So far we've looked at adding text to the course. At some point you'll probably want to add an image.

There are two types of images that you can add: figures and decorative images.

Figures

A figure is an image that contains information. It could be a graph or a chart that illustrates, reinforces or develops what's said in the text. 

Figure 1 Survey responses.

It could also be a photo, for example if you direct your learners to look at one.

As noted when you looked at adding links, some of your learners may rely on a screen reader. If you're adding a figure, you'll need to add some descriptive text (known as alt text) so that your learners don't miss out on the information that it contains. 

How much detail you go into depends on what your learners need to know. If you're showing them a graph to show how a trend increases steadily over time, you only need to say that. If it's important that your learners know a percentage for each year, for example, then you need to include that detail.

The alt text for the figure above is as follows: 

Decorative images

If your course's subject matter doesn't naturally have much imagery as part of the learning – some areas may not lend themselves well to this – then it may be beneficial to add decorative images to break up the text and improve the visual appeal of your course.

Decorative images are photos that complement the text but must not overwhelm it, so they are best used sparingly. They can reflect what's in the text or you may prefer something tangential: if the text is about growing a business you could use a photo of nature, for example.

A decorative image isn't intended to teach your learners anything specific in the same way that a figure does, so you don't need to add alt text to it.

A decorative image could be something from your own camera roll but should not include holiday snaps. You can also download royalty-free stock images from sites like Unsplash or Pexels. Alternatively, if you use AI to generate images, you must record any prompts you use – these will need to be listed in the acknowledgements for the course. (Note that the OU recommends that you only use one AI platform to generate content for your course.)

How to add an image

To add an image place the cursor at the point in the course content where you want to add an image and click on the Insert or edit image icon.

This will open a new pop-up window with the heading Image properties.

• Click on the Browse repositories button.
• Click on the Choose File button and navigate to the image you want to add.
  
• Add the name of whoever created or owns the image in the Author box and select the appropriate licence in Choose licence. If the image is yours, is a logo or belongs to a company or organisation, choose All rights reserved. If it's an image from a photo stock website, select whichever Creative Commons licence is attached to the image. 
• Click on Upload this file. 
• If it's a figure, describe the image in the Describe this image for someone who cannot see it box. There's a limit of 125 characters.  
• If it's a decorative image, tick the box next to This image is decorative only. 
• Click on Save image.

If the image you're adding is a figure you should also add a figure number and a caption underneath it, as in the example above. 

Having added images you may also want to embed a video.