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How to Prepare Front and Back Matter

Much of the front and back matter of an online learning program is standard and does not require writing per se. Instead, developing it is more like preparing the content. In some cases, preparing a component feels like filling in the blanks. In other cases, it involves assembling material that is probably already available elsewhere.

Specifically, this sidebar explains how to prepare a title screen, edition notice, preface, main menu, appendixes, index, and reader comment form.

Front Matter

Front matter refers to content that appears at the beginning of an online learning program (or the printed material that accompanies it.) Front matter includes the title screen, edition notice, preface, and main menu.

Preparing the Title Screen

The title screen is the first part of the online learning program that is visible to learners. It confirms that they are taking the intended course. On a CD or DVC, the label serves this purpose, in part.

The title frame in a videotape, usually the first frame of the videotape, serves the same purpose as a title page, as does the restatement of the title as the first line in an audiotape.

Many organization have guidelines for preparing the title screen. The guidelines state what information to include and where to place it. The guidelines also state which graphical elements and type faces to use, and colors. If you do not have such guidelines available to you, use the following suggestions to guide you:

1. Include the following information:
• Full name of the communication product
• Name of the publishing organization
2. Format as follows: The title should appear about one-third of the way down from the top, usually in a large type (24 to 36 point). The publisher’s name or organization should appear about one third of the way up from the bottom, usually in a medium sized type (14 to 20 point). The information can be centered or flush right. Use design elements, such as color, shapes, lines, and graphics, to enhance the appearance of the screen.

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Preparing an Edition Notice

The edition notice usually appears below the title screen or on the second screen of the program for online learning programs solely distributed online. For those distributed on DVD or CD, the edition notice appears in the written materials distributed with the program, as well as on the title screen.

The edition notice addresses a variety of legal information, which protects both you and your users. In some cases, it appears in the printed documentation This information includes:

Tips for writing the elements of the edition notice:

• The date and owner of the copyright. This notice is one of several measures that you take to protect you from unauthorized use and copying of your information. The copyright statement uses the following wording, exactly as shown:

(c)

Copyright. Year.

Publisher’s name. All rights reserved.

For example:

(c)

Copyright. 2001.

Random House. All rights reserved.

• List of trademarked terms used in the publication. Although you do not need to list all trademarks in the edition notice, many organizations find it a convenient place to do so.

The recommended approach for indicating a trademarked term is:

1. Indicate all of the trademarked terms owned by your organization first, in the following order:
1. Registered trademarks
2. Trademarks
3. Service marks
2. Use the following recommended wording:

For registered trademarks:	The following terms are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation: ThinkPad.
For trademarks:	The following terms are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation: ImagePlus and OfficeVision.
For service marks:	The following terms are service marks of International Business Machines Corporation: ImagePlus and OfficeVision.

Check first, however, with the legal counsel to your organization to find out whether your organization has a preferred way of wording this information.

3. Repeat this process for all of the other trademarked terms in your communication product, indicating the names of the organizations that own the trademarks and the trademark names.
4. Disclaimers. Disclaimers place limits on information provided in the program and protect publishers from typical misunderstandings that might arise when users read it. The actual disclaimers that you use depend on the situations you need protection from. Here are some sample disclaimers:
• About prices. Despite your best efforts to verify prices, they often change or might be misprinted. As protection, you might include one of the following disclaimers:

Prices subject to change without notice.

Prices provided for example purposes only. Actual prices might vary.

• About the availability of products and services. Sometimes, online learning programs intended for external use provide information about products are services that are not available in every region where a communication product is distributed. As protection, technical communicators use disclaimers such as:

Not all products and services are available in every region. Check with your local distributor to find out whether a product or service is available in your area.

5. Related information, such as contact information for the publisher and any related support services.

Information in the edition notice traditionally falls into a category called “the fine print,” the type of information that is printed in a smaller type size.

Figure 11W-1 is an example of an edition notice.

Figure 11W-1: Example of an Edition Notice

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Writing a Preface

A preface describes the purpose, background, and scope of information within the online learning program. Users scan the preface to determine whether the program meets their needs. For example, a training specialist might read the preface of a tutorial to determine whether to purchase it for use within the organization.

For programs distributed online, the preface usually appears as the course description. For programs distributed on DVD or CD, the preface usually appears on the back of the jewel box containing the disk, or at the beginning of a booklet provided with the disk.

To help people decide whether or not an online learning program meets their needs, a preface addresses some or all of the following issues:

1. Content from the course description, including
• Purpose, describing in 50 to 100 words what the online learning program is about.
• Audience, naming the intended users are
• Objectives, a list of the key learning objectives fore the program
• Prerequisite knowledge, which lists information that users should already know before starting the online learning program (if appropriate)
2. What Learners Need When Using this Program which includes:
• "Machine Requirements" section, identifying the hardware and software needed to run the document. Print this information on the outside of the software package rather than in the software; learners need this information before they install the program.
• Instructional materials (videos, workbooks, and computer-based tutorials) should have a list of all documents and other materials in the course so learners can make sure they have all the materials needed. For example:

Special Instructions: You need the following equipment when taking this lesson:

• IBM-compatible computer
• Windows XP
• DVD-ROM drive
• XGA monitor
• Other useful information, which you use a as needed.
3. Conventions Used in this Program or Instructions for Taking this Course (both titles are used), which explains special instructions that are not self-evident. If instructions and conventions are not self-evident, however, you should re-examine their use. As one technical writer commented, "manuals should be like rental cars. You should be able to use them without another instruction manual."

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Preparing a Main Menu

The main menu lists all of the major sections in an online learning program. In some instances, the Main Menu only lists the primary topics. In other cases, it lists both the primary and secondary topics.

The main menu serves two purposes. First, it acts like a table of contents, which new learners can scan to gain an overall understanding of the course structure. Second, it acts as a launching pad for each major section.

Ideally, the main menu should be the same size as the screen. Users should not have to scroll horizontally or vertically to find material.

Some software lets you indicate which parts learners have actually finished. Because completing a lesson is different than actually visiting it, the “used link” indication is not sufficient. Most software usually places a check mark or some other symbol beside a title to tell learners that they have finished a section.

Whether you use one or two levels of depth in the main menu is a personal choice. If you want to control learners’ paths, then you would use one level of detail. If you want to provide learners with open paths to material of interest, you would provide an additional level of detail.

One of the benefits of preparing a main menu is that it lets you review the headings for each section. Consider the following as you review the headings:

• All headings must clearly state what the section describes.
• Headings at similar levels within a part of a communication product must be grammatically parallel. That is, if one begins with a noun, they should all begin with a noun. If one is phrased as a question, all should be phrased as a question.

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Back Matter

Back matter refers to content that appears at the end of an online learning program (or the printed material that accompanies it.) Back matter includes one or more appendixes, the glossary, the index, and the learner satisfaction form.

Preparing an Appendix

Appendixes are optional parts that present information that learners might find helpful, but is not essential to their mastering the objectives. Appendixes are treated as supplemental sections. You write appendixes as you would write any other type of learning material; the only difference is that it is not treated as a regular section of the online learning program.

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Preparing a Glossary

A glossary is a section that contains definitions of terms used in the online learning program. Glossaries provide learners with a place to find terms they might not be familiar with. Learners especially appreciate glossaries when they encounter an unfamiliar word (perhaps a word they read once) and cannot easily figure out its definition in the text. Learners also appreciate glossaries when they encounter a word they think they should know but can't remember its definition.

Prepare the glossary as a separate section and make it available to learners through the main menu and the navigation bar. Additionally, when presenting terms for the first time, you might link to their definitions in the glossary, or create a pop-up window for it.

Writing a glossary involves the following:

1. Selecting terms to include. At the least, you should include all new terms introduced in the online learning program. At the most, you should include all terms that readers might encounter but whose definition might not be remembered.
2. Writing the entries. A glossary entry includes:
1. The term. Highlight the term, preferably in boldface type.
2. The definition. When possible, use the same definition used elsewhere in the document. This definition should clearly distinguish the term from similar ones.
3. Optionally, a glossary entry includes:
1. Part of speech, telling readers whether the term is a noun or a verb. This is especially useful information for terms that are familiar to users but are used in unfamiliar ways. Place the part of speech immediately after the term.
2. Examples, which clarify abstract terms and terms that are similar to others.
3. Synonyms. Related terms that readers should also be familiar with. Begin the list of related terms as "See also." Make sure all of the "see also" terms are in the glossary.

Note that glossaries differ from dictionaries. Glossaries only provide definitions of terms introduced in an online learning program and present only the uses of those terms that are relevant to the content. Dictionaries provide more complete definitions, presenting all uses of a word.

Following are examples of glossary entries.

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Preparing an Index

Although menus and links help learners find specific pieces of content, many prefer to use an index. Follow this procedure to prepare an index.

1. Go through each topic of the online learning program. Identify the following:
• Key technical terms and concepts
• Names of:
• People
• Organizations
• Products
• Screens
• Fields
• Other communication products
• Names of key procedures
• Each major entry in a reference
• Terms used in the glossary

If you are using a full-function word processor or desktop publishing program, you might identify these entries in the file (a process called tagging entries) to create a first draft of the index. See the instructions for your word processor or desktop publishing program for instructions on tagging entries.

2. Review the list of entries and look for relationships and duplications among the terms. When looking for relationships, you might specifically look for:
• Hierarchical relationships, where one term encompasses many others. For example, in the OnePlus User’s Guide, the term patient records encompasses many other terms:

Patient records, definition of
Patient records, creating
Patient records, security of
Patient records, updating

You might combine entries that have a hierarchical relationship into a group of related entries, such as:

Patient records

creating
definition of
security of
updating
• Parallel. Some terms have a parallel relationship. For example, an issue related to the security of OnePlus is encryption. In such instances, you create a “see also” reference entry, which directs users to a related index entry. For example:
Security, also see encryption

If you are using a full-function word processor or desktop publishing system, you might consider revising these entries.

3. Consider alternate wordings of the same phrases in the index and add those to the index. For example, if you have an index entry called “patient records, creating,” you might also like to have an index entry called “creating patient records.”
4. Consider all of the synonyms that users might have for a given term. Add these terms to the index. But, rather than providing a page number where you present the information users are looking for, merely refer to the entry with the correct term. For example, users of OnePlus do not revise patient records, they update them. The index entry would be:

revise, patient records, see update patient records

5. Update the index to reflect the new entries.
6. Review the revised index and make additional changes.

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Preparing a Learner Satisfaction Survey Form (Level 1 Evaluation Form)

A Learner Satisfaction Survey (also called a Level 1 evaluation), provides learners with an opportunity to communicate their thoughts about an online learning program. In some instances, the Learner Satisfaction Form provides users with an opportunity to identify information that is incorrect. In other instances, a Learner Satisfaction Form provides learners with an opportunity to share their opinions about a communication product. Course developers use this feedback to determine how to more effectively develop future versions of the leanring program.

The Learner Satisfaction Form might is usually an electronic form that learners can complete and electronically send. To encourage learners to offer their feedback, most organizations include send a reminder e-mail to all registered learners who complete an online learning program but have not sent in the form. Others also offer incentives to submit the form, such as free merchandise and entering learners’ names in drawings.

For more information on how to prepare a Learner Satisfaction Survey for an online learning program, click here.

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(c) Copyright. 2002. Saul Carliner. All rights reserved.