Linking to resources
Learning benefits
Provision of resources is a fundamental part of learning and teaching, which Yorkshare is particularly strong at supporting. Resources, whether files, images or links to external sites or documents, should be meaningful to a specific learning activity and of a high quality.
Good resources can inspire, provoke critical thought, demonstrate a concept and offer contrasts to the lecture course. Resources, particularly those available on the web, can be interactive and engaging to help visualise processes and present ideas in different ways.
However, simply linking to resources may not be enough without providing an indication to their relevance or how students are expected to engage with the material. Clear instructions, particularly in early stages of a degree programme, support students transition to independent study and encourages them to approach resources in a critical way.
- Specific guidance for images, charts and graphs
- Specific guidance for document creation
- Specific guidance for multimedia resources
Linking to resources
All links should have descriptive text. Do not use ‘click here’ as the text that is the link. For example, a link to a website should have the website or document name as the link. A link to a book chapter will have the chapter, title or author as the link. Using only ‘click here’ text creates a small area for users to click upon to access the resource (particularly for mobile devices and users with mobility impairments), and makes navigating and understanding the destination of a link very difficult for screen-reader software users (they would hear ‘click here’ many times).
To avoid copyright infringement, link to resources that are freely available online rather than re-uploading them to Yorkshare. This also assists in students’ referencing, as they will have the original source to reference rather than an uploaded version that may be devoid of referencing data.
If resources require a specific program or log-in, provide guidance for this prior to students accessing the link. In addition, for files that are embedded within the Text Editor, include the file type extension in the link or in brackets after the link.
Example content item with links
Guides
- Content Items – Advanced – Inserting files within text [YouTube]
- Adding a web link [help.blackboard.com]
Programme Design and Learning Technology Team 