Module 4: Writing the Study Guide
After working out the learning activities suitable for the learning resources that you selected to address your learning objectives, it is now the time to put them all together in the form of a study guide. This module reminds us of the importance and key features of the study guide.
Objectives
After working on this module, you should be able to:
- Explain the purpose of study guides;
- Describe the parts of a study guide; and
- Put together a study guide for each module of your course.
What are study guides?
Resource-based learning is much more than giving students a reading list or a list of links to online resources. Study guides are used to organize and integrate the learning resources and learning activities to provide learning scaffolds for learners to develop a deep understanding of specific topics.
More specifically, a study guide helps students navigate through each module by providing:
- A commentary/annotation on module topics and learning resources, highlighting key concepts and the relationships among them;
- A reference to essential as well as supplementary reading materials and other types of media;
- Study questions for students to reflect on while they read/study each learning resource; and
- Learning activities for students to develop a deeper understanding of each topic and learning resource.
Thus, the study guide helps your students to focus on and integrate what they should be learning about each topic and from each learning resource, and use their study time productively. More generally, the study guide helps them avoid information overload and it helps them develop independent study skills.
Each module in your course should come with a study guide.
Parts of a Study Guide
A study guide for a module normally includes the following:
- Introduction – an overview to the module, indicating its organizing principle
- Learning Objectives – a checklist of the cognitive and other skills that the students should develop by studying the module
- Key Concepts – a brief presentation and discussion of each topic and corollary sub-topics comprising the module
- Learning Resources – key readings and other learning materials for students to study to learn the key concepts covered in the module
- Study Questions – questions for the student to answer as they study each learning resource to clarify concepts and reflect on their application and implications
- Learning Activities – learning tasks that students need to accomplish to learn productively from the learning resources
- References – a list of references used in the module
The introduction and list of learning objectives comprise the first part of a study guide. In writing the introduction, it would be useful to provide a brief background on how the module connects to other modules in the course and how the topics in the module are organized. The list of learning objectives follows the introduction. Learning objectives are phrased as cognitive outcomes that the students should achieve as they go through the module (i.e. the learning resources, study questions, and learning tasks). Refer to Module 2 on how to write learning objectives.
Components comprise the body of the study guide. More precisely, for each topic covered by the module, there should be:
- a presentation and discussion of the key concepts,
- at least one learning resource from which students will learn these key concepts,
- a set of study questions for the learning resource, and
- a learning task for the student to complete.
The presentation and discussion of key concepts is in the form of a coherent write-up consisting of sentences and paragraphs. The length of the write-up varies according to the extent of discussion that you think should be provided, as well as your writing style. Remember, however, that the discussion serves the purpose of annotating the topic and how this topic is covered in the learning resource/s on that topic that students should study.
The learning resource and learning activity for each topic in the module, which includes answering the study questions, are presented in the form of an activity box, while the presentation and discussion of the relevant key concepts precedes and follows an activity box. Recall that in Module 2 you learned how to select learning resources for your students to study and in Module 3, specifically section 3.2.1, you learned about the various kinds of study questions you can formulate about each learning resource selected. Also in Module 3, specifically section 3.2.2, you learned about using graphic organizers where students will write their answers to specific questions. In Activity 3-2 in Module 3, you practiced putting together an activity box indicating clearly to students what resource/s to study, the instructions on how they should study the resource/s, the study questions for the learning resource/s, and the graphic organizer where they should write their answers if applicable. Examples of these types of activity box are Activity 2-1 and 2-2 in Module 2.
The reference list comes at the end of the study guide. References should be listed using the APA format. You may refer to Purdue University Online Writing Lab at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for the format of in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
Putting It All Together
In Module 1 Activity 1-2 you defined the learning objectives for each module in your course and you identified the topics and sub-topics comprising each module. In Module 2 Activity 2-3 you selected learning resources for each topic in at least one module of your course, and you made annotations for each of the learning resources that you selected. In Module 3 Activity 3-1 and Activity 3-2 you developed the study questions and activity boxes for each learning resource that you selected. Now it’s time to put all these together in the form of a study guide.
Activity 4-1
Objective: To write complete study guides for each module in your course
Task: For each module, write an introduction and a brief discussion of each topic and put together the learning objectives, resources, study questions, and learning activities into a study guide.
Tools & Resources: Your outputs in Activity 1-2, Activity 2-3, and Activity 3-2
Procedure: Use the template below to write your study guide. Write a study guide for each module of your course.
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Course Number & Title:
Introduction [brief overview of the module]Learning Objectives After studying this module, you should be able to:
1. [Topic 1] [expository presentation and discussion of key concepts covered in Topic 1]
2. [Topic 2] [expository presentation and discussion of key concepts covered in Topic 2]
References
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Reference
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (2014) Retrieved 23 June 2014 from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/