Design Appendix

Concordia Open Textbook Design Plan

Below is a template for a potential design plan for your Pressbooks book, with examples and resources. A blank design plan can be downloaded as an interactive PDF with the Concordia Open Textbook Design Plan.

Learning

Learning Outcomes

Let us say that you have already developed clear student-centred learning outcomes. They are action-based, measurable, and based on the development of skills, attitudes, or knowledge; and, they are framed by the necessary conditions for their achievement. Take a side quest on learning outcomes, if needed.

Refer to the learning outcomes listed on your syllabus. Describe how you intend for the open textbook to support your learning outcomes. Some open textbooks include learning outcomes meant to complement the measurable and conditional outcomes found in a well-designed course syllabus. For example, the introductory sections in Quantitative Research Methods for the Applied Human Sciences outline the learning outcomes. From chapters two and seven in Quantitative Methods, note how these learning outcomes are action-based and specific.

• LO:Describe a micro-level approach to research, and provide an example of a micro-level study.
• LO:Identify when it is appropriate to employ survey research as a data-collection strategy.

Interactive Learning

Interactive Learning is an essential part of actively engaging with course materials. Take a side quest on active learning, if needed. Set within the wider context of your course, consider whether you would like to make your textbook interactive based on an intended pedagogical function.

The level of interactivity you want in your open textbook is entirely up to you. Interactivity can be implemented through the use of activity questions and end-of-chapter exercises that support formative and summative learning. The Pressbooks plugin, H5P, offers components such as the Multiple Choice Question and the Accordion. Learn and test these components on an earlier page, VI: Creating Interactive Content with H5P.

Organization

Structure

Each open textbook is divided into three sections: Front Matter, Body, and Back Matter. In addition to the Design Plan, the Content Plan spreadsheet can be used to organize the material and progress of each part in the textbook.

Front Matter

• Introduction
  An overview of the textbook, written by the author. See an example by Pierre-Yann Dolbec in Digital Marketing Strategy.
• Authors
  Short biographies of the author(s) and student(s) who have contributed. See an example by Loren Lerner and Karine Antaki in Creating the Modern.
• Accessibility Statement
  Accessibility features and the standard your textbook follows. See an example by Peter Morden in Quantitative Research Methods.
• Acknowledgments
  Contributors to your textbook, including students who assisted. See an example by Natalie Kouri-Towe and Myloe Martel-Perry in Better Practices in the Classroom.

Body Sections and Chapters

The Body contains the content of your book. Consider how your book should be divided and structured, including any subsection types that may repeat in each section or chapter.
See an example by Stéphane Brutus and Nora Baronian in Human Resources Management – Canadian Edition, where the body is divided into 11 parts, each with 4-5 chapters.

Back Matter

Versioning Page

The versioning page is a log of major updates made to an open textbook. It keeps track of the date, version number, and the affected page(s). Small changes create the distinction between versions 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4; significant changes form the difference between versions 1 and 2, which we equate with editions 1 and 2. A new edition merits a new ISBN; in this case, please let us know if you have moved to a new edition.  See an example in this Guide to Pressbooks at Concordia University.

Navigation

Navigation involves components that allow the user to move through a page or to a different chapter. Essential navigation components include the left menu sidebar, the previous/next buttons at the bottom of each page, and the navigation table at the beginning of this page.
Notice how this Guide to Pressbooks at Concordia University features large previous/next buttons with easily readable text at the bottom of the page, making navigation more accessible. A tutorial on how to implement this customization can be found on the Complex CSS Designs Examples page.

Look and Feel

When creating with Pressbooks, it is essential to establish and consistently apply visual standards throughout the book. Establishing visual guidelines early in your workflow enables a smoother development process for those collaborating on the book and ensures that the reader’s user experience is prioritized.

Text Elements

Typeface (Font Family)

It is possible to change the default typeface to a different one of your choice using Custom CSS. For example, in this Guidebook, you will see:

• Default Header typeface: Montserrat
• Default Body typeface: Poppins

Headers and Font Size

Ensure that font size is accessible and decreases in size as the level of the heading descends. Headings should be larger and visually distinct from the body text.

In addition to the default header and body typefaces,  you might also consider including:

• Default Body typeface and size
• Default Caption typeface and size
• Default H1, H2, H3, etc typeface and size

Capitalization

Black, Indigenous, and proper names should be capitalized with the first letter, except when an author uses lower-case for their name (e.g. bell hooks)

Visual Elements

Inspiration

Consider Open Textbooks that look good. What do you like about the books?

Images

The importance of images may vary from textbook to textbook. Some things to consider when using images are:

• Estimated number of images:
• What the image caption should look like:
• Are there decorative images?
• Do they have an alt text?

Cover Page

The cover page will appear as a thumbnail in the Open Textbook catalogue. Cover pages are simple, easy to read, and contain essential information such as the title, author, their Creative Commons (CC) licenses, and a background image or colour. If you need assistance with the cover page, let the OER team know.

Default Theme

Pressbooks offers various book themes to choose from, including Austen Classic and Clarke and Donham. Further customize your Pressbook with Theme Options, as described in the Customize Themes page.

Colour Palette

For assistance in creating a cohesive colour palette, we suggest using tools like Adobe Colors and Coolors. Concordia’s Web palette also serves as a helpful resource. Colour contrast should adhere to accessibility guidelines and can be checked using online accessibility tools and previewed with Adobe Colors. In this Guidebook, the colour palette includes:

• Colour 1:
  #912338 (Dark Red): Headers and Borders
• Colour 2:
  #004085 (Dark Blue): H5P Elements and Buttons
• Other Colours:
  #373D3F (Dark Grey),

  #0072A8 (Turquoise)

Textbox Variations

When creating textboxes, consider using Pressbook’s existing tools in the Theme Options page within the Appearance tab. This simplifies the customization of textboxes without requiring the addition of extra styles to the CSS as a custom style.

To add a textbox in a chapter/part, navigate to the ‘Visual’ tab and select the ‘Textboxes’ dropdown menu. There are 12 default options to choose from. See an example of the ‘Learning Outcomes’ textbox and examples of how they are implemented below:

Style Guide

Writing Style

It’s essential to maintain consistency in the text to ensure tone and standardize the language. Describe the tense (past, present, future) and spelling (American, Canadian) you will follow. For example:

Citations

Similarly to the grammar rules above, citations should also remain consistent. The student assistants working with you on your open textbook project will need to know which of the common citation styles to follow (i.e., APA, MLA, or Chicago formats) and any stylistic specifications that you may choose. Consider how in-text citations and the reference list look on the page:

• In-text Citation:
  See an example by Pierre-Yann Dolbec in Digital Marketing Strategy.
• ‘Reference’ page in the Back Matter:
  See an example by the Centre for Teaching & Learning in A guide to embedding education for sustainability in higher education courses.