Online courses can be text-heavy, bland, and sometimes, boring. Building engaging graphics provides visual appeal and polish, and cues students to important information. This workshop will introduce you to free online tools (that don't require a graphic arts degree!) for creating an innovative brand for your course.
Graphics, when done well, support student engagement and learning, but faculty don't always have the skills or resources to develop the visual content of their courses. Innovative and easy to use online tools, however, are providing free design tools for even the most artisticly-challenged instructors! This workshop will introduce participants to several free tools that will allow them to create customized graphics for their courses.
Just as important as the tools, however, is the design training that will prevent a graphic train wreck! In the workshop, we'll provide some targeted advice to participants to help them design graphics that are elegant and cohesive, and that work across a variety of platforms, including mobile devices. We'll explore:
- limiting color to create a "brand" for your course
- manipulating images
- including text in images and graphics
- creating unit banners to signal transitions in the course
- creating banners or graphics to signal assignments or activities
- creating infographics to support student learning
Online teaching and learning does not have to be boring and bland. Add some spark to your course by creating your own academic brand!