Cagayan State University

Module Writing
Style Guide and
Content Manual

Antonio Tamayao, PhD

CSU Research Professor, Andrews Campus
Abby L. W. Crowley, EdD
Peace Corps Response Volunteer

2019
 Welcome Module Writers!
Developing a module as part of a team is an exciting and challenging process.
This manual will give you and your team guidance on what your module
should look like and what it should contain. In this way, we can develop a
professional, consistent, high quality CSU module brand that insures
utilization of best practices and distinguishes itself as unique and distinctly
ours. This Guide is in the format prescribes and can be used as a template for
your module if desired.

Contents of the Module

Your module should contain the following elements:

Title Page
Include: Subject, Cagayan State University, List of Authors, Year, CSU Logo
(See title page of this Guide for template.)

Foreword
In this section, you will give students an overview of what this subject will
cover. You will want to start with something they can relate to that will get
them interested in the subject and tie into real-world, authentic application of
knowledge. Tell students about the units (topics) they will cover, and give then
a sampling of some of the activities they will participate in. Get them excited
about learning! Include the broad subject Learning Outcomes in the Foreword
in the following format: After completing this subject, students will be able
to . . .

Table of Contents
1. Type out your word document in full, but remember to leave a blank page
for the table after the Foreword.
2. Go to the place you would like your table to be, then click on the
REFERENCES tab at the top of the page. Here is a video on creating a
Table of Contents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hXH0QqQbi0
3. You will want to highlight/include Level 1 (Units) and Level 2 (Topics).
4. Edit your Table of Contents to the level of specificity you desire. It should
include all units, topics, and the Index if you will have one. Including other
items (i.e. Reflections) is optional. Try to limit your Table of Contents to
one page.

For each Unit in your module, you will include one or

more Presentation/ Application/ Feedback (PAF) cycles
as follows:
 Unit Number, Unit Title and Time Required: i.e.: Unit 2: Unpacking the

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 Self (36 hours)

 Introduction (maximum 250 words): Here again you will provide a

summary of what you will cover in the unit. Include something interesting
to “hook” your students and engage them. Starting with an interesting
quote or question may work.

 Activating Prior Learning: For each unit and for many of your topics that
make up the units, you will include a brief (approximately 3-minute)
activity to activate what the students already know and to get them
engaged with the content you will be presenting. In some cases you may
want to use a pretest for this purpose. KWL activities are effective at the
beginning of units. You can also do a think-pair-share or turn-and-talk
activity whereby you pose a question such as “what are the forms of matter
and what is an example of each?” and then compare the ideas students
came up with to an “expert” list on your Power Point or flip chart. Idea
line ups are also a fun way to poll student ideas about a topic. You can also
review the previous day’s learning at this time. Be sure that these prior
learning activities are clearly related to the content to follow. In addition to
activating their brains, these activities will give you information about
what your students already know so that you can make adjustments to
what you cover, spending the bulk of your time on new learning.

 For each topic in the unit, you will include a Topic Title and
Presentation/ Application/Feedback (PAF) cycle as follows:

Topic Title for each topic in the unit.

Learning Objectives: Include the objectives (maximum 5) for each unit

in the following format: At the end of this unit, students will be able
to . . . Be sure that your objectives are reflective of the CHED syllabus,
measurable, and involve higher order thinking skills, not just rote
memorization and recall.

Presentation of Content: This is where the content of the topic is

taught. There are numerous ways to present information and teach
skills. Be creative and vary your methods throughout the module. You
can create a topic reading in the module itself, a Power Point lecture,
posters and gallery walks, a variety of instructional materials, a link to
a video or reading, handouts, job aids, podcasts or recordings, a student
presentation or jigsaw, demonstration, or any other way you can think
of to get the information across to the students. This part of your lesson

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 will usually include student participation and discussion as you use
questioning strategies to elicit content from your students and
encourage them to analyze and deepen their thinking. Be sure to leave
time for students to ask questions as well.

In general, it is best to have 1/3 of your lesson involve Presentation

saving 2/3 of your class time for Application and Feedback. Students
learn best when they are “doing” rather than listening. Each P-A-F
cycle is generally no more than 20-30 minutes.

Application: After teaching the content, it is time for students to

engage in meaningful activities that allow them to apply and practice
what they have just learned in an authentic context of possible. Again,
there are many ways to do this, depending on the content. Also
remember that at the beginning, students may need practice to be
guided by you or a peer. As skills and knowledge are acquired,
application activities can become more independent individually or in
small groups. Application activities are generally formative
(ungraded). Examples include: think-pair-share; fishbowl; jigsaw; role
play or simulation; laboratory experiences; graphic organizers; quick
writes; student-written test questions; pro-con grids; debate; and case
studies. Be creative! Vary the types of application activities you use.
During these formative activities, you are also continuously giving
specific feedback so that students are refining their knowledge and
skills. You can also assign additional application activities as
homework to individuals or groups.

Feedback/Assessment: At the end of each unit and topic, you will want to
assess student mastery of the learning objectives either formatively or
summatively. Assessment activities should be directly linked to the learning
objectives. For all units and some topics, summative assessment will need to
be formal so that you can assign grades. Graded assessments should be scored
objectively using a rubric or some other objective rating method. Examples
include: formal examinations (which will probably not be included in the
module itself); student projects (group or individual); term papers;
performances; and portfolios. It is recommended that rubrics be included in
the module.

Summary of the Unit (maximum 250 words): Here you will

put a brief summary of all that students have learned in the unit. A bulleted list
of the “big ideas” can work well here. Students can use this as a study guide
outline in preparation for tests and examinations.

Student Reflection on Learning: Enhancing metacognition is a

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critical part of the CSU teaching/learning model. In reflecting on what the
learning process, students become better learners and take increasing
responsibility for their own performance and growth. At the end of each unit,
give students an opportunity to think about what they have learned, how they
can improve, and where they want to go next in their learning by having them
journal about 2-3 questions you pose. Examples might include: Did you learn
what you expected to learn? What made you successful with this unit of
instruction? How might you improve your performance in the future? What do
you still want to learn about? How might you use what you learned in the
future in your life or profession? What did you learn that was unexpected? Be
creative in developing your questions and vary them from unit to unit.
Remember that this is an ungraded activity. You may comment on student
journals in a non-judgmental way, but do not assign a grade or correct spelling
or grammar. The goal here is to create reflective, lifelong learners.

References: At the end of each unit you will include a Reference list in
APA format. The online Citation Machine may be helpful to you in this
process: http://www.citationmachine.net/

Index (optional): If you think your students would benefit from having a
way to quickly find content in your module, create an index for your module.
Here is a quick video on how to create an index:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkoPKuRgDbs

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 Style Guide
To insure a consistent appearance within and among CSU modules, please use
the formatting described in this Style Guide.

1. Margins: Create custom margins in your document to facilitate binding of the

module as follows:
Top 2.54cm
Left 5.08 cm
Bottom 2.54cm
Right 2.54cm

2. Justification: Align left (do not full justify as it is more difficult to read).

3. Spacing and Indenting: Single spaced, double spaced between paragraphs.

Paragraphs are NOT indented.

4. Audience: For this Manual, your audience is the student and use of the word
“you” is permitted. Write your module as if the student will be able to own it
and write in it (if they do not, teachers can ask them to use their own paper for
application activities). Language should be appropriate to the levels of the
students. Avoid and jargon or overly technical language. Occasionally, you
may wish to include a note for the teacher if there are preparations for
instructional materials that are not clear in the body of the module. i.e.:

Note to teachers: For his activity you will need to prepare a gallery walk with
a selection of artifacts as described in this section.

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5. Font size, type and color (as used in this Manual)

*Title Page: Ariel 36

centered, bold
*Section and Unit Titles:
Ariel 18 centered, bold
(i.e. Forward, Table of Contents,
Appendix, Unit 2: Mathematical Language
& Symbols)
*Unit Section Titles: Ariel 14 align left, bold with logos
(i.e. Introduction, Unit Learning Objectives/Outcomes,
Optional Pretest, Unit 1: Nature of Mathematics as a
Language)

Unit Subheadings (with logos) Times New Roman 12, align left, bold
(i.e.
Learning Objectives (topic) or

Activating Prior Knowledge

Unit Sub-subheadings: Times New Roman 12, align left, underlined

Unit Details (Body) and Table of Contents items: Times New Roman 12

*For starred items above, you can use a consistent color of choice and/or a
banner if it is readable and in the correct font and size.

6. Headers and Footers: In the header for the lesson unit/topic pages, place
the Unit Name and number in Ariel 10 point font for each unit of
instruction (i.e. Unit 1: What is Globalization?), justified right. In the footer,
place the page number justified left on left-hand pages and right on right-
hand pages. This creates ease of use for a bound document.

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7. Graphics and Photos: Consistency and relevancy are key to use of photos
and graphics to enhance your module. They should enhance the learning
experience for students. Graphics are to be kept consistent (of same
general type) and specifically related to content throughout your module.
Photos should be of uniform type and size if clustered. Framing and using
drop shadows on photos (see sample below) is encouraged and should be
kept consistent throughout the module. Copy written photos and cartoons
are not permitted without written permission from the author. Do not
stretch or distort photos and try to select those that are appropriate and
culturally relevant and similar to the students.

Photo/graphic captions: Ariel 10, centered under each photo as needed

8. Logos: Use the logos in Appendix A for your document so as to signal

students of the type of activity. Place them before the section heading title
as in the following example:

Learning Objectives

You can rename the sections (i.e. call the Presentation sections “Let’s
Learn” or the Application sections “Let’s Practice,” but try to be consistent
throughout your module. If you need to add logos, keep them consistent
with the type used in this guide. Feel free to recolor them if you have a
color scheme for your module. See Appendix A for specific logo guidance.

9. Plagiarism: All sources must be cited using APA format (Author, year)
with appropriate references. No quoted excerpts longer than three lines are
permitted. Italicize all titles (rather than using quotation marks) throughout
your module.

10. Mechanics: Be sure to grammar and spell check your document. Enlist an
editor if possible to give you feedback before submission.

11. Production: It is recommended that teams merge all their work in a file
sharing program such as Google Docs so that changes are tracked and
collaboration is easy. Modules should be pilot tested and feedback
systematically gathered from teachers and students prior to finalization and
publication. Save and distribute final versions in Adobe format so as to
prevent alteration. Modules should be reviewed and updated every three
years at a minimum.

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 If you need assistance with content or formatting,
please contact the office of the Director of Instruction for support.

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 Appendix A: Logos

1. INTRODUCTION
Original Image Re-colored Image

https://webstockreview.net/explore/document-clipart-lab-report/#gal_post_993_clipart-pen-reflection-
paper-12.png

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES/OBJECTIVES
Original Image Re-colored Image

https://pngimage.net/objectif-png-4/

3. ACTIVATING PRIOR LEARNING

Original Image Re-colored Image

http://onlineresize.club/pictures-club.html

4. PRESENTATION OF CONTENTS
Original Image Re-colored Image

https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/1296370/book_note_icon

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5. APPLICATION
Original Image Re-colored Image

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/215469163399087874/?lp=true

6. FEEDBACK
Original Image Re-colored Image

https://iconscout.com/icon/book-folder-pen-pencil-notebook-education-log-office-1

7. REFLECTION
Original Image Re-colored Image

https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/brainstorm_201557

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