Design matters: Course document design's effect on language learners' perceptions

Literature in L1 learning contexts has indicated that the design of course documents can influence learner beliefs and attitudes toward the teacher and the learning process (Wolfe et al., 2019). In immersive L2 learning contexts, learners must navigate an additional layer of linguistic complexity as they interact with course documents. The current study explores the effect of course document design on language learners’ perceptions of instructors and institutions in tertiary EFL classrooms. Three versions of a syllabus were created using differing degrees of document design principles. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was employed in which participants (N=56) were exposed to the different syllabi and asked for their impressions of both the author of the document and the university. Course document design had a significant impact on ratings of the instructor and university, suggesting that language learners’ perceptions and attitudes about a teacher and learning context are influenced by course document design.