The names given to chunks can contribute to the ease of navigating your online classroom. By giving chunks meaningful and descriptive names, instructors both make it easier to find materials and introduce organizing themes to the course.
Consider these names that could be applied to a course in which students are learning to use various tools in spreadsheets to display statistics:
| Avoid These: | Improve These: | Examples of Meaningful & Descriptive Names: |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics #1 | Descriptive statistics | =MIN, =MAX, =MEAN and Other Simple Statistics |
| Statistics #2 | Advanced functions | Testing Hypotheses with =T.TEST, =Z.TEST, etc. |
| Statistics #3 | Graphs | Histograms, Box Plots, and Other Graphs |
Notice the names of the chunks feature some of the important topic and concepts that will be studied in the chunk. This both reminds students of the important contents whenever they are in the course and it will narrow do they search later. The student who is in search of the materials on hypotheses testing for the final exam will be able to find them quickly with clear names.
Providing meaningful and descriptive names in important within chunks as well. Instructors should use names that help students track their progress, predict contents, and recognize specific materials.
Consider the differences between these names that might be added to identify items within chunks in the the spreadsheet course:
| Avoid These: | Improve These: | Examples of Meaningful & Descriptive Names: |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Reading #1 | #1: Textbook Section on Descriptive Statistics |
| Wikipedia | Tests on Wikipedia | #2: The APA Dictionary Definition for t-tests |
| Web Reading | Web Site on Graphs | #3: Select the Right Chart for You Data on Medium |
Meaningful and descriptive names are also recommended as a strategy for improving the accessibility of classrooms. In general, these names help all users to know exactly what they will find when they follow links for readings and other materials.