The following is a sample from a proposed training course designed to help new college students use Microsoft tools more effectively. Written in markdown, it demonstrates a casual (if verbose) writing style, use of accessible language and descriptors, and content alignment to learning goals.
[//]: # (Title: Structuring Documents in Microsoft Word)
[//]: # (Sequence: This is the 3rd module in the Microsoft Word Unit)
[//]: # (Audience: Incoming freshman, many of whom may have little to no experience with Microsoft Office and may be first generation college students.)
[//]: # (License: This module is released under the MIT License, and other institutions are encouraged to develop it to fit their needs.)
[//]: # (Last Edited: March 31, 2021)
# Module 3: Structuring Documents in Microsoft Word
[//]: # (TODO: replace above image with graphic that suggests a document outline, along with descriptive alt text.)
## Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you should be able to:
* Explain how properly structured documents benefit readers and collaborators;
* Describe the differences between inline formatting and formatting applied through the styles feature; and
* Create and format a table of contents.
## Module Preview
* 3.1 — Why is Document Structure Important?
* 3.2 — Selecting and Editing Headings
* 3.3 — Generating a Table of Contents
* 3.4 — Check Your Understanding
## 3.1 — Why is Document Structure Important?
If you've written term papers or research assignments, you've had to properly format your work according to an assigned document or citation style. These include Chicago Style, Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and others. Making sure your document meets the requirements of a specific style can be a big task, and many students can spend almost as much time formatting their paper as they do writing it! What if you could create a reusable template for your papers, one that would automate a lot of the work of making your paper meet the formatting requirements? And what if doing so made your document easier to read and understand, especially for those who utilize screen reader software? Even after you graduate, the skills in this module can go a long way in helping you stand out when communicating in the workplace.
Microsoft Word has some ready-made academic templates, but we're going to start from scratch. And since the focus for this module is on styling and structure, we'll save the actual creation of the template file for the next module. For now, open up a blank document, think about something you'd like to write a paper about, and type out the name of a section of that paper. For example, if you were writing a paper about the history of baseball in Georgia, you may have a section called "The Braves Move from Milwaukee to Atlanta."
**Learn By Doing: Think of the name of a section of a hypothetical paper you'd like to write, then type it into a blank Word document.**
According to (this handy guide for APA 7th Edition)[https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html], a first-level heading should be centered, bold, and in title case. At this point, you can probably do that to the section title you just typed by highlighting it and selecting the "Center Text" and "Bold" buttons. However, what happens if you input Return to go to a new line and start adding more text?
**Reflect: What happens if you input Return after changing the format of your section heading? Why do you think Microsoft Word does this?**
If you tested it out, you noticed that the new line kept those formatting changes you made. The next line started off in the center, and the text was bold. Obviously, this isn't what you would want: you're done with the heading and you want to type body text, not another heading! So why would Word keep these formatting changes?
The reason is because Word doesn't *know* you typed a heading. From its perspective, all it knows is that you wanted to start typing bold, centered text. However, there is a way to let Word know what you're trying to do, and that's by using *styles*.
## 3.2 — Selecting and Editing Headings
Headings are a great place to start because they're one of the most basic style options you can explore. Learning how to properly create document headings will pave the way for you to explore more and more ways to format your work. Let's start with a new blank document and set up the heading using Word's styles functionality.
Once you add your heading text, you can place the cursor anywhere on the same line as the heading, then go to the Styles pane on the Home tab of the Ribbon and select "Heading 1."
At the time of this module's writing, the default styling for Heading 1 transforms the text to a 16-point Calibri Light font with a light blue color. That doesn't match up with APA requirements, so let's go in and change that. You can easily change the document's heading style by opening the context menu for Heading 1 and selecting "Modify."
In the Table of Contents tab you can play around with the visual settings to see how you can alter the look of the table, but one important control is visible and labeled "Show levels." This control lets you show which headings will actually be listed in the table of contents. For example, if your document has first, second, and third level headings, but "Show levels" is set to 2, the third level headings will not appear in the table of contents.
**Learn By Doing: Create a table of contents for your document. Play around with the settings to see how they change the table and click "OK" when you have created a format you like.**
Creating your table of contents this way has many advantages. First, each line of the table is a hyperlink that allows readers to click through directly to the section they want to read. Second, if you make changes to the document after you generate the table, you can right-click the table and select "Update Field" to make sure the section names and page numbers are accurate. Creating your table of contents this way allows you to make sure those who use screen reader software will be able to successfully navigate your document.
## 3.4 — Check Your Understanding
As you can see, using styles and generated tables of contents can go a long way to elevate the quality and readability of your document. It can also save you a lot of time and frustration by letting you skip manual, inline styling. Document styles aren't limited to headings and tables, however. Check out these resources to see what else you can do with document styles and how you can set your work apart for both your instructors and future colleagues.
[//]: # (Note: Resource list to come. Additionally, implementation of below questions is highly dependent on LMS constraints. However, for the purpose of encouraging metacognition, these should be interactive, requiring the reader to input their answer whether or not it would actually be assessed by a live person.)
1. Which of these is *not* a benefit of using styles in a Word document?
* A: People who use screen readers can better navigate your document.
* B: You can save time when changing the formatting of your document.
* C: Microsoft Word can create the table of contents without you telling it to do so.
* D: You can make sure there is consistency between all instances of a given style.
2. Where can you control what comes between an item's name and page number in a table of contents?
* A: Word automatically fills this in according to APA style.
* B: The Tab Leaders control in the Index and Tables dialog box.
* C: The font controls in the Modify Style dialog box.
* D: The Table of Contents dialog in the Layout tab of the Ribbon.
3. Imagine you were unable to see your computer screen, yet had to navigate through a long Word document using a screen reader. How would you feel if you were unable to click through a table of contents or skip ahead to the next section?
4. After completing this module, do you believe using document styles and proper headings is important? Why or why not?
[//]: # (Key for first two questions: C, B)
[//]: # (TODO: Add more questions, run text by committee members when/if committee is formed.)