APTA Learning Center

This is the place to find tips, best practices, and templates to help you create online learning for APTA's Learning Center. The toolkit offers information on how to write learning objectives, organize and structure content, narrate your own content, write learning assessment questions, and more. You can either download the entire .pdf or simply select a section from the links below and download one at a time.

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I. Designing and Developing a Learner Experience

• Goal Development - A brief job aid explaining how to develop course goals. Includes an author worksheet.

• Learning Objectives - A brief job aid explaining how to develop learning objectives and gives examples of appropriate online learning action verbs. Includes an author worksheet.

• Content Organization - A brief job aid explaining how to structure content in a presentation to be used as an online course. Includes an author worksheet.

• Assessment Question Writing Guideline - An overview of the elements to consider when writing your assessment questions.

Step by step instructions for adding narration to your PowerPoint and creating an .mp4 are available by clicking the button below.

Download Instructions

A Note about PowerPoint as an Authoring Tool: PowerPoint is an effective tool to augment a presentation. The layout and format of your screens can make a significant difference in learner comprehension and satisfaction. Here are some best practice tips for you to consider when developing PowerPoint for a live presentation or an online course.

• PowerPoint Presentation Design Recommendations for Online Learning
  A comprehensive list of design best practices.
• Designing Instructional Aids for Online Learning - A PowerPoint Template Example
  A sample PowerPoint that demonstrates how to use various design best practices highlighted in the previous list.

II. APTA Selected Styles and Guidelines

• Language Considerations
  A brief job aid explaining how to write using patient and people first; patient management and culturally competent language according to AMA and APTA standards.
• APTA Basic Copyright Information
  A brief job aid explaining the basic do's and don'ts of copyright law, and how secure copyright permission. Includes an author worksheet.
• When to Cite Sources
  A quick guide outlining when to cite others’ ideas, data, quotations, and non‑common‑knowledge information.

APTA Copyright and Permissions FAQ

III. Course Compilation Form

• Form for Course Submission
  Form used by the lead presenter to collect all course details and materials required for submission to APTA.

IV. References

• APTA Style Quick Reference
  A brief job aid outlining the key steps and best practices for developing, organizing, and refining high‑quality course materials.
• United States Copyright Office "Copyright Basics"
  A brief job aid from the United States Copyright Office explaining the fundamentals of copyright and the process of obtaining it.
• References
  A list of works used to compile the information in this toolkit. 

APTA Learning Center: Speaker Guide and Toolkit | APTA

Still have questions? Email the APTA Learning Center