar which includes a link back to the Class Homepage
• Use horizontal navigation bars, not vertical, on second and subsequent level pages
• Remove unused buttons in the navigation bar(s)
• Don’t use java hover buttons
• Don’t use flash for a navigation system
• Every page should include navigation bars to other pages within the web and also to parent pages (i.e. dept page, university page)
• Buttons on navigation bars should have descriptive titles
• Horizontal navigation bars, not vertical, on second and subsequent level pages
• Remove unused buttons in the navigation bar(s)
• Don’t use java hover buttons
• Don’t use flash for a navigation system


Links
• Don’t make regular text look like hyperlinks (i.e. blue, underlined regular text is not appropriate)
• Can’t link to commercial sites due to our agreement with Morenet
• Don’t hyperlink the URL, hyperlink the relevant text
• Links to the OIS components should be descriptive unless they are defined previously in the class (Tests & Quizzes, Gradebook, Your Account, Logoff, Bulletin Board, Drop Box, Server Time)
• Don’t hyperlink the URL for a site, hyperlink a descriptive word or phrase which describes the site you are sending the students to
• Don’t hyperlink your email addy (hyperlinked email addys require that an email client is installed on the user’s system)
• Add a link to tech support on your Class Homepage
          o For online classes: (online.semo.edu/help)
          o For web supported classes: (cstl.semo.edu/support/students)
• Periodically run the broken link program within FrontPage
• Don’t use colored mouseovers
• None of the hyperlink colors should match the background colors


Body Text
• Don’t use underlines unnecessarily, creating fake links
• Use the same font size and style for the textual material throughout the class.
• Use serif and sans-serif fonts appropriately
• Use font style consistently
• Use web safe fonts (i.e. Times, Courier, Arial)
• Use printable, readable, high contrast color fonts
• Don’t make regular text look like hyperlinks (i.e. blue, underlined regular text is not appropriate)



Images
• All images should have alt tags to make them ADA compliant
• Text in an image should be saved as a gif
• Use .jpeg image format for photographs; .gif for logos and pictures up to 256 colors or images that need transparency



Tables
• Tables should use relative sizing (i.e. in percent rather than in pixels; fixed size tables don’t print well)
• Use consistent sizes for tables at the same hierarchal level
• Cell padding should be used so that text is more readable (spaces text from borders, images, etc.)
• Tables should have relative size (fixed size tables don’t print well)
• All tables on a page should be the same size
• Use consistent sizes for tables at the same level
• Cell padding should be used so that text is more readable



Page Layout
• Use of color on the web pages should have relevance
• Make sure background images are relative and easy to read through
• Use the same theme/template throughout the entire class
• The web should have a well-defined css
• Make sure the page title is viewable in the browser window
• All pages should be setup to 800x600
• Do not include official Southeast logos on instructional pages
 

 

Principle One Principle Three Principle Four Principle Five Principle Six Principle Seven

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Last Updated:
08/09/07
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