For a Self-Study Course to be successful, it must offer exceptional instruction and accessible materials. Use of a combination of components work together to provide an effective learning environment. Study guides, workbooks, texts, supplementary ware, and final exams are typical elements in a course. The mandatory components are the textbook, study guide and the final exam. Further development of the self-study course is left to the imagination and planning of the author.
Study guides serve many purposes.
They are used as a set of directions to integrate all the components of the course, a supplementary workbook, or a testing mechanism. Study Guides should not take the place of a textbook. The Study Guide should be divided into attainable units, like chapters in a text or lessons in a classroom. Each unit of the Study Guide must contain the following elements. Use action words to clearly state these objectives.