Creating Tutorials
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| Creating Tutorials |
Creating Tutorials
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Part 1: |
Part 2:
Resources |
The first step in creating any tutorial is to identify the task or action you wish to support. This step often comes about by observing your intended audience. Repetitive questions about a certain concept or failure to correctly execute a particular task are all indicators of a task, action or concept you may wish to support with a tutorial.
2. Determine the objective of the tutorial
It is important to have a clear idea of what you plan to accomplish with your tutorial. A clear and obtainable objective will help you help you in planning and designing the tutorial.
| Objective |
Better Objective |
| This tutorial will teach students how to use email. |
This tutorial will teach students how to access their email on the web, organize that email and send email messages. |
In the examples above, the second objective gives us a much better idea of what the tutorial hopes to accomplish. In the planning and design stage one could easily break this objective into logical steps. If you are having difficulty determining the objective, try completing the following sentence.
| This tutorial will cover the following: |
| At the end you will be able to: |
3. Choose the right format for the tutorial
Choosing the right format for a tutorial can make all the difference on whether or not that tutorial accomplishes its objective. A tutorial can take many different formats. For example it can be:
Determining the format to use is largely dependent on two things, the audience and the objective.
Audience
In creating a tutorial you must have a clear understanding of your audience.
Objective
The format of the tutorial must support the objective of the tutorial. If the objective of a tutorial were to show new computer users how to turn on a computer, creating that tutorial in a computer-based format would clearly not work well with the objective.
Once you have a clear idea of the task you are addressing, the objective of the tutorial and the format you wish to use, it is time to start planning out the tutorial. Spending time planning out the various steps of a tutorial can save you a lot of time particularly if that tutorial is going to be developed in some type of computer-based format.
If you have a detailed objective you can now break this down into the various steps of your tutorial. If your tutorial is graphical or computer-based it is a good idea to create a storyboard so you have a clear idea of what your audience will see at every step.
Computer-based tutorials must have some sort of navigation. Even a tutorial that is self-running should have some way for a user to stop or restart that tutorial.
Every tiny event does not need to be a step, but every step must have an explanation.
| Instead of … |
Just say… |
| 1. Hold Mouse 2. Move cursor to Word Icon 3. Press down on cursor |
1. Click on Word Icon |
| Instead of … |
It is better to say… |
| 1. Click Yes 2. Click Open |
1. Click Yes to start Wizard 2. Click Open to open a new document |
Make sure that any graphics you use support the objective of the tutorial and not distract from that objective.
| Supports |
Distracts |
| How to Open a File In Word
Select File from the menu bar and click Open to open a new document. |
How to Open a File In Word |
There are a variety of different methods and software available to create tutorials. You will need to pick the software or method that best supports your chosen format and tutorial design. In many cases you may need to combine methods and software to reach your desired objective.
It is a good idea before releasing your tutorial to its intended audience, that you actually test the tutorial's effectiveness. In a usability study, you observe a member of your intended audience using the tutorial and ask them for feedback and comments. It is important that you make sure that the tutorial you created is actually meeting its objectives.
Building a Tutorial
There are a variety of different methods and software programs that can be
used to build a tutorial. Part of the design process for creating a tutorial,
is to pick the software or method that best supports your chosen format and
tutorial design. In many cases you may need to combine methods and software
to reach your desired objective.
Building a Text-Based Tutorial
Microsoft Word or any word
processing software can be used to create a text-based tutorial. One way to
really enhance a text-based tutorial is by using images such as photos or
screen shots. If you intend to include images make sure the software you choose
supports them.
Building a Computer–Based Tutorial
Any variety of software programs can be used to create computer-based tutorials. In recent years Web-based tutorials, created with web editing software or HTML, have become all the rage. Programs such at PowerPoint, Dreamweaver, Flash and Director can also be used to create tutorials.
Although it is generally intended as presentation software, PowerPoint can be a fast and efficient tool for creating tutorials. The ability to save PowerPoint presentations in a web format means that it can be easily be distributed online. In addition, PowerPoint allows one to include simple animations in a tutorial.
Building a Video or Animated Tutorial
Creating video or animated tutorials is no longer expensive or difficult. Camcorders can allow you to capture video that can be edited and incorporated into a variety of programs. Screen capture software can allow one to capture computer action and display it as a movie.
There are many programs available that allow one to incorporate video and audio into a tutorial.
Viewlet Builder
http://www.qarbon.com/
Example: http://dept.seattlecolleges.com/tlc/resources/creatingtutorials_files/ftp.vp/Viewlet/ftp_viewlet.html
Camtasia
http://www.camtasia.com
Example: http://www.camtasia.com/products/studio/video_higher_ed.html
HyperCam
http://www.hypercam.com/
Example: http://dept.seattlecolleges.com/tlc/resources/creatingtutorials_files/clip0009.avi
For a list of other programs,
check out Cool Tools at http://www.cooltoolawards.com/
©2003 South Seattle Community College
Teaching and Learning Center
This document is available on the web at http://dept.seattlecolleges.com/tlc/resources/creatingtutorials.html
Visit the TLC on the Web at http://dept.seattlecolleges.com/tlc/
Select File from the menu bar and click Open
to open a new document.