Consistency in preparing the material is essential for a course whose material is created by different people in different locations, and even, as in our case, in several languages. As has been explained in section 2, the top and left part of the interface are automatically created, and are not controlled by the author. Consistency in these parts of the screen is thus a matter of careful programming. Consistency is also maintained automatically in the text of the author by the use of standard text styles. Aside from text styles, however, the layout of the material is free for the author. One author could thus make a systematic use of tables with text on the left and a figure on the right, while another could have his text on the right with the figure on the left, and a third could choose to have figures and text in separate paragraphs. These inconsistencies can become bothering for the student, and it is desirable to limit them. At the present stage, however, there is not enough experience in the generation of course material to draw rules. It is expected that some general considerations will be included at a later stage. In the present situation, the best recommendation that can be made to authors is not to pay too much attention to page layout beyond what is required for a logical and clear presentation of their material: what needs to be on the same page as what?

Who is the most important person in the creation process of the course?