Introduction to Utilizing White Space

Walls of text are difficult to read and actually serve as deterrents to student engagement. Considering that many students now receive much of their information from video- and image-based social media platforms, it might be wise to meet your learners where they are by presenting larger chunks of information in the form of video- or image-based media. Using other forms of media to convey information would also help in creating more white space.

Solutions

Rather than writing an overabundance of text, consider one or more of the other options below:

Lists: for step-by-step processes, listing items, and highlighting key points
Videos: for demonstrations and lectures
Audio: for instructions and feedback
Infographics: for visual instructions and the illustration of processes
Frames: for highlighting important information or framing infographics (note: requires HTML)

Even using shorter paragraphs can make reading easier for students.

Assignments sometimes do require detailed instructions, but consider that many instructions could be presented as a bullet point or numbered list if there is a step-by-step process involved.

Frames Example

This is an example of using a frame. Be cautious not to overuse frames, but they can be a good tool for breaking up text so that more white space is used.

Text here could be used to highlight important information or a quote, hold infographics, etc. It would be best to avoid overusing frames like this, but it is a good way to break up text.