Støttematerialet

Støttematerialet is a Norwegian term meaning the supporting material and is used to describe supplementary resources that accompany a primary work or process. Its exact meaning varies by domain, but in general it denotes materials that help users understand, apply, or reproduce a core content.

In education, støttematerialet includes worksheets, problem sets, lecture slides, videos, tutorials, and teacher guides that accompany a textbook or course. It serves to scaffold learning, differentiate instruction, and provide practice and assessment opportunities. Digital formats enable accessibility features and easy updating.

In publishing and research, støttematerialet can refer to appendices, glossaries, bibliographies, datasets, methodological details, or example data that accompany a main publication. These materials allow readers to verify results, reproduce experiments, or explore related material without overloading the main text.

In design, engineering, and manufacturing, the term may denote materials used to support a model or build during prototyping, including temporary fixtures or, in additive manufacturing, support structures that are removed after production. The concept emphasizes how auxiliary resources enable the main work to be created, tested, or understood.

Etymology: from the verb støtte meaning to support and the noun materiale meaning material; the definite form støttematerialet refers to the set of supporting materials relevant to a defined task or document.