Abstract Authoring tools (software or applications that allow teachers to create their own materials using existing templates and formats) have been growing in popularity in recent years and give teachers the opportunity to create their own course materials, which has many benefits. The field of instructional design (ID) has a set of established principles that, in tandem with ISLA research findings, can benefit teacher-authors as they embark on the process of curriculum development. This chapter outlines several of these ID principles, including the Multimedia Principle, the Signaling Principle, the Feedback Principle, the Segmenting Principle, the Self-Pacing Principle, and the Coherence Principle. We put these principles in dialogue with ISLA research to give teachers ways to maximize the effectiveness of their materials.