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AUTHOR Boettcher, Judith; Conrad, Rita-Marie TITLE Faculty Guide for Moving Teaching and Learning to the Web. INSTITUTION League for Innovation in the Community Coll., Laguna Hills, CA PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 132p.; Support for the production of this publication provided by the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN). PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Teacher (052) Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *College Faculty; Community Colleges; *Computer Uses in Education; Curriculum Development; Distance Education; *Educational Technology; Higher Education; *World Wide Web IDENTIFIERS *Technology Utilization
ABSTRACT This book serves as a guide for faculty in using computers, the Internet and the World Wide Web as instructional tools in higher education. Chapter 1, "Introduction to the Internet and the Web for Higher Education", provides a brief history of the Internet and builds conceptual understanding of the Internet and its usefulness in education. Chapter 2, "Principles of Technology and Change to Guide our Journey to the Web," discusses principles behind technology innovation and provides key statistics. Chapter 3,"What We Know about Teaching and Learning," introduces the emerging educational environment on the Web. Chapter 4,"Envisioning, Planning and Identifying Resources," addresses general topics for faculty moving courses to the Web. Chapter 5,"Instructional Design Guidelines for Moving Courses to the Web," provides guidelines for initial course design. Chapter 6,"Steps in Developing Web Courses," presents a step-by-step process for course development. Chapter 7,"Tools and Resources for Creating Web Courses," describes five phases for moving a course to the Web. Chapter 8, "Web Course Models," provides several examples of Web courses. Chapter 9, "Creating and Sustaining Online Communities," discusses strategies for a collaborative learning environment. Chapter 10, "Issues in the Web Environment," focuses on four issues relevant to instructors. Finally, Chapter 11 provides perspectives on the future. Contains over 40 references. (RDG)
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FACULTY GUIDE FOR MOVING TEACHING AND LEARNING TO THE WEB
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Judith V. Boettcher, Corporation for Research and Educational Networking 60
0 Rita-Marie Conrad, 0 Florida State University .1
League for Innovation in the Community College 1999
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2 This monograph is published by the League for Innovation in the Community Collegeas part of its Information Technology Initiative. The League wishes to acknowledge the support of the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN) in the production of this publication. Descriptions of and contact information for CREN and the League are available at the back of this document. Additional copies of this monograph may be ordered from the League for Innovation through the League's online bookstore available at www.league.org. For other ordering options, please phone 1-949-367-2884. 3 FACULTY GUIDE FOR MOVING TEACHING AND LEARNING TO THE WEB
Judith V. Boettcher, Corporation for Research and Educational Networking
Rita-Marie Conrad, Florida State University
League for Innovation in the Community College 1999
4 Table of Contents
FACULTY GUIDE FOR MOVING TEACHING AND LEARNING To THE WEB
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword, Carl Berger, University of Michigan
Acknowledgments iii Introduction
Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Internet and the Web for Higher Education 1
Chapter 2: Principles of Technology and Change to Guide Our Journey to the Web 7
Chapter 3: What We Know About Teaching and Learning 15
Chapter 4: Envisioning, Planning, and Identifying Resources 23
Chapter 5: Instructional Design Guidelines for Moving Courses to the Web 35
Chapter 6: Steps in Developing Web Courses 47
Chapter 7: Tools and Resources for Creating Web Courses 59
Chapter 8: Web Course Models 71
Chapter 9: Creating and Sustaining Online Communities 87
Chapter 10: Issues in the Web Environment 95
Chapter 11: Perspectives on the Future 109
Resources 120
About the Authors 123
About the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN) 124
5 Foreword
FOREWORD
How do you write a book about technologylearning can be done in many ways and from when technology is changing rapidly? How domany domains, and that learning is a creative you write a book about education when new ideasendeavor by the learner. Educators are asked of teaching and learning are emerging yearly?constantly for the best way to teach and learn as if And how do you write a book that combines thethere is really one right answer. At the same time latest in learning and teaching with the latest inour societyisgaining knowledge, having technology and keep both timeless? Boettcher andexperiences, and building attitudes (in other
Conrad have done just that ...but how? words, learning) from a wide variety of tech- nologies and domains. Again, we can't match the In reality this text could have been writtenteaching style to the learner as we are constantly about teaching and learning using "the book," orlearning with a variety of teaching styles from the using "the radio," or using "the TV," or using "thevery multiple technologies we live within. Thus, overhead projector." Then again it could not. Inthis text could not be written about the most reality this text could have been written aboutcurrent or the most imagined teaching and usingtechnologyin"drillandpractice,"learning theories alone. "programmed learning," "collaborative education," or "constructivism." Yet again, it What we now have, and what Boettcher and could not. Conrad use throughout this work, is the interplay of technological concepts with teaching and The reason that text could not have beenlearning. They work with strong, cogent ideas such written is that the result would be time-bound,as the Zone of Proximal Development and the and worse, domain-bound. The book not writtenunderstanding that learning progresses in broad would have been time-bound in that technologystages with overlaps and regressions. Using the changes rapidly and the use of technology, be itWeb as a true breakthrough in interactive presen- the book or the Web, reflects not only the desire oftation, response, collaboration, and involvement, educators to use the latest technology, but also athe authors have developed a "holodeck" where very real change in working and thinking in ournew teaching and new technology will easily fit the society. Educators are constantly asked if newfabric of several time domains. It is no coincidence technology really makes a difference in learningthat the authors use the holodeck as an analogue. and teaching and they are constantly asked forThe holodeck provides timeless ideas to be tested tight, definitive studies to show that it is so. At thein new and unusual surroundings. The holodeck same time, our society has moved rapidly withallows ideas to be tried and tested with opportu- the technology such that it now permeates ournities for graceful failures as well as successes. The very economic and social fiber. It would be as ifholodeck allows scenarios to be tested that are real educators were asked to justify having books forand fanciful. students after the society had become literate though reading. Thus, this text could not be In a real way, you are about to use this text as written about even the most current or mostyour holodeck on a teaching and learning journey. imagined technology alone. You are about to embark on such a journey in your teaching and learning where you will be faced The reason that text could not have beenwith a constantly changing environment. This text written is that it would be learning and teachingcan help provide the navigational tools, a new bound. If there is one thing that we have learnedunderstanding of your own teaching and learning in the last few years in educational and psycho-environment; it can help provide you with that logical understanding, itis that teaching andadventuresome spirit that moving into the
6 - i - Foreword
unknown brings.Best yet, the authors areCarl Berger is Professor of Science and Technology providing you with the grounding of the greatEducation at the University of Michigan where he also ideas of technology and the great ideas of teachingserves as Director and Academic Liaison in the Office andlearning.Youwilldiscovermultipleof the Chief Information Officer of the University. A interactive pathwaysthough constantlygraduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he expanding education worlds. I wish you anhas written over 25 books and holds two patents on exciting and challenging journey. science teaching and learning. The former Dean of Education at the University of Michigan, he has Carl Bergerresearched for over 20 years how learners have used technology to increase their knowledge, experience, and confidence. He recently received the Distinguished Contribution in Research award by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching.
7
ii Acknowledgments
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book isthe coming together of aour associations with these organizations, we serendipitous set of people, ideas, and events overhave enjoyed learning and experimenting with a period of almost ten years. However, theeffective uses of the Web. We acknowledge and particular catalyst event behind this book was athank our colleagues at Penn State University and three-day tour across northern Wisconsin in MayFlorida State University, as well as all our friends 1998. On that road tour, Terry O'Banion andand colleagues in the instructional technology Judith had time to brainstorm and think about aprofession and allthe staff and volunteers book that might be a guide to faculty about theassociated with CREN, the nonprofit higher use of the Web in teaching and learning. We kneweducation association. The interactions, that some faculty approached the use of the Webdiscussions, and brainstorming sessions helped to in teaching and learning with bravado, genius,inform and shape the ideas in this book. and enthusiasm. We knew that other faculty were curious about the Web, but much too busy and We also recognize the contributions of the engrained in old habits.Still other facultyfaculty and information technology staffers who preferred not to approach the Web at all, but toattended various versions of the online and leave it for others, please! distance learning workshops offered through Syllabus, the readers of the Syllabus distance So an important acknowledgment goes to Terry for his encouragement to build a guide thatlearning columns, and especially the faculty who would explain, encourage, and suggest ways forcontributed their stories to the chapter on models faculty to embrace the Web joyfully for teachingof Web courses. These interactions helped and learning. crystallize the real-life campus questions and strategies faced by faculty, staff, and students. Thereareahostofothers we also acknowledge. We thank our editors, in particular Finally, we acknowledge our husbands, Gil Cynthia Wilson, for the awesome task of editingand Larry, for their patience and support while the book, and Cindy Miles and Ann Doty of thethis book was being written. Writing and League office who supported us over the longer writing time. The guide is longer than werewriting took precedence over cooking, sailing, expected and, with everyone's help and patience,traveling, and deck time. To all, thanks! much better! Judith V. Boettcher, CREN Also, we acknowledge thefaculty and Rita-Marie Conrad, Florida State University students at our current and former institutions. In
8 Introduction
INTRODUCTION
We believe that it is absolutely essential forusefulness for teaching and learning. These higher education institutions to fully integrate theconcepts are fundamental to knowing how to plan Web into fulfilling their missions of teaching,for the support and offering of courses on the learning, and research. To continue our workWeb. without using this powerful new tool would be to turn our backs on technology that enables us to 2.Principles of Technology and Change to create teaching and learning environments that Guide Our Journey to the Web are more interactive and collaborativethan any that have been possible before. The second chapter includes a discussion of the principles behind the technology innovation Our higher education institutions are in theadoption curve and the change processes that knowledge business. We create knowledge, weaccompanytheadoptionoftechnology analyze and manipulate knowledge, we organizeinnovations. These principles highlight the need knowledge, we share knowledge, and we helpfor campus policies that support successful others acquire and use knowledge. Computers,adoption of new technology by faculty, staff, and the Internet, and the World Wide Web are thestudents. most powerful information and knowledge tools now available. As educators, we use the core This chapter also provides some key statistics processes of communication and interaction withand trend lines about the adoption of technology each other in teaching and learning. The newinnovations. Some of these statistics include knowledge tools support these core processesfactors important to teaching and learning withfaster,more personal, moreflexibleprograms, such as personal computer ownership communication than we have ever had. We offerby faculty and students and campus strategies for the eleven chapters of this text as both a guide foraddressing technology needs and support. applying these new tools and as evidence that we are living in a tremendously exciting time in 3.What We Know About Teaching education. and Learning
1. An Introduction to the Internet and the Web In the third chapter, we introduce the newly for Higher Education emerging teaching and learning environment on the Web. This is the first truly major shift in We begin the book with a brief history of theinstruction that has occurred in the last 500 years. Internet from its beginnings in 1966 as a tool toIt is the shift from the classroom as the primary support the sharing of scarce computer resourcescenter of organized instruction to the Web as the among scientists across the country. The power ofprimary center of instruction. the Internet to support communications came later. It is these communications applications that This chapter provides background in the support the core processes of teaching andpedagogy of instruction,including an learning. examination of how the basics of the teaching and learning processes are really communications and In this chapter, we also describe the basics ofdialogue processes. The fundamental ideas of five how the Internet works, how the Web developed,educationaltheoristsprovidesupportfor and how fast the use of the Internet and the Webrethinking the core processes of teaching and have developed over Net Time. The chapter helpslearning. When an environment is changed, it is build a conceptual understanding of the Internetwise to reexamine the core assumptions of the and the Web infrastructure and clarifyitsearlier model. New environments often enable us
- v - Introduction to solve longstanding problems easily and Finally, a major section of the chapter is affordably. devoted to the process of instructional design. This section contains alistof ten simple 4.Envisioning, Planning and guidelines for designing and developing courses Identifying Resources that we envision as "An Instructional Designer in a Box.ft With this chapter, we begin the how-to section of the book. The first part of this chapter addresses6.Steps in Developing Web Courses questions of focus: How does one choose what courses should be offered on the Web? How does a This chapter presents a step-by-stepprocess faculty member prepare for moving courses to thefor developing Web courses. For all practical Web? What types of tools and resources are needed?purposes, the design and development of courses What type of design and development time istoday is a cottage industry. Faculty members needed? What infrastructure needs to be in place? design, redesign, update, and change their courses every semester. No course is quite like any Three different types of Webother. This is both the challenge and the drawback courses-WebCourse, Web Centric, andof our current models. Web Enhanced-are described in this chapter. A discussion of Web Presence, an information format In this chapter, we look at the kinds of similar to an entry in a course catalog, is alsoexpertise needed to design and develop the included. Descriptions of two decision layers willcourse materials that "fill" or make up the digital help educators determine the focus ofa Webcontent for teaching and learning in an online course project and the types of resources, support,classroom. This chapter also features a process of and infrastructure that may be needed. Twoeight steps for systematically designing and worksheets included in the chapter are basedondeveloping a Web course. the two decision layers and are designed to help faculty move courses to the Web. 7.Tools and Resources for Creating Web Courses 5.Instructional Design Guidelines for Moving Courses to the Web This section describes the five phases in the design and development of moving a course to This chapter is the design chapter of the book.the Web: If a faculty member is going to design acourse for the Web, what will it look like? How will it be Define the goals and objectives similar to a traditional on-campus course? How Search for content materials will it differ from a traditional on-campus course? Reexamine course goals and define course What will it have in common with distance units and evaluation processes learning courses? How willitdiffer from Gather and digitize course materials and traditional distance learning courses? develop course units In this chapter, we analyze the structure of Deliver, test, and evaluate traditional courses, focusing on the three-credit 8. Web Course Models course model. We describe the expectations for time and workload on the part of faculty and In this chapter, we provide several examples students, and ask what the expected instructionalof the three types of Web course models: and learning outcomes will look like, given theseWebCourse, WebCentric, and WebEnhanced. This expectations. chapter features examples of these courses from faculty themselves. In this chapter, we also
-vi- 1 Introduction
describe different designs for courses according to11. Perspectives on the Future the amount of prepackaged content, dynamic content, and time used for different types of Where will we be in teaching and learning in dialogues, such as large group synchronoushigher education in the year 2007? This chapter activities, small group activities, and individualprovides a glimpse into what the higher education dialogue with resources. enterprise might feature just a few short years from now. 9.Creating and Sustaining Online Communities The predictions are organized around six different components of higher education: (1) the Distance education originally meant that thehigher education enterprise as a whole; (2) degree learner was isolated, not only from the instructorprograms and continuing education programs; but from otherlearnersaswell.Today's(3) the institutional infrastructure; (4) faculty and technology tools are interactive and enablestudent tools and roles; (5) content resources; and students to collaborate more actively in the(6) research in learning. teaching and learning processes. This chapter defines collaborative learning and discusses The second part of the chapter is a science strategies for creating a collaborative learningfiction fantasy about what learning might be environment. The chapter also focuses on thebeyondtheyear2007."Student-Centered development of learning communities in distanceLearningintheLasting ExperiencesLtd. courses. Holodeck: As Good asIt Gets!" was first published as a column in Syllabus in June 1998. 10. Issues in the Web Environment Enjoy!
This chapter is a "filling in some of the cracks for a while" chapter. In it, we focus on four issues educators never seem to have enough time to explore in depth. Our discussion serves as a starting point for discussion and a snapshot of the four issues:
Managing e-mail communication with students Class size in online courses Copyright issues and intellectual property policies Assessment and evaluation
11 An Introduction to the Internet and the Web
CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET AND THE WEB FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Overview In a recent interview, Robert W. Lucky, a telecommunications leader at Bellcore, said, "It is This chapter provides a brief history of theeasy to predict the future;what is hard is Internet from its beginnings in the mid-1960s,predicting what peoplewill do with the when scientists began searching for ways to accesstechnology" (1998, p. 72). He also commented remote computers and to share scarce computerthat, "the Web is an astounding example of the resources. The power of the Internet to supportlack of foresight. Nobody saw this-in industry or e-mail and other types of communication was aanywhere else. In retrospect, the Web is the most serendipitous outcome of these efforts. obvious thing you ever heard of, and it is such a world-class idea" (1998, p. 74). This chapter helps explain the Internet's importance, development, and infrastructure. In 1995, another leading industry giant, Bill Understanding the components of the networkGates of Microsoft, released The Road Ahead. A and how they fit together can also help us plan fornew version of this book appeared inbookstores the resources we need to support teaching andin 1996 with a bright sticker indicating that it had learning, whether on or off campus. been updated to include the Internet and the Web. If Bill Gates didn't foresee the impact of the Web Where You Were When the Web Happened? as late as 1995, how could we expectthat the rest of us would? During the last decade, the global village that Marshall McLuhan envisioned may have arrived. Even if those most knowledgeable could not In the 30-plus years since he said, "We now live inseethe Web coming,the Webisnow a global village ...simultaneous happening," weacknowledged as the cause of a fundamental shift have seen the gradual accumulation of inventionin how people interact with other people and with uponinvention.Then,withonecriticalorganizations. In early 1998, it was estimated that development, the world truly shifted to a differentover 120 million people worldwide wereusing the place. In fact, it feels very much like that "globalInternet, mostly for communication. In higher village . . . simultaneous happening" or theeducation, many faculty are adapting their "allatonceness" described by McLuhan (1967, p.teaching and learning activities to take advantage 63.) The critical development behind this shift is,of the Web's communication capabilities. We of course, the World Wide Web, and most of usbelieve that the Web supports the first truly know that the infrastructure that makes the Webinnovativeenvironmentsforteaching and application possible is the global Internet. learning since the introduction of books into the classroom. Those of us who are old enough can remember where we were when we first heard the news thatThe Web and Higher Education JFK was shot. Many of us also remember where we were when we first heard that Princess Dianahad The Web and the Internet continue to evolve died. However, most of us do not remember whererapidly and in unexpected ways. Many educators we were when the Web came to be. The Web did notare developing an attitude of greater opennessand happen as a single shocking event in time-at 10:30 onflexibility toward this new technology. a Sunday morning, for example-but some of us areOccasionally, however, we hear the comment from beginning to speak in terms of "before the Web" andour friends, colleagues, departmentchairs, and "now that the Web is here." We are only beginning todeans that we may want to wait for the technology realize all that we can do with this technology. to "settle down." As attractive as this choice may
-1 -12 Chapter One
be, we believe that a better approach istobefore arriving at a mailserver or at a personal determine which core functions and capabilities ofcomputer. This helps explain why even though the Web are most useful for education. Thenwe canthe network is very fast, it is not instantaneous embrace the Internet and the Web technology thatand not 100 percent reliable. Datacan get lost, best support and extend the goals of the teachingwhich means that messages can get lost. The and learning profession. longstanding student excuse, "My dog atemy homework," could soon become, "But I sent it in. New technology can help higher educationI don't know why it isn't there." And the student achieve goals that stem from pressures to becomemay be right! more efficient, to reduce costs, and to be more responsive. These pressures are increasing at theThe Origins of the Internet same time that our information-based economy is demanding the continual update and education of The beginnings of the Internet can be traced to its workers. An analysis by Dolence and Norrisa small government agency, the Advanced (1995, p. 7) suggests that all workers should beResearch Project Agency (ARPA), that supervised spending up to 11 percent of their time learning.and directed funding of computer research in the This means that we all need to be incorporatingearly 1960s. This agency supporteda cadre of learning into our lives. We alreadysee ourselvescomputerscientistslocatedatresearch learning at work, at home, at the steering wheel,universities across the United States. These and at meals. We are also learning in short burstsscientists quickly developed a number of different and over extended periods of time. Wearecomputers, each with its own operating system, learning anywhere, anytimejust likeour students!command language, and way to send data from point to point. These computers were expensive to What Is the Internet ?. design and build, and difficult and costly touse. The scientists, in an effort to be more productive, Although the Internet and the Webare nowbegan searching for ways to communicate with household words, for some people they remainaeach other via these systems and to share the mystery. Simply stated, the Internet is a "networkresources of the scarce and expensive computers. of networks." Before the development ofa common language for all computers, In 1962, as the programs funded by ARPA communication between or among computerswere beginning to expand their focus beyond the was difficult and, at times, impossible. In 1982, thecalculating abilities of the computers,a new development of a common computer networkdivision manager, J.C.R. Licklider, joined ARPA. language, TCP/IP, enabled the loose collections ofUnlike many of the computer scientists working computers on local networks to be linked togetherin the agency, Licklider was a psychologist who in a gradual expansion of local, national, andhad migrated to the field of computing. Bringing global networks of computers. The formala new perspective to the agency, he was definition, according to the Internet Society, is "aparticularly interested in interactive computing. global network of networks enabling computersHe envisioned the computer as a tool that would ofallkinds todirectly and transparentlybe able to "act as an extension of the whole human communicate and share services throughoutbeing" and to "amplify therange of human much of the world." intelligence" (Hafner & Lyon, 1998, p. 27).
A network's design, operation, and traffic Licklider 's vision encouraged the concurrent volume determine the number and variety ofdevelopment of interactive computing, number network paths along which data messages travel.crunching computing, and network computing. In fact, a data message might be divided intoa setOur use of the Internet and the Web in teaching of smaller packets that travelon different pathsand learning is, in many ways, a realization of his across the network and then are reassembledearly vision.
-2- 13 An Introduction to the Internet and the Web
The Growth of the Developing Internet developing an enhanced protocol, Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (http), for sending information Once scientists developed the ability forover the Internet. This protocol made "pointand computers to talk to one another, e-mail quicklyclick" navigation available on the Internet, became its most popular application; however, themoving to the Net what had only been available cost and complexity of computers caused earlyonthepersonaldesktopcomputer.This growth to be slow. In 1971, ARPANET had 23navigation system evolved into the first graphical hosts connecting universities and researchbrowser, Mosaic, which was developed by Marc centers; a decade later, ARPANET had expandedAndreessen and other students at the University to 213 hosts, and new hosts were being added at aof Illinois and was released in January of 1993. rate of approximately one every 20 days. (Marc Andreessen later helped cofound Netscape Communications, a company that at one time Increased use of the Internet came with thecommanded almost 80 percent of the Internet introduction of personal computers in the mid-browser market.) It seems safe to say that 1993, the 1980s. By 1987, the number of host computersyear the first graphical browser wasdeveloped, linked to the Net had grown to over 10,000; bywas the birth event of the World WideWeb. 1990, the number had reached over 300,000. Between 1990 and 1994, the traffic on mostE-mail and the Growth of Web Servers university networks doubled every year; today, doubling times are measured in months. For many people, e-mail is the introduction to the Internet. E-mail provides a cost effective and The driving force behind this growth waseasy way to communicate with family,friends, e-mail, known as a "killer application." A killerand colleagues across the country and around the application is one whose benefits are so powerfulworld. In addition to being inexpensive, e-mail is that people will purchase computers, software,attractive because it is asynchronous; participants and network access just for the ability to use it.in communication do not have to be available at E-mail and communication services are majorthe same time. The popularity of e-mail is perhaps contributors to the explosive growth of thebest evidenced by the numbers: Internet users network, while electronic commercesent approximately six billion e-mail messages in (e-commerce) has an increasingly prominent1997. Estimates from the Internet Software presence as well. Consortium,
-3- 14 Chapter One
communicate with students quickly, easily, andwill work with faculty to design and movecourse from almost any location. It is also helpful incontent into a site on the Web. This approach can communicating with groups, from large classes tobe a good strategy for small institutionsor for small project teams, and it is an excellentway toinstitutions with little information technology maintain contact with colleagues on campus andsupport, but some knowledge is necessary to at other institutions. E-mail is not the only use ofevaluate the costs and control tradeoffs. the Internet for education, however. Various types of access to the Internet, to research, and to data The basic infrastructure of the network consists services are now available. As our campuses beginof hardware in the form of network servers, wires using the Internet for teaching and learning,weand cables, routers, and personal computers. The need to pay attention to other pieces of thenetwork also relies on a set of software and infrastructure that support our mission. applications that, fortunately, are now fairly standard. A very simple model of a hardware Infrastructure of the Network portion of the network is illustrated in Figure 1.1.
Teaching courses on the Web requires thata Faculty and students may connect to the certain set of components be developed andInternet through home computers, modems, and managed by faculty, administrators, or staff.local phone lines linking them to a local Internet Commercial vendors offer to design andmoveService Provider (ISP). The process is relatively courses to the Web, but they do not teach thesimple. When a modem attached to the computer courses. These vendors are able to provide the Webdials into a modem at the ISP, a modem-to- servers and the Internet access service, and theymodem link is established over a regular phone
Figure 1.1. Simple Network Model
Simple Network Model Server
441iVeirie
Home Computer Web Server Office Computer Server BEST COPYAVAILABLE
-4- 15 An Introduction to the Internet and theWeb
line. Once the link is established, the routerandNetwork Software and Web Applications server check for the accountand password of the user before approving access tothe Internet. If In addition to the hardware, layers of software approved, the user can access any content,Web,support the network and otherapplications. or server that he or she haspermission to view. Sometimes called middleware, these layers include thesoftware on the network forrouting, Accessing the Internet from an office works inmanagement, and data flow; the software onthe much the same way. For example, faculty andstaffWeb server to control access; and the software inthe offices and student computer labs on a campusbrowsers used to access the servers. Middleware may be linked to a local areanetwork (LAN).can also refer to the componentsof the software on Generally, the LAN hooks the entirefaculty andthe server that manage our course Web sites. support staff to a special computercalled a router that serves as a gateway to the network.ThisE-Mail Software on the Internet process eliminates theneed for a modem in each office and lab computer. Internet access and e-mail are in some ways similar to the postal service, but the digital The Internet is built from multiples ofthesesystems are still new and relativelyfragile. The simple components. As a consequence, the Internetislanguage of e-mail has its corollaries with the both very robust and very fragile. Its power comespostal service and with telephone systems. We from the redundancy that is provided by anetworkhave e-mail mailboxes, e-mail addresses,online of computers offering multiple paths. If one router,directories,yellowpages,andcomputers server, or computer is broken,slow, or problematic,dedicated as mail servers. Our computers have the data are still transmitted successfully andquicklyInternet Protocol (IP) addresses, our hand-held across the network becausethe routers and gatewaysorganizers have addresses, and our cellular use alternate pathways. The systemis strong, but thephones have addresses. We have powerful online ability to use the network is very dependent ondirectories that enable us to track down friends immediate access points. If the college router is downand family, and the amount of junke-mail is "snail" mail. or overburdened, weexperience the frustration andstarting to rival that of traditional or anxiety that come from a slow orunavailable network. On the occasional morning or afternoon The setup and installation of softwarefor that network problems occur, the pace ofworkcommunicating over the Internet is now much changes dramatically. If the department routeriseasier than it has been. The following items are down, we may be unable to access data, applications,necessary for e-mail and online access: or e-mail. Our reaction maybe similar to the discord we feel when the electrical poweris interrupted. We Hardware to access the net, usually change how we work. We change our expectations. a computer andmodem. WebTV is a We have another cup of coffee. We gather in groups relatively new alternative in hardware, to talk about what we can't get done. and we will soon see other choices as well. Software to help manage e-mail. Software Given the design of the network, the potential can be a simple applicationprovided by an exists for multiple points of failure, including Internet browser, such as Netscape, or more performance problems with network hardware or specialized mail programs, such as Eudora software. As a result, one of the core principles of Pro, Microsoft Outlook, or manyothers. planning for teaching and learning on the Web is An Internet account that supports access to plan for multiple servers, backup servers,and to the Internet. This account canbe network redundancies. Also, given the need to be arranged with a local ISP, or a college may available for learning anywhere, anytime, we offeroptionsforfaculty,staff,and need to plan for 24/7 access-24 hours a day, seven students. days a week. -3- 16 Chapter One
An e-mail account for sending andparts of the learning experience itself. Wemay receiving messages. want to reexamine the role of teachers andmove ourselves away from the center of thecourse. The A mailbox on a mailserver, wherepower to communicate on the Internet is the messages arestoreduntilthey arepower to design communication among others for retrieved. The mailbox is often arrangedatmore effective learning. This is all hard work, but the same time as the Internetaccessit is a challenge we must address. The goodnews account; however, other optionsareis that we don't have to do it alone. available. For example, a usermay arrange for Internet access withan ISP but use an As we explore the processes and implications e-mail account at schoolor work. Storingof using the Web for teaching and learning,we e-mail is also a consideration,as users maywant to emphasize the following principles: elect to keep messageson the personal computer, on the mail server, or ona disk. The Web will continue to change and grow. Basic Principles Web courses will need to change andgrow with it. For many of us who entered the teaching Technologyplansneed professionbeforetheadventofpersonal toinclude accommodations for network overloads, computers, the presence of the Web is causingus to rethink many aspects of technology breakdowns, and backups and our teaching. We may recovery. want to reconsider what is important forour students to learn, and we may opt to changemany
17 6 Principles of Technology and Change
CHAPTER 2 PRINCIPLES OF TECHNOLOGY AND CHANGE TO GUIDE OUR JOURNEY TO THE WEB
Overview tekhne, means art or skill, we have always used technology in education. The difference today is This chapter includes an overview of changesin the kinds of technology we use and the speed at in communication technology in the last hundredwhich technology is changing. years,a discussionofthetechnology dissemination process, and a set of principles for In the early part of the 20th century, before the wise and manageable use of technology. Thesepaper and pencils werebroadly available, principles reinforce campus policies that advancestudents used slates, which provided very little faculty, staff, and student change to a learningspace for storing and analyzingthoughts and environment supported by technology. information. By contrast, we hear today's students and faculty complaining that floppy disks are In addition, this chapter illustrates how thenow an almost outmoded form of storagebecause creationofnewteachingandlearningthey hold only two megabytes of information. environments can follow designs that supportMany new computers do not have floppy drives, professional beliefs, principles, and ways ofproviding instead drives that support removable working in education. Key statistics and trendstorage of 100 or 200 megabytes and CD-ROM lines about the adoption of technology aredrives accessing CDs with 650 megabytesand presented, including data on personal computermuch more to comeof data. ownership by faculty and students, ease and affordability of Web access, and campus strategies The broad definition of technology as any tool for supporting the technology needs of facultyto enhance or extend the brain suggests that we and students. take a second look at the technology and tools of learning. How quickly do we adopt new Introduction to Technology and Change technology? Are we different today than our predecessors were? If, as the American Heritage definition states, technologyisthe"applicationofscience,Principle One: Good Use of Technology Takes especially to industrial or commercial objectives,"Time our ideaof technology may not be well represented. Our purposes would perhaps be In the late 19th century, the best way to better served if the definition also includedcommunicate across long distances was by "educationalobjectives."Lackingthat, wetelegraph, and in the United States, Western Union propose the following: dominated the use of the technology. When the telephone came along in about 1876, analysts at The technology of education is the body of Western Union judged that "this (new) telephone materials and methods used to extend or has too many shortcomings to be seriously enhance the ability to learn, collect data, considered as a means of communication. This solve problems, and promote device is inherently of no value to us." Now, 125 communication betweenand among years later, a derivative ofthat early telephone faculty and students. technology is with us everywhere, hanging from our belts, in our purses, in our cars,and in our Thus, paper, pens, pencils, books, television,pockets. One phone number can find us anywhere. radio, VCRs, and audiocassettes are all parts of technology that enhancelearningand Typical of fledgling technology, the 1876 communication. Given that the root of technology,telephone was awkward, expensive, and didn't
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seem to fill any particular need. One key principleto do so" (Rogers, 1995, p. 259). This important of technology dissemination is that gooduses ofattribute of innovation theory enablesus to technology take time to develop. Therefore,wepredict when technology has reached the "no need to be patient with ourselves and each other.turning back" point and allowsus to plan for widespread use and integration. Another major 20th century technologywas also initially received with derision. An associate For example, when the ownership of personal of David Sarnoff-later the head of RCA-lookedatcomputers reached the 25 percent diffusion point in his technology and remarked, "The wireless1992, it became relatively safe to predict thatat music box has no imaginable commercial value.some point in the not too distant future, close to 85 Who would pay for a message sent to nobody inpercent of the population would have personal particular?" Now, of course,we have radios orcomputers of some type or manifestation. So, even boom boxes wherever we are and entire industriesif one chose to wait and watch, serious planning for depend on broadcastingmessages, movies, andcomputing should have started abouta decade ago. educational programs to no one in particular! We also now can see a future with "narrowcasting" By 1990, the education community recognized emerging as a powerful force reaching out to folksits need to accommodate and embrace personal all over the world with specific interests. Ifyoucomputer technology. A compelling reason for this are a former Minnesotan and still love listening toadoption was the personal computer's abilityto WCCO, you can do that with the Web! manipulate data. Information, dialogue, and communication are the fundamentalprocesses in Principle Two: Not All Technology Thrivesorour daily work of research, teaching, and learning. Survives A second compelling reason was that it had become clear by that time that this technology and The telephone and radio, two examples ofmany related technology innovations would be successful innovation, leadus to the secondadopted and improved. principleoftechnologychange:Notall technology evolves to be a practicalor dominantPrinciple Three: Continued Technology Growth force in our daily lives. We know that highcostCan Be Assumed and difficulty of use are often major deterrentsto the adoption of new technology. Technology does Knowing the rate at which the technology is notbecomecosteffectiveuntilitisgoing to be improved in power and reduced in commercialized and widelyavailable.Forcost is also possible. Gordon Moore, former CEO example, videotapes were not widely used inof Intel Corporation, predicted in 1965 that "the distance education until VCRswere in thepower of computer chips will double every 18 majority of households. This principle-that not allmonths." This statement is now knownas technology survives or thrives in its originalMoore's Law, and it has held true forover 30 form-reinforces our natural abhorrence of changeyears. In recent years, experts have thought that and suggests that educators would be wiseto waitfundamental laws of physics would puta stop to and watch how technology develops. thisrateofdevelopment;however,two breakthroughs announced in late. 1997suggest In a study of the diffusion of innovations,that the pace of technology innovation willnot Everett Rogers (1995) noted that the critical timeslow down anytime soon, at least not in thenext for a new innovation is when the technology hasfive to ten years. Intel Corporation announceda been adopted by between 10 and 20 percent ofanew stacked chip technology that allows a chip to population. The theory of innovation suggestshold twice as much informationas it previously that after technology reaches this percentagecould. IBM announced an improvedway of range of a group, "it is often impossible to stop themaking computer chips withcopper, which further diffusion of a new idea,even if one wishedpromises faster, less expensive chips.
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We have already discussed the Web and its Innovators. Another way of describing the fantastic rate of growth. While the personaltechnology Innovators (2.5 percent) is that they computer, when not networked, is apowerfulare"heat-seekers," adventurers, andthrill- teaching and learning tool, the most significantseekers. Innovators are easy to spot. They always feature of the networked computer is its ability tohave some of the latest techno-gadgets, and they serve as a communicationdevice. The networkedspend much of their time and resources testing, computer supports all the communicationsthatexploring,andtryingnewtechno-tools. serve as the very essenceof teaching and learningInnovators boast to others about the capacityof processes. A 1998 campuscomputing studytheir hard drives, the speed of their computer reported that the use of e-mail as an instructionalchips, the extent of their computer memory, and resource in communitycolleges courses explodedthelatestsoftware innovations they have between 1994 and 1998, rising from 3 to 26 percentacquired. They may form information-sharing (Green, 1999, p. 4). (Note that the magic pointofrelationships with other Innovators, receiving innovation adoption has been reached.) In publicmutual support and feedback in their exploration universities during the same period, use of e-mailof these tools. In higher education, Innovators in courses increased from 10 to 56 percent.serve asgadfliesto encourage and push Similarly, between 1995 and 1998, the percentageadministrators to plan for technology integration of courses with Web pages rose by 300 percent ininto teaching and learning. They are the cadreof public research universities and grew 500 percentfaculty who regularly submit project proposals for in private research universities. Increases attesting and developing the use of technology for community colleges were less dramatic, but wereteaching and learning. still significant, growing from about 6 percent to 14 percent (Green, 1999, pp. 3-4). Early Adopters. Early Adopters (13.5 percent) have many of the characteristics of Innovators, By considering statistics like those presented inbut they generally are more judicious in their Chapter 1, we could have predicted with someenthusiasm. They like to test new techno-gadgets level of confidence that the Web would become aand tools to see how they might work in various significant change force in our daily lives.situations. They carefully assess an innovation Certainly, the point of successful diffusion hasand commonly serve as consultants to others who been reached, and there is no turning back, even ifare seeking information aboutthe effective use of we desired it. This integratedtechnology-personaltechnology. While the Innovator isusually computing, networking, and the World Wideconsidered "far-out" and different from the Web-is here to support much needed change inmajority of individuals, Early Adopters are closer education. in peer relationships and serve as an important bridge between Innovators and members of the Principle Four: People Adopt Innovation atEarly Majority. Different Rates In higher education, Early Adopters serve on The rate of adoption of new technologythe most committees as resources to decision generally follows a bell curve, with limitedmakers about strategic technology decisions. numbers of adventurers and timid souls, andEarly Adopters may also brag about memory, most others in the middle. Rogers (1995)foundhard disk space, and gadgets, but they do so in a that individuals fell into a distribution of fivemore subdued manner thando Innovators. Early categoriesofadoptionofinnovation:theAdopters and Innovators are the members of the Innovators (2.5 percent), the Early Adopters (13.5campus community who haveconsumed many of percent), the Early Majority (34 percent), the Latethe resources of the computing help desks. Majority (34 percent), and the Laggards (16Innovations in technology tend to be more percent). A description of each category isdifficult to use when they are new and may be provided in the following paragraphs. unreliable or unpredictable because appropriate
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infrastructures are not in place to support them. In higher education, members of theLate Thus, both Innovators and Early Adopters tendtoMajority often are foundon tenure review have a high toleranceforambiguity andcommittees and curriculum review committees, uncertainty and are good independent problemand they often are members of the facultyunion solvers. and faculty senate whoare comfortable with predictable results andconsequences. Applying Early Majority. By the time the Early Majorityknownprinciples ofchangecanhelp (34 percent) begins adopting theuse of e-mail andcommunicate, persuade, and engage members of computers in instruction, campus computingthe Late Majority. resources are beginning to be strained. The numbers of students, faculty, and staff who need Laggards. Laggards (16 percent) adoptnew support at this stage is the total of Innovators,technology only when they haveno other choice. Early Adopters, and Early Majority,a numberIntensive initial training and supportcan help approaching close to 50 percent of thecampusLaggards adopt new technology.Iflittle community. additionalsupportisprovided,however, Laggards use the technology inefficiently, ifat all. The characteristics of the EarlyStories abound of new computers, still in boxes, Majoritydeliberate, cautious and preciseresultsitting in corners of offices. in much higher expectations of technologyand the support infrastructure. The best approachfor Many stories circulate describing theways encouraging faculty to use new technology istoLaggards can be brought on board throughthe have members of the these earlygroups speak touse of e-mail. A typical scenario describes a high- them. Occasionally, there can be drawbackswithlevel administrator who, wanting to improvethe Innovators meeting with faculty, but suchefficiency of communicating with hisor her meetings are worth the risk. group, decrees e-mail as the one and only communication method the group willuse. Of Late Majority. Members of the Late Majoritycourse, Laggards are quite inventive when (34 percent) adopt new technologyat the pointavoiding the use of new technology. A Laggard when hanging on to the old technology becomeswill have an assistant print the e-mail, thenwill more problematic than moving to the newonegenerate a response on paper, to be e-mailed by would be. Late Majority membersare skeptics andthe assistant. generally have fewer resources tosupport their transition to new technology. By the time the Late Where Do You Fit? When decidingto which Majority begin using thenew technology, theinnovation group we belong, remember thatwe number of bugs are much reduced and, generally,can be Innovators in one category of technology the technology is much easier touse. By this time,and Laggards in another category. Keep in mind more of the support infrastructures are in placethat readiness to accept new technology isneither and more colleagues are knowledgeable aboutthegood nor bad. Instead, it clarifies whya person technology. The Late Majority only wantto useresponds to technology ina certain way. A the tools to do their work and aren't interestedinperson's state of readiness for theuse of how the technology works; theycare only that ittechnology for teaching and learning also does work, and that it works reliably. Membersofpredicts the speed at which heor she will want to the Late Majority can be predictablyimpatientinclude technologydesigninteaching and difficult, and they are likely to complainif theenvironments and courses. new technology is unreliable or unstable. They have very high expectations, assuming thenew Theprinciplesbehindthetechnology technology to be better andmore reliable than theadoption curve and the changeprocesses that old technology or "all these other folks wouldn'taccompany technology adoption can lead to be using it." changes in the ways we perceiveour roles and
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function in them. However, many newtechnologyand students frustration when learning tough innovations are needed before the stage is setfor anew relationships andinterdependencies. Faculty full paradigm shift. With all the new technologyspent many hours moving "yellow-pad" lectures supporting computing, networking, and theWeb,to HyperCard and the computer. Overtime, we, as membersofthe higher educationclassrooms have become equipped with computer community, are in the middle of thelargestprojection equipment so that theimproved paradigm shift in education in hundreds of years.lectures can be displayed to students. Inthis We need to look at how paradigms shift so we cansecond stage, justifying the cost and time prepare ourselves for the shiftand take our firstinvestments of new technology is stilldifficult, steps toward it. largely because all the costs and time are generally added to existing processes. The Process of a Paradigm Shift Stage 3. In this stage, costs are decreasing and As new technology is introduced into anthe tools are becoming more widespreadand environment, we can predict the way it willfirsteasier to use. In higher education, faculty are be used. Because one of the difficulties of new,finding that faculty-to-student communication is unrefined technology is the lack of practical usesenhanced by the use of e-mail and synchronous for it, new technology is usually first used inand asynchronous group meetings. Faculty can games. As a technologybecomes more developed,dispense with onsite office hours, holding them four general stages of technology adoption occur.on the Web instead. Some economiesof time can be achieved. Stage 1. In the first stage of technology adoption, people use new tools to do the same As educational technology achieves greater thing in a new way. The first educational useofdissemination,theteachingandlearning the computer for example, was for drill andprocesses need to bereexamined. How many practice applications or tutorials. These earlyletters really need to go through the mail? How programs were used to presentthe popularmany times do students andfaculty really need to workbooks in reading, math, and language.get together physically? We havebeen in the Computers were sometimes called expensive"classroom and books" paradigm for hundreds of technological workbooks, and with good reason.years. We are loath to changeanything that has As another example, the first use of a videoworked for so long, but computer technology has camera was to take moving picturesof a stagetransformed the environment in which we play. In this first stage, difficulties lie in justifyingoperate so greatly that we are now at Stage 3of the benefits of new technology and determiningthe paradigm shift. whether it is as good as the old technology. Stage 4. In this stage, the new tools are used to Stage 2. Often, the next stage is the use of thesolve old problems from the previous paradigm. technology to improve the efficiency of existingFor example, one of the most significant problems processes. Word processingevolved to speed thewith many distance education models of the past process of writing letters;spreadsheets evolved towas the lack of interaction,within a reasonable speed the process of budgeting. Little or notime frame, among the participants. Our new thought was given to how word processing andcommunicationtechnology overcomesthat spreadsheets would shift the work and roles ofproblem. secretaries and managers. In solving that problem, however, we have In higher education, one of the first uses ofdiscovered another challenge of distance learning: computers by faculty in teaching was to deliverincreased demands on faculty time. If faculty can morevisuallyeffectivelectures.Efficientcommunicate regularly and consistently,student simulations of difficult concepts save faculty timeexpectations rise, creating greater demands on
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faculty time. A comprehensive paradigm shiftagreeing to it, created a belief system that thiswas requires a whole new set of tools, applications,possible. Resources and talentwere allocated on and services. We are not there yet. the basis of this belief system.
While manyofournewtoolsfor In a similar fashion, the few dozen higher communication technology have arrived, theseeducation institutions that have mandated 24- tools are in a relatively immature stage ofhour student access to computing and networking development. In many ways, we are usingnewhave created a new context for teaching and technology to do our teaching and learning in thelearning.This new contextsupportsthe same old ways. The need for patience is clear, asfundamental processes thatoccur in teaching and is the need for planning. Improved tools willlearning: communication, dialogue, creating emerge that are less costly and easier to use. Veryknowledge, and sharing knowledge. soon, we will create new environments for teaching and learning. Today we rely on the classroomas the beginning and ending point of thecourse In Paradigms, the Business of Discovering theexperience. Tomorrow's classroomsare taking Future, Joel Arthur Barker (1993) asserts that theshape today on the Web. One possible shape of the most important lesson of paradigm shifts is,new classroom begins with a shift from the "When a paradigm shifts,everyone goes back toclassroom as the primary place of organized zero" (p. 140). This means that in theuse of newinstruction to the World Wide Webas the center technology for teaching and learning, all facultyfor instruction, as the "communication hub."As become novices again. For administrators,itwe look ahead five to ten years, will we see all our means that faculty need support in becomingcourse experiences begin and end on the Web? proficient in the use of tools for teaching and learning once again. Figure 2.1 shows a possible "midstate" of the new teaching and learning environment to which What Will the New Environment for Teachingwe may be moving. This graphic shows the center and Learning Look Like? of organized instruction as the World WideWeb. This does not mean that the classroom disappears. We would like to shareone more guidingInstead, it means that the classroom isno longer principle in the theory of innovation. We often"front and center" for course gatherings. Itmeans think that creating a new environment simplythat the primacy of the classroom is past. may not be possible. We may think that we are too stuck in our ways to changeour currentFigure 2.1. The Gathering Place for Learning paradigm. Change is difficult.It takes time, energy, resources, and altered attitudes. So how do we make this happen? How might it be World Wide Webas the possible? Gathering Place for Learning
Tracy Goss (1996), in The Last Wordon Power, Real-Time Multicast Interactive Presentations states, "When you declare a new context,you Dialogue create a new realm of possibility, one that did not Research- previously exist" (p.19). Goss provides an Know ledge Web as the Creation example of this process by reminding readers of Gathering Place the power of the statement made by John F. Kennedy when he declared thatwe would be on the moon by the end of the decade. He created a Secure Collaborative context in which getting to the moon was believed Evaluations Projects and to be possible. He, and the American public by Activities
BEST COPY AVAILABLE 12 23 Principles of Technology and Change
Consider the usual elements of our higherwhen they take place in the traditional classroom? education course experiences: class meetings,And what about experimenting with a new independent study time, projects, tests andbalance of class meetings, individual and group evaluations, demonstrations, and discussion.study, and research? The new paradigm may seem Which of these communication experiences mustto be only a shift in the emphasis of meeting occur in a shared physical space at the same time?places, but it will change almost everything. Which of these experiences are actually improved
13 - What We Know About Teaching and Learning
CHAPTER 3 WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TEACHING AND LEARNING
Overview in some cases, replace the classroom as the primary site of organized instruction. Shifting After more than a century of educationalfrom the physical boundaries of the classroom to research, we have a body of knowledge aboutthe virtual space of the World Wide Web causes us what does and does not work in teaching andto ask many questions about the functions, the learning.Even thoughteachingisoftenrules, and the freedoms we have in this new considered an art and the best teachers are mostenvironment. often viewed as master crafters, we now have available to us some principles of learning and Moving from the traditional classroom to the instructional design. Many postsecondary facultyWeb does not necessarily mean that the physical do not make use of this body of knowledge,classroom disappears. Rather, the Web will likely however. The reason is simple. We have beenbecome the primary place of instruction, and the teaching and learning in the same familiarclassroom will assume a secondary role. Students classroom environment for a long time and havewill go first to the Web for the course launching come to rely on our instincts and tradition ratherand for a guide to the program; they will register than pursue the study of theory and principles. for classes online and will probably purchase and subscribe to class materials online. They will The coming of the Web environment bringsintroduce themselves to their fellow students with it the need for everyone involved in teachingonline, and they may meet their teacher for the and learning to develop more explicit knowledgefirst time online. The classroom will continue to be about designing effective educational experiences,used for the educational events for which it is best because our prior experiences may have notsuited. However, the number of times we use a prepared us for the possibilities in this newclassroom may be reduced, while the number of context.Wearewisetoreexaminethehours we spend in a classroom for each meeting fundamental processes involved in teaching andmay increase. learning. Why Do We Teach the Way We Do? Through a fresh look at how we teach, we can identify a core set of principles for designing and Many faculty in higher education have a great creating effective models of teaching and learningdeal of experience in designing and delivering for the information age. We need these basicinstruction, but they may not have had the time or principles to help us cope with the newlyopportunity to learn about teaching and learning available possibilities. in any formal way. Rather, postsecondary faculty generally come to the teaching experience with a This chapter summarizes the principles fromhigh level of competence in a content area. They three schools of learning theory. Basic tenetsthen learn about teaching and learning through derived from those theories guide the design ofpeer observation, collegial discussion, trial and effective teaching and learning, whether in theerror, and their own educational experiences. classroom or in the new Web environment. TheMost of us as faculty are actually "unconscious principles are then applied to the design ofcompetents" in the area of instructional design. teaching and learning for the Web. We know what to do, but we don't know why. Given the need to support a new environment, it The Web as Gathering Place is important to learn the "why" of what we know.
As the World Wide Web becomes the new Our current classroom paradigm for teaching gathering place for teaching and learning, it may,and learning has many constraints. We have
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adapted to these constraints and accepted them. The ZPD teaching and learning model does Yet the principles of effective learning suggest thatnot really describe the classroom model to which new environments are needed. Consider thewe are accustomed. You might observe that difficulty of holding small group discussions in ateaching and learning with these four critical large lecture hall with immovable seats. Howelementscan happen anywhere,anytime. effective is collaborative work in a computer labLearning happens when a toddler helps another where students cannot see their classmates overbuild a tower of blocks; when parents show the monitors? How interactive can a class of 400teenagers how to barbecue chicken; and when students be in the hour allotted for class? How doadults learn how to use word processors, repair we encourage students to use interactive strategiesmarine engines, or use technology in teaching to learn large amounts of content? These are only aand learning. Teaching and learning occur not few examples of the many challenges associatedonly in the classroom, but also in many places with implementing interactive learning. throughout our lives.
The beauty of the Web is that it provides an This learning model provides a good place entirely new context for teaching and learning. Itto start our quest for the fundamentals of removes the physical and time constraints for learning. Seemingly, the most significant trait of instructors as well as learners. Moving a course to this learning model is the focus on the task to be the Web presents the perfect opportunity to return to the core principles of teaching and learning tocompleted. The core element of any teaching create a new pedagogical model for our practices.and learning experience is the existence of a problem to be solved or task to be performed by Principles for Designing Learning the learner. This challenge focuses and engages the learner and specifies an assessment of the Building a Foundation of Learning learning. If the learner solves the problem or completesthetask,thelearnerknows Pedagogy is the art or science of teaching andsomething new and can then move to another can serve to guide us in rethinking the teachingproblem or task. and learning process for new environments. Pedagogy traditionally builds on the following This view of teaching and learning eases our four core components: shift in thinking about what and where learning can occur and how to design effective learning. The learner Our design task centers on the learning and the learner. The teacher A task to be completed with the help of aStrategies for Instructional Design teacher The knowledge needed to complete the The field of pedagogy includes the principles task ofinstructionaldesignthatspecifythe instructional strategies for teaching and learning. This particular description of the four coreAn instructional strategy is a simple concept: it is components of the teaching and learning processa communication activity used to engage the is from Vygotsky (1962) and his theory of thelearner in a task and to assist the learner in Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Thisacquiring the knowledge necessary to complete sounds elegant and, in fact, it is. It combines thethe task. Instructional strategies include, for basic principle of readiness for learning withexample, lectures, discussions, reading manageablestepsinlearning.Vygotsky'sassignments, panel presentations, study projects, thinking on the ZPD is examined in more detailand tests. later in this chapter. nn - 16 - What We Know About Teaching and Learning
The instructional strategies used to assist 2.Determination of goals and objectives learning generally depend on one or more of three What do I want my students to know? basic modes of dialogue and communication: What do I want my students to be able The dialogue between the instructor and to do? the student What do I want my students to think The dialogue between the student and as a result of the instruction? instructional resources 3.Selection Thedialoguebetweenand among of teaching strategies students of content Scholars have suggested that a rough measure of assessment procedures of a design goal for undergraduate education be a balance of these three dialogues (Pelikan, 1992, p. 4.Evaluation 61). Designing a course of instruction with a by the instructor balance of these three dialogues is important in distance education and in Web environments by the institution (Boettcher, 1995). Although many successful teachers have The opportunities for communication anddeveloped skillsin instructional design by dialogue in an online Web environment are evenosmosis and instinct, several principal schools of greater than they are in the classroom because thelearning theory can validate what we are spatial and physical limitations of the classroomcurrently doing in the classroom and can guide us vanish. Communication in the onlineas we design instruction for the Web. environment can be either synchronous or asynchronous, and may be either one-to-onePrincipal Schools of Learning Theory dialogue, as in e-mail, or one-to-many dialogue, as in broadcast e-mail or Web site communication. The principal schools of learning theory When designingateaching and learningincorporate the fundamentals of learning, and the environment on the Web or in the classroom, thebasic principles of instructional design are principles and processes of instructional designderivedfromthesetheories.Prominent provide a plan to follow. educational theorists in each of the conceptual areas serve as touchstones through the maze of Instructional Design in a Nutshell learning theories.
Chapter 5 provides more detailed information Anyone who has been teaching for any length on the instructional design process. For ourof time has developed a philosophy of teaching purposes now, here is the process of instructionaland learning. This philosophy includes-often design in a nutshell. without the practitioner knowing it-a view of who the student is, what the student brings to the Instructional design is a four-step process: task of learning, and what the student needs to know and do after completing a particular course. 1.Analysis of learner characteristics The principal schools of learning theory can be of the context of the learner examined in the same way. The primary theories inthissectionare behaviorism, of the problem and the accompanyingincluded cognitivism, and constructivism. needed knowledge of instructor variables
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Behaviorism be applied to education, some sort of teaching machine is needed. The machine In behaviorism, the goal of learning is to shape itself, of course, does not teach. It simply alearner'sresponsetoasetofstimuli. brings the student into contact with the Behaviorists believe that the core educational person who composed the material it process accustoms, trains, or conditions a learner presents.Itisa labor-saving device to respond in a certain way, given a certain because it can bring one programmer into stimulus. contact with an indefinite number of students. (Skinner, 1958, p. 97) B.F. Skinner If we extrapolate just a little further, might we The most prominent of the behaviorists is B.F.consider the Web as a teaching machine because Skinner. He believed that a learner would behaveof its ability to bring the student into contact with in a certain way by interacting with a manipulatedthe teacher and other learners? Many good environment. The interactionwiththetutorials and simulations that are now available environmentandthestimuliwithinthecould easily be categorized as teaching machines. environmentcouldcauseanobservableSimulations such as SimCity provide complete behavioral change in a learner. While Skinner isworlds or environments that enable students to most remembered for his focus on the externalinteract with sets of programmed options and stimuli and the ability to train behavior, one of hisconsequences. long-term research goals was to find ways to make the education of children much moreImplications for Teaching and Learning efficient. Under a behaviorist theory of learning, the Key Thoughts teacher defines and controls the instructional environment with which the student interacts. According to Skinner, the external behavior toThe instructor assesses student progress based on be shaped and maintained in education is usuallya demonstration of the target behaviors that the verbal and is brought under the control of bothenvironment is designed to elicit. verbal and nonverbal stimuli. A verbal behavior is acquired when either a verbal or nonverbal In today's teaching and learning stimulus causes the verbal behavior to be readyenvironments, the temptation is strong to dismiss and available. In many respects, a commonbehaviorism because of its focus on external example of this is the set of manners and customscontrol and stimulus. However, many skill that we all need to acquire to be successful in thedevelopment activities can profit from behaviorist full range of daily interactions with others. Whentheory.Basicskillsin math, reading, and people ask, "How are you?" they are issuing alanguage, or any skill whose mastery requires greeting; rarely do they want or expect a healthpractice, can be well suited to behaviorist status report. environments.Skillsthatrequirecomplex integration of muscle memory and cognitive Skinner also envisioned a learning machine toprocessing-like surgery, piloting, or lab work-can serve as the environment for teaching a range ofbenefit from thinking about the importance of verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Heenvironments. Perhaps the best current example acknowledged, however, that such a teachingof teaching and learning environments that machine would be distinct from a teacher. Heincorporate behaviorist thinking are the airplane wrote: simulators used to train pilots. The wealth of tutorial and simulation materials, particularly for If our current knowledge of the acquisition the first two years of undergraduate education, and maintenance of verbal behavior is to could be used in Web courses.
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Instructional Design Principles: Part I Discovery learning was not a random event for Bruner. He endorsed problem solving through A key principle of instructional design is tostructured searching strategies as an integral part review and examine existing materials to see ifof discovery learning. they can be used to achieve stated goals and objectives. The following three key instructionalKey Quote design principles come from the behaviorist theory The first object of any act of learning, over and beyond the pleasure it may give, is Identify the goals and objectives to be that it should serve us in the future. learned. Learning should notonlytakeus Create an environment for learning that somewhere; it should allow us later to go assists the learner in acquiring these goals. further more easily. (Bruner, 1963, p. 17) This new environment includesthe stimulus or task that will engage the The focus of this thought is twofold. Bruner learner. emphasizes that learning should be purposeful, developing skills to serve us in the future. Second, Review, examine, and consider adoptingevery time we learn something new, we add to a or adapting existing materials beforecognitive structure upon which we can build developing new ones. more later; as we build, we are able to learn more and to learn faster. Cognitivism Implications for Teaching and Learning The school of cognitive learning theory centers on the belief that learning occurs when a The primaryimplicationofcognitivist learner processes information. In this theory, thethinking on teaching and learningisthe input, processing, storage, and retrieval ofimportanceofstructuring experiencesthat information are at the heart of learning. Theinvolve the learner as an active participant in the instructor remains the manager of the informationprocess. The more instructional design can input process, but the learner takes an active roleincorporate activities that require deep-level in planning and carrying out his or her ownprocessing, thinking, and manipulating of content learning. Instruction is not simply something thatby the student, the more we increase the is "done to" learners, but also involves learnersprobability that effective learning will occur. In and empowers their internal mental processes. the Web learning environment, this can mean giving students tasks that involve exploring and Jerome Bruner discoveringgoals,finding and organizing material, and synthesizing content. Jerome S. Bruner, a leading representative of the cognitivist school of learning, first espousedLev Vygotsky interactivecognitivedevelopmenttheories. Bruner stressed social interaction as an integral Lev Vygotsky is a prominent cognitivist who part of information processing and was also aintroduced the idea of the Zone of Proximal strong proponent of discovery learning. HeDevelopment (ZPD). In the ZPD, the learner, believed that mastery of the fundamental ideas ofteacher, and content interact with a problem that a field involved not only the grasping of generalrequires resolution. The ZPD represents the principles, but also the development of an attitudedifference between what alearner can do toward learning and inquiry, toward guessing andindividually and what the learner can do with the hunches, toward the possibility of solvinghelp of more experienced people, including other problems on one's own (Bruner, 1963, p. 20).learners, experts in the field, and the instructor. The
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concept of the ZPD also reinforces the importancestudents to customize their learning within that of the principle of readiness, which is often studiedframework. in relation to a child being ready for reading. However, readiness isa prerequisite for theInstructional Design Principles: Part II effective learning of concepts and skills at any age. From the cognitivist theory, two additional Key Quote basic instructional design principles are added:
The Zone of Proximal Development Design coursestoincludeproblem defines those functions (of a learner) that solving, and provide sufficient help and have not yet matured, but are in a process resources to assist the learner in solving of maturation, functions that will mature problems. Structure problem solving in tomorrow butarecurrentlyinan steps so learners can be successful in embryonic state. These functions could be building their own solutions. termed the "buds" or"flowers"of Analyze learner readiness for learning the development rather than the "fruits" of core concepts, principles, and attitudes of a development. The actual developmental course. One traditional way of ensuring level characterizes mental development readiness for learning in higher education is retrospectively,whiletheZoneof by establishing prerequisites for a course. ProximalDevelopmentcharacterizes Other traditional ways of ensuring readiness mental development prospectively. include using skills assessments in math, (Vygotsky, 1978, pp. 86-87) science, and writing courses. In our new information age, testing can be more specific In Vygotsky's description of the ZPD, learning and targeted than it has been in the past. The is depicted as the budding or flowering of a readiness challenge can be addressed either particular knowledge or skill. This description of by admitting only those students who are ZPD also suggests that the window of learning for indeed ready or by building sufficient an individual learner might be a fairly narrow and preparation and support into the course. specific one.This window of learning, or readiness principle, has always been a challengeConstructivism for teachers. Because the lecture method may not ensure that all students are at the appropriate Constructivism is an emerging learning theory readiness point for learning to occur, learningthat is an extension of cognitivism. In this theory, activities may need to be customized to thethe focus is on the learner as someone who individual learner. constructs knowledge for himself or herself. Constructivism is influenced by the principles of Implications for Teaching and Learning information processing theory as developed by Bruner and Vygotsky and by the work of The primary implication for the design ofphilosopher John Dewey and adult learning teaching and learning environments andtheorist Malcolm Knowles. materials from Vygotsky's way of thinking is the importance of providing a range of As in cognitivist theories, the learner in the activities and content for any group of learnersconstructivist learning theory is an interactive so that the learners can customize their ownparticipant in the learning environment; however, learning within a framework of the larger goalsin constructivism the learner is viewed as the and objectives of a course. While all studentscreatorandprocessoroftheeducational will need to master a core set of concepts andexperience. Constructivism emphasizes student- principlesin anyunit,Vygotsky's ZPDto-student interaction as an important component suggests that we also provide ways forof the educational environment. This underscores
- 20 30 What We Know About Teaching and Learning the use of the student-to-student dialoguecharacteristics of effective teaching and learning mentioned above. Another key component of theexperiences.Theinteractioncharacteristic constructivist learning environment is that it ishighlights the importance of the dialogue and learner-controlledorlearner-centered.Thecommunicationunderlyinglearning;the instructor is the manager and facilitator of thecontinuity characteristic emphasizes that the learner-defined environment; the learner is theindividual learner must be viewed as the key builder of knowledge. design element. In other words, we must design instruction so that learners can effectively build John Dewey on what they know so they have the resources and assistance to learn or, in Vygotsky's words, to John Dewey is an American philosopher whonavigate the Zone of Proximal Development. did most of his influential writing and thinking about education in the first half of the 20th century.Malcolm Knowles He emphasized the importance of experience in the teaching and learning environments, and he Malcolm Knowles was among the first to envisioned the role of technology in customizingbring the concept of andragogy, or the study of learning for the individual. Dewey foresaw anadult learning, to the attention of American active and collaborative student experience that,educators. Andragogy assumes that the strategies almost a hundred years later, we finally have theused to teach an adult differ from the strategies tools to implement. used to teach children. From the andragogical perspective, the adult learner is self-directed and Deweyemphasizedtheuniqueanddesirous of a very active learning environment, individualized nature of interaction in theincluding actual experience to the extent possible. learning experience. He believed, as do manyIn adult learning environments, which include all cognitivist theorists, that new knowledge is builtof higher education, the instructor is viewed more upon prior knowledge and that experiences areas a facilitator of the teaching and learning process unique to every learner. Dewey promoted theand less as the sole or primary source of active participation of the learner in defining theinformation. learning environment, and he conceived the instructor as facilitator. Key Quote
Key Thought and Quote Andragogical practice treats the learning- teachingtransactionasthemutual Dewey focused his ideas on the aims of responsibility of learners and teacher. In education: the development of reflective, creative, fact, the teacher's role is redefined as that responsible thought. In his 1933 treatise, Dewey ofa procedural technician,resource said, "We state emphatically that, upon its person, and co-inquirer; more a catalyst intellectualside, education consistsofthe than an instructor, more a guide than a formation of wide-awake, careful, thorough wizard. (Knowles, 1980, p. 48) habits of thinking" (Dewey, 1933/1998, p. 78). Implications for Teaching and Learning This quote captures a primary essence of Dewey's thinking. In this single sentence, Dewey Knowles' philosophy strongly supports the sets forth one of the ultimate goals of education. current move away from a focus on teaching to a new emphasis on learner-centered programs. The Implications for Teaching and Learning entire movement toward active and collaborative learning is supported by the theories of adult A key idea presented in Dewey's work is thatlearning. The philosophy has the following interactionandcontinuityaretwocoreimplications for instructional design:
21 - Chapter Three
Learners participate in setting their own The opportunities for interaction in an online objectives. This encourages active andenvironment are greater simply because time customized learning. limitations and physical constraints do not exist. Student-to-student dialogue taps into theToday's technology can facilitate the three forms current and expanding knowledge of mostof dialogue. Moore and Kearsley's notion of working and professional adults. participation versus presentation nicely sums up the faculty perspective of the new pedagogical The role of the faculty as mentor, manager,model. Moore and Kearsley (1996) state that and facilitator is dominant. The students"interactive teaching is really a mental set that prefer a focus on problem-based learning,requiresteacherstothink about inducing with help as needed. knowledge rather than instilling it,...asking
questions rather than giving answers,...focusing Instructional Design Principles: Part III on student participation rather than the teacher's presentation of information" (p. 133). Today's With the constructivist theory, three additionalideal learning environment engages the learners basic instructional design principles arise: and recognizes them as having the potential to be masters of their own learning. Under this model Design for continuity of learning at thethe instructor becomes mentor to the student, individual level by providing options forserving as content consultant, motivator, and students who are learning core materialcontextual integrator, as well as a leader and and by using well-structured content. manager of the learning experience. Design for interaction. Include a balance of thedialoguesbetweenfacultyand Implementing an interactive pedagogy in the student, student and student, and studentWeb environment enables faculty and students to and learning resources. use their imaginations to move beyond the Design for student goal setting andconstraints of the traditional classroom. It requires decision making. Design a Web learningusing sound instructional design principles that environment that puts the students infocus on the learners' characteristics and the charge and makes them responsible forobjectives of the course. And it also requires learning a set of objectives and skills. creativity to design meaningful experiences in a new context using a broader set of pedagogical Building an Active Learning Environment strategies.
A key component of each of these theories is During a keynote speech at the 14th Annual learner interaction with the learning environment.Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning in Whether responding to stimuli, processing inputMadison, Wisconsin, Elliott Maisie conjectured information, or building knowledgethat perhaps one day learning would "be like air." collaboratively and constructively, the learner isWith the new Web learning paradigm, we can an active participant. Teaching strategies thatcome closer to that reality. Learning no longer has include interaction and collaboration are notto end when the student leaves the classroom or generally the norm in today's higher educationcloses the book. Learning can be a continuous, programs. The traditional and comfortablenatural, lifelong process. pedagogical model of theinstructorasa predominant source of information has hindered the incorporation of interaction beyond dialogue between the instructor and the student.
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CHAPTER 4 ENVISIONING, PLANNING, AND IDENTIFYING RESOURCES
Overview what can be done, how quickly it can be done, with what resources it can be done, and where Web This chapter begins the "how to" section of thecourse models of delivery fit in the institution. book. The first part of this chapter describes a set of decisions that faculty need to make before In addition to planning, this chapter also launching a project to move a course to the Web.provides examples of types of faculty support and Faculty will want to consider these questions: training programs, as well as ways of identifying and estimating resource needs. This is a readiness What kind of Web course do I want tochapter, designed to help you envision how to design and develop? plan for moving teaching and learning to the Web What course or sequence of courses wouldenvironment. This chapter will help you to attract students if offered in the moredetermine if you are ready, if your institution is flexible environment of the Web? ready, and if your college's technical infra- structure is ready for a course on the Web. What tools and resources are needed to support this project? Decision Layer One: Envisioning a Course on the Web In this chapter, we also address questions that department chairs and deans may want to The first step in the preparation phase is the consider: visioning step. What does it mean to have a course on the Web? Ask yourself, "What kind of a Web What resources should all faculty have incourse best suits my students, the content, and my order to support effective use of theteaching experience? What kind of Web course fits Internet and the Web forteaching,the image and context of my institution?" learning, and research? How do I effectively support the first set of The phrase "course on the Web" means Web course projects? something to almost everyone, but it can conjure How muchtimefordesignandup very different images in the minds of development do faculty need? academic decision makers, legislators, college presidents, and deans. If we hear a technically What technical infrastructure needs to beexperienced faculty member, say, "Oh, I put my inplaceatthefacultylevel,the EXE 1401 course on the Web last weekend," what department level, and the college level? does that mean? Some people may expect that all What institutional policies need to be infaculty can do this, and that the entire course is place? on the Web. Often, however, only a few documents, such as a syllabus, bibliography, and Two levels of decision making can help guidecourse calendar are on the Web, and some of us the design and development of a course on themay feel we will need a lifetime to put these few Web. These decisions segment the planning tasksdocuments on the Web! and make the process more manageable. Many times we just want to "get started." Sometimes Managing expectationsisdifficult,but this approach is best, but planning makesconsidering the three major types of Web courses avoiding the potholes easier and helps to createmay help: more reasonable expectations. In fact, that might bethemostimportantoutcomeofthis A Web Course isavailable anywhere, chapter-helping to manage expectations about anytime.
23 Chapter Four
A Web Centric course shifts the focus from Another feature of the complete Web Course is the physical classroom to the Web asthat it makes significant use of Web technology classroom. and Web applications to support the teaching and A Web Enhanced course looks a great deallearning that make up an educational experience. like a campus course but is strengthenedA Web Course uses electronic mail, chat rooms, by use of the Web. bulletin boards, and online conferences to support meaningful dialogue and social communication In addition to these three types of Webbetween and among participants, including courses, Web Presence describes a course thatfaculty and students. The true Web Course also includes Web activity. While not a Web course,uses Web applications to support the use of Web Presence content is very similar to what iselectronicresourcessuch as databases, now included in the traditional printed coursesimulations, current news resources, course book catalog. All four types of courses are described insites, and digital libraries. These tools and the following paragraphs. resources help support discovery learning by individual students and among groups of WebCourse students. The use of all these tools supports the creation of a learning community. A course that is truly and completely a Web Course can be accessed anywhere, anytime Web Courses can be cohort based, involving a via the Internet and a Web browser. The timesgroup of students who stay together through a and places for interaction and communicationseries of courses. Web Courses that are part of a are flexible and generally asynchronous. Thereseries of courses are best if they are cohort based are few, if any synchronous meetings. Anybecause the community and the relationships course today that is fully available on the Webcreated during one course can continue and generally makes use of one of the popular Webdeepen during subsequent courses. browsers, and the course experience begins and ends on the Web. All instructional strategies are Many distance courses design "gathering" planned and executed around the communi-activities into the program to enable students and cationcapabilitiesandcontentresourcesfaculty to bond with each other in a learning available on the Web. community. Communicating with a person may be more comfortable in the digital environment if The primary characteristic of athe participants have met and talked in physical Web Coursethat itisfully available on thespace. The online synchronous and asynchronous Webmeans that the faculty member teaching thecommunication activities support both social and course and the students taking the course canintellectual networking and bonding. On-campus participate from anywhere in the world. This alsograduate programs often use these same social means, generally, that location-based activitiesgathering strategies. For example, many intensive such as class meetings or gatherings at physicalMBA programs have beginning and ending seminars or conferences are not required. weekend socials that include spouses.
Many distance learning programs make useWebCentric Course of a slight variant of the Web Course by focusing on students within a geographic area that A Web Centric course has made the paradigm would enable students to gather for a one- orshift away from the classroom as the primary site two-day event in conjunction with a course. Butof organized instruction. As with Web Courses, the the idea of a globally available Web CourseWeb Centric course experience is likely to begin includes no requirement for students to gatherand end on the Web. The faculty member physically anywhere. introduces the course on the Web and specifies what is to be done and learned, and with what
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resources, through Web communications. TestingWeb Enhanced Course and evaluation can be accomplished with exami- nations,projects,andreports.Likethe A Web Enhanced course, sometimes called a Web Course,the Web Centriccourse makesWeb Lite course, uses the Web to support a significant use of Web technology and Web appli-traditional campus course. Faculty use Web cations to create an online community fortechnology to present the usual course adminis- teaching and learning. trationcomponents such asthesyllabus, bibliography of resources, course and project With the Web Centric course the center ofrequirements, and project consultation. The Web instruction shifts from the classroom to the Web.is used to support the faculty-to-student dialogue However, a Web Centric course may have a seriesand communication, often supplementing office of scheduled synchronous meetings, possibly onhours with e-mail communication and interaction. campus or at a hotel or conference center. To meetThe Web also provides access to content and the needs and convenience of working profes-dynamic resources easily available online. sionals, however, the length, frequency, and the content of the class sessions may be quite different Designing,developing,anddelivering from traditional on-campus courses. Web Enhanced courses can be an evolutionary step for many faculty, removing the dependency Synchronousgatheringactivitiesforaon paper-based and phone-based materials and Web Centric course generally take less than one-on synchronous meetings and communications. A third of the class time. Classes or meetings of aWeb Enhanced course can help faculty members Web Centric course may total between 16 and 24migrate from a dependency on a lecture mode of hours. This contrasts with the typical 45 hours ofcontent presentation toward more interactive and meetings, usually held in one to three hourcollaborative learning. It can be an evolutionary weekly sessions over a 15-week semester. Astep away from the current classroom-centric Web Centric course may have one to threemodel and toward a Web Centric course. This can meetings, but each meeting may be five, six, orbe an effective change strategy for both faculty eight hours long. Class time is concentrated,and administrators. Moving to a Web Enhanced reducing the number of times students mustcourse provides a transition step from traditional gather in a physical space. models of classroom learning to the newer models of information age learning. If this transition is Web Centric courses can also be cohort-based,done over time and with good infrastructure and can benefit from being so, but since theysupport, it can make the paradigm shift less costly. include more physical meetings, the cohort is notThis is a good strategy if time and planning are as critical a design factor. Web Centric courses mayavailable to support it. seem to be available only within a fairly limited geographic area, but this is not necessarily the If faculty members want to experiment with case. Working adults will often travel farther if atechnology, the best choiceisprobably a particular program is available in a format thatWeb Enhanced course. Moving to a Web Enhanced requires less frequent travel. Web Centric coursescourse is an attractive, low-cost strategy, but it is may include use of other gathering events such asonly"almostfree"fromaninstitutional intensive location-based launching activities,perspective if this strategy is used by technolog- weekend seminars, and celebratory events.ically savvy and experienced faculty with Depending on the frequency and length of classdepartmental resources behind the project. For meetings, Web Centric courses can look a greatmost faculty, deciding to develop a Web Enhanced deal like regular campus residency courses withcourse requires a realistic look at the time and the heavy reliance on Web technology and tools. resources needed to use this strategy effectively.
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Web Presence indicated that about 6 percent of the university's humanities courses and 20 percent of science Developing a Web Presence for a course iscourses had course Web sites. Although 6 percent much like creating a flyer or a brochure about ais low, 20 percent exceeds the normal acceptance course or creating the description that might gopoint of the adoption of new innovations. into a college catalog. Some schools require that all course descriptions be available on the Web;Envisioning the Outcome: One Course, a Series of such descriptions often include information aboutCourses, or a Degree Program? the course, instructor, requirements, and prereq- uisites for the course. When we look at some of the recommended time requirements and resources for building A 1997 initiative at UCLA promoted thecourses on the Web, we become more aware that project goal of "a Web page for every under-faculty time, skill, and effort represent a serious graduate course" in the College of Letters andcommitment of resources fora college or Science (Young, 1997, p. A21). Affecting aboutuniversity. Thus, it is wise to plan for the directed 3,000 courses, this effort acknowledged theuse of these institutional resources toward courses growing importance of the Web in instruction.that are part of a larger goal. If the course is to be UCLA officials believed that they were the first topart of a collegewide effort, the choice of a make Web pages mandatory across an entireWeb Course, Web Centric, or Web Enhanced course curriculum. project will be part of a much larger planning process. At UCLA, faculty choice about when to adopt this new technology disappeared; faculty needed In Decision Layer One, a faculty member to adapt to this requirement immediately. UCLAneeds to ask questions about the larger context for supported the faculty by hiring 60 to80the planned Web course. Is this course on the Web technology consultants, most of them students, togoing to be an isolated pilot project, or is it construct Web pages and teach professors how toenvisioned as part of a larger department or use them. Also, the faculty and their consultantscollege program offering? For example, will the used a Web course management template,course be part of a certificate program that WebCT, to create a Web Presence using the basicstudents will want to access away from the information about a course such as meeting time,campus in a flexible way? Or will it be part of a course description, and syllabus. redesigned core sequence of courses mostly for campus-based students? Will the new plan Faculty received additional help from aninclude delivery to a large percentage of off- annotated collection of links to Web sites withcampus students within a two-, three-,or related content. Over time, faculty are also beingfour-year window? encouraged to add readings, slides, audio and video clips, links to related Web sites, and other The type of Web course that faculty will resourcesthat will help their students. Adevelop, if well funded, will be determined by discussion area appears on every Web site, lettingfactors much larger than an individual faculty students chat with each other and with theirmembers' preferenceor,indeed, individual professors. With these additions, Web sites start tofaculty readiness. The faculty in the program, the look more like Web Enhanced courses. Moreavailable resources, and the overall program and information about this program is available on thecollege goals will influence decisions about the university's Web site, www.college.ucla.edu. course.
Another significant point about this initiative A program goal might be updating courses is that relatively few UCLA faculty had previouslythat form a concentration within an existing created Web pages for their courses. Estimatesdegree program or offering a new certificate
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Worksheet for Planning and Envisioning Courses on the Web: Decision Layer One
Name: Date: Discipline Focus: Department: Institution: Scenario: You are a faculty member interested in moving forward with the use of technology in designing and developing courses that make significant and effective use of the Web. Answer these questions as a way of recording what you think you would like to do with one or more of your courses.
1. Record the course or courses here: 2. If these courses are going to be part of a larger set of courses or a program, record the name and size of the program here. Name of program Number of credits/courses
3. What type of course on the Web do you envision? WebCourse: Fully available anywhere WebEnhanced: Enhanced campus course WebCentric:Central focus of the course WebPresence: Provide is on the Web; flexible, fewer information about the synchronous meetings course on the Web
4. Where does this effort to put a course on the Web fit within your department's plans? A single pilot course Part of an undergraduate major Part of a certificate program (3 to 5 courses) or minor (5 to 7 courses) Part of a graduate degree concentration Part of a full master's degree (3 to 5 courses) program (10 to 16 courses)
5. Where will the students be? How often will they be there? Will the students be on campus regularly? Will the students be within a Will students meet synchronously in the single time zone? same physical location for 16 or more Will the students be across hours? multiple time zones? Will campus facilities be needed to support this class? If so, identify them:
6. Who are the students? Why do they want this program? What do you know about these students? Do they all have easy access to the technology? Working professionals who want to This is what you know about these students. upgrade skills Working professionals dependent on a new certification requirement Lifelong learners
- 27 - 3 I Chapter Four
program for upgrading skills of working profes-institution's mission, faculty, and students. The sionals. Web Course or Web Centric certificationDecision Layer One worksheet is designed to programs might be an excellent fit for studentsassist faculty in determining the kind of Web who are employed but need to update or enhancecourses to build. their skills. Once this level of initial planning is complete, Beyond the Course Level itis time to move to Decision Layer Two.
Just as faculty need to think about the largerDecision Layer Two: Envisioning the Process context of degree programs, program leaders, department chairs, and deans also need to think Planning the movement of a course to the Web about the larger context of the mission and imagealso requires thinking about at least five other areas of their institutions. Many colleges are creatingof readiness, planning, and resources. These areas, distance learning program committees to examineDecision Layer Two, cluster around five topics: their options for distance learning. Faculty readiness Ideally, decisions about moving courses to the Design and development time Web should be made in the context of the mission Types of faculty support of an institution and its goals for the next 5 to 10 years. While institutions often plan for physical Infrastructure support infrastructure 10 and 20 years in the future, Mission and policy readiness curricular and academic program planning also need to be refreshed continuously. This planning In examining these areas more closely, we should allow for flexibility to deal with opportu-identify decisions that are needed about each of nities that can enhance the institution academically.these items and determine a readiness level for the The programs that are offered externally in ajourney to the Web. Although everything need not community and in a field reflect on the image andbe absolutely ready before starting the journey, mission of the institution. Therefore, decisionsthinking about these areas helps us discover where about external outreach programs need to betrouble spots might be and helps ensure that we are carefully planned and developed. open to opportunities for addressing weak spots.
Another important question also concernsFaculty Readiness students. One of the most common questions from students about courses on the Web is, "Is the Moving courses to the Web requires a set of entire program of study-such as a master'sskills and resources on the part of the faculty degree, a baccalaureate degree, an associatemember. The types of skills needed by the faculty degree, or a certification-available on the Web at amemberfallinto two largecategories:a distance?" Students who are place-bound areknowledge of technology tools and a knowledge particularly concerned with the availability of theof the teaching and learning process. entire program of study at a distance. They want The basic types of technology skills that a to ensure that they can complete all componentsfaculty member needs are listed below. of each of the courses from a distance, and that no location requirements are made in any part of the Knowledge of and competency in the basic program. productivity suite of software: word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation The two decisions about "What kind of Web tools. Database knowledge is a plus, but course?" and "Is this course part of a larger goal?" not required for the first year or so. are very interdependent. A seemingly simple Knowledge of and competency in the basic question becomes one that could impact the uses of a Web browser such as Netscape
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Navigator or Internet Explorer. This Hands-on, half- or one-day programs in includes knowledge and use of the search the specific use of the various tools is a engines and the ability to find and very cost-effective and efficient way to evaluate information on the Web. learn. Knowledge of and competency in the use Brown bag lunches are good for sharing of e-mail applications and their own stories. If designed carefully, these lunch e-mail communication system. gatherings can also be good fora Knowledge of and competency in building structured set ofskills. One college and maintaining course Web sites. This scheduled a series of brown bag events skill is less common among faculty now, and invited speakers and trainers for but the new Web course management tools groups of fifteen faculty members on andthecapabilitieswithinword various skills and topics. processing and presentation software Preconference sessions at most higher packages to save text as HTML files will education conferences offer good opportu- make this skill easier to acquire. nities for integrated learning in technology and instruction or for straightforward To develop these skills, faculty must have technology introductions. their own personal technology tools. We used to Tutorials that accompany many software say that faculty needed their own technology on packages are remarkably effective. their desktop; however, because faculty are Othercomputer-basedtutorialsand mobile information age professionals and videotapes are effective and portable. consultants rather than stationary professionals, we now favor faculty members owning their own portable laptops or mobile technology.Design and Development Time Whileinitialcostsforfacultyportable computing may look high, the cost reduction Once the decision is made about the type of Web course to be developed, the next question comes in eliminating duplicated equipment andinvolves the amount of time a faculty member software in classrooms, offices, and libraries.needs to redesign the course for this mode of Focusing on one good portable machine for each faculty member can also provide a significantdelivery. Another question concerns other types of necessary resources and support. As might be productivity boost as the tools can be availableexpected, few hard and fast rules dictate the anytime, anywhere. amount of time and resources necessary for Faculty need help and support in learningdeveloping a Web course. new technology skills. The opportunity for Budgeting and planning for these steps is increasing faculty knowledge about technologyparticularly difficult within the context of our also provides the chance to initiate a rethinking of the teaching and learning processes and thecurrent academic structures. When a faculty application of this knowledge tothe newmember is given the task of teaching a campus paradigm. Faculty programs thatintegratecourse, that faculty member is responsible for all technology skills with fundamental communi-phases of the course: design, development, recruitment, and delivery. Often, these tasks are cation and discovery processes of teaching and done within the time frame of one semester. learning are generally very well received. Faculty can learn these skills through a variety of training With Web course development we need to and support opportunities: "unbundle" the time for design and development from the delivery of the course, particularly if the as One-day programs can be held course or series of courses will be marketed to a collegewide or small regional events.cohort of students and delivered by a faculty
- 29 - Chapter Four
member other than the designing faculty member. These reactions should not be surprising, but The only exception to this is the Web Enhancedthe cost consequences are problematic. If we course. Because that course is an enhancedmultiply 18 hours times the current 45 hours of in- version of an existing course for on-campusclassroom lecture and discussion time, we have an students, some of the tasks of moving it to theinvestment of 810 hours to design and develop a Web can continue to be bundled with the usualWeb Course that can be delivered without the course responsibilities. There is one big caveat,presence of the designing faculty member. And however; time and resources are always needed tothis only represents the time of the faculty assist faculty in this process. member. If we assume some time for startup with learning technology and instruction in teaching To arriveatreasonable time and costand learning in this new environment, plus estimates, consider the distance learning programarranging for any copyright and other issues, we model of design and development. Many of thecan rapidly approach the 1,000-hour mark for distance learning programs offered before thedeveloping a Web Course. Internet became widely available were able to reduce costs by taking highly paid, highly expert Although release time varies among insti- research faculty out of the delivery phase of thetutions, the average amount of release time in a program. semester is about 198 hours. This figure assumes a 15-week teaching semester with a week before Forexample,duringthedesignandand two weeks after for a total of 18 weeks, development phase of the U.K.'s Open Universityaveraging about 11 hours per week working on distance learning model, faculty experts arethe course. Using these figures, the resulting 198 responsible for preparing and packaging coursehours of faculty time spent on developing a three- content. When a student registers for a course, thecredit course represents 25 percent or less of the full package of materials is sent to the student; thefaculty time needed to create a Web Course. cost of course materials is usually included in tuition fees. The student completes the course Faculty have reported working 60 to 80 hours experience by interacting with the materials anda week while moving a course from the classroom with a tutor or facilitator who specializes into the Web. These faculty members are usually course delivery. While a tutor is delivering themotivatedbyinterest,enthusiasm,and course, the faculty expert is often developing adedication. In addition, the materials being new course or updating the materials of anproduced are not generally being used by other existing course. faculty so the designing and developing faculty member is still part of the academic delivery Based on much anecdotal evidence, plus realprocess. This suggests that the bundled strategy experience over the last 10 to 15 years of buildingcan work at some level as a way of making computer-based material, we can say with somepossible our journey to the Web. This makes the level of certainty that creating one hour of Webprocess more affordable, but it results in little instruction takes an average of about 18 hours ofsignificantproductivitygainsforhigher faculty time. This time is needed to ensure that theeducation since very little is being changed. instruction is structured and developed to be delivered independently of the designing faculty Thisratioof18 hoursof Web Course member, but the ratio can quickly produce adevelopment for every hour of instruction is negativereaction on thepartoffaculty,supported by research on the design and department chairs, and deans. Faculty who havedevelopment of distance learning programs and done this kind of work either nod sagely, havingthe development of computer-based programs. known this all along, or nod vigorously as if toUsing estimates from research done by J.J. say, "that's about right." Sparkes in 1984, Rumble (1997) shows estimates of the hours of academic effort required to produce
- 30 Envisioning, Planning, and Identifying Resources
one hour of student learning indifferent mediatime to implement them. In essence, faculty must forms (p. 79). See Table 4.1. develop new habits.
Table 4.1. Academic Work to Produce One Hour Learning via the Web with technology tools is of Student Learning also new to students, and their questions, problems, and habits may require more time from Media Hours of Academic Effort faculty members. Obviously, as both faculty and Lecturing 2-10 students develop experience with new tools, some Small group teaching 3-10 of these questions will go away. However, we can Teaching textbook 50-100* expect more tools to be introduced in the future. Broadcast television 100* Computer-aided learning 200* A faculty member's transition from classroom- Interactive video or CD 300* based courses to WebEnhanced courses can be *Requires support staff as well supported in several ways. Time and resources for the WebCentric and the full WebCourse will be greater,butthefollowing Notethat the number of hours listed as theproportionally amount of academic work to produce materials forsuggestions apply to all Web-based courses. one hour of student learning refers to faculty time required. The amount of time for support staff to Provide a semester of release time as a assist in the materials development is not included minimum. Two semesters of release time in these figures. The data suggest that if faculty are over the course of a year is even better. Or, going to be successful in moving courses to the consider dedicating a full summer plus a Web, we need to look at how to support their effort. semester of release time. Provide time for training and learning. Types of Faculty Support: Time, People, and This can be one to two weeks of concen- Technology trated time in the summer, or a semester of release time solely for the purpose of The types of support faculty need for doing learning a subset of skills, such as basic this work fall into two broad categories: time and productivity tools. technical expertise. Providesupportforchangingthe curriculum if necessary to use some of the The most critical success factor is time. If faculty new book sites now available. members and department chairs truly expect to Providefundsforhiringcontent have Web courses, then faculty members need time researchers who work withfaculty to make this change. Part of this involves the time members to identify and review quality needed to learn new tools. Time is also required to learning materials on the Web. Students review new sources of content for a course. The who have either taken the course or are Web is a rich source of content for almost every discipline, but just as a faculty members must majoring in the discipline can be excellent review textbooks and journals for appropriate content researchers. course content, they also need to review a portionof Provide training in new Web course the available sources of digital content for a course. management tools that can smooth the process of the first Web course experience. Faculty members also need time to learn new These tools are not perfect yet, but a Web technology and to change their ways of thoughtfullyselected Web course conducting the academic work of teaching and management tool can be used by everyone learning. Incorporating new methods requires for at least the first set of Web courses. time to learn the tools, time to apply them, and 31 41 Chapter Four
Worksheet for Planning and Envisioning Courseson the Web: Decision Layer Two Scenario: You are a faculty member preparing.a plan tomove a course to the Web. You are planning to do this more or less on your own time, butyou need to have some support in the area of technology resources. Answer these questions as a way of identifying theresources that are essential to you. Access to Tools and Support During the Design and Developmentof a Course 1. What is the state of your own desktopor laptop technology? Is it satisfactory? Do you need a new computer? Are your storage solutions appropriate? Doyou need to update your software? Do you need specialized discipline software? Doyou have access to printers, scanners, and cameras? Do you need them? Do you haveaccess to e-mail away from campus and at home?
List below the items and the cost ofresources you need during the design and development stage of moving your course to the Web.
Access to Tools and Support During the Delivery ofa Course 2. List items you think you will need during the deliverystage of your course, including such items as a stable, reliable Web server and Websupport in case of difficulties.
3. List the training resources and timeyou will need to become technologically knowledgeable.
4. What other types of supportare important to you? Prioritize and quantify the following items. Note that this support is highly variable and dependson the type of Web course you are planning. Time Amount of time Content researcher Amount of time Web support/Webmaster Amount of time Web developer/graphics Amount of time Instructional designer Amount of time Editor, writer Amount of time 5. It is important to develop a plan for whatyou will do and when you will do it. Start of planning Date Plan complete Date Start of design Date Design complete Date Start of development Date Development complete Date Semester of first delivery Date
6. When you are finished, what will the result look like?Be specific here about content of the Web site and the general overall resources used by the student.Would another faculty member be able to deliver this course?
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Assign Web support personnel to helptrative support, but doing so takes time. Some of faculty with the initial work of using thethe vendors for course management templates Web for teaching and learning. offer free experimental Web servers for faculty, and support from technical staff on campus can be In addition to these categories of time andhelpful in selecting an appropriate vendor. people support, Web courses require infra- structure and technology support. Mission and Policy Readiness
Infrastructure Support Since moving teaching and learning to a new environmentconsumestime,talent,and Before beginning a project for moving a courseresources, the full support of the institution is to the Web for delivery, the faculty member musthelpful. Faculty who are willing to experiment have support from the administration of theand work in these new environments, and who department or college. The Web isa neware interested in helping to define and evolve environment for teaching and learning. Just as ourthese new environments, should have the explicit current teaching and learning tools of books,support of colleagues, chairs, and deans. classrooms, testing, and grading have supportive infrastructures, the new environment of the Web for core teaching and learning processes alsoMajor Constraining Factors requires support and integration into the adminis- trative processes of a department or college. The major constraining factors for most faculty interested in moving to these environments are a Commonsupportstructuresforthelack of time, technical assistance, and moral Web Enhanced programs include Web coursesupport. Academic administrators are constrained management templates, Webmasters, Webservers,by the need for planning, vision, and additional student access programs, and training. In additionfaculty expertise. Teaching and learning take time, to these support structures, Web Centric coursesand the current faculty workload supporting the need support for flexible meeting arrangementstraditional paradigm is fully booked. and facilities and for other media access such as library materials. Common support structures for We are seeing, and will continue to see, many the Web Course programs include structures foralternative modes of teaching and learning marketing,recruiting,counseling,studentemerge to meet learners' needs. We must advising, library support, and media support. reconfigure teaching and learning strategies to take advantage of the new paradigm and to Faculty may decide to offer a course on thesupport faculty in the process. Web without significant infrastructure or adminis-
43 - 33 - Instructional Design Guidelines for Moving Courses to the Web
CHAPTER 5 INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR MOVING COURSES TO THE WEB Overview at in a number of ways. For design purposes, we can approach it from the perspective of student This chapter is the design chapter of the book.time or student competency. Another way of If a faculty member is going to design a course forlooking at the three-credit course is from the faculty the Web, what will it look like? How will it beviewpoint. How much time does it take to design, similar to a traditional on-campus course? Howdevelop, and deliver a three-credit course? will it differ from a traditional on-campus course? What will it have in common with traditional From the administrative viewpoint, the distance learning courses? How will it differ fromquestion becomes one of managing space and distance learning courses? resources for a three-credit course in return for the amount of tuition that is generated. On an Guidelines for designing courses for the Webinstitutional level, the question might be how any helptoensurethat,as we changethesingle three-credit course contributes to the environment for teaching and learning, wedevelopment and maintenance of a quality design quality into the new environment. Weinstitutional image. want to make certain that the Web environment is designed with sound instructional methodology A three-credit course typically requires 135 and strategies. hours of student time. On-campus courses generally meet three hours a week for 15 weeks, The chapter begins by analyzing the structurefor a total of 45 hours of contact time. In addition, oftraditionalcourses.Wedescribethestudents are expected to spend a certain amount expectations for time and workload on the part ofof time working on the course outside of class. facultyandstudentsand,giventheseWe have been asking faculty and higher expectations, what the learning outcomes willeducation administrators about this practice for look like. the last ten years or so, and the most common belief is that students devote two hours outside Another important design element for Webof class for every hour in class. This 90 hours of courses is the amount of "face time" or "seat time"study time can be accomplished in either expected of students. Web courses that rely less onindividual or group study and using a variety of classroom meetings may run counter to statecontent resources. requirements and curriculum policies. Strategies for interpreting and changing these requirements As we begin designing courses for more flexible are also suggested. environments, designing from a time perspective can provide a point of constancy and assurance that Finally, a major section of the chapter iswe are not changing things too dramatically. devoted to the process of instructional design itself. This section contains a list of ten simple guidelines In traditional distance learning course models, for designing and developing courses that wethe decreased focus on time expectations is envision as "An Instructional Designer in a Box." countered by a greater focus on competency, or whether or not students achieve a stated set of What Is an On-Campus Course? goals and objectives. Many faculty in traditional on-campus courses protest that their courses are The core unit of academic planning fornot based solely on time expectations, but also administrators, faculty, and students is the three-require competency as demonstrated through credit course. The three-credit course can be lookedassessment and observations.
35 44 Chapter Five
Two perspectives for course design are worthDesigning a Course from the Student Time examining in more depth. Given the difficulty ofPerspective providing objective measures of achievement for allcourses,manystateregulationsand If we apply this analysis to a practical accreditation models specify a certain number ofsituation, we can imagine how a course on the required"contact hours"forathree-creditWeb might look if we segment it into the expected course components of a traditional on-campus undergraduate course. The time-based model does course (see Table 5.1). have a certain amount of validity because we know that learning requires time, but regulations basedTable 5.1. Example of On-Campus Course on time rather than student competency contributeComponents: Student Time-Based View to outcomes only indirectly and superficially. Hours Activity When we know the desired outcomes of education, and when we can measure those 30 Time for reading and study outcomes, we are better prepared to require that assignments in books, journals, individuals pass competency tests. However, and other resources. when the desired learning outcomes are a set of 30 Primary focus is the faculty-to- complex cognitive, behavioral, and attitudinal student dialogue, often described learning, we have traditionally relied on a time- as "lecturing" or faculty-led dialogue. based model of education with competency exams at regular intervals. 30 Primary focus is an individual (or group) paper or project assignment. Given the difficulties of assessment and accountability in highereducationand 30 Time devoted to testing and professional arenas, we often rely on a time-based assessment and studying for testing. experience coupled with a competency-based 15 Time required for general demonstration such as a licensing exam. In other administrative and management tasks. fields, we combine a time-based experience with a set of products, such as a series of innovative 135 Total number of hours fora research projects or a portfolio of art or writings. three-credit course.
This analysis points to a need for the redesign As we look at the types of dialogue and activity of on-campus and Web courses. We need to designthat make up a course, we see that most hours in an instruction with the knowledge that while timeon-campus course are spent outside the classroom. for learning is necessary, time alone is notIn fact, in the preceding analysis, 45 of 135 hours sufficient to ensure success. We also need toare contact time, leaving 90 hours, or two-thirds of design instruction in such a way that we ensure atraditional campus courses, as distance learning, if focus on the more important goals of learning. Wewe define distance learning as time a student is need to design instruction by specifying a body oflearning outside the presence of the faculty knowledge, skills, and beliefs that students are tomember. Viewed this way, distance learning only learn in the specified period of time. becomes a matter of varying percentages and is not so different from what we do now.
As we move to designing courses for the Web, The one traditional activity that may be difficult a viable approach is to combine a time-basedto envision immediately on the Web is the faculty- model with a competency-based model. to-student dialogue known as the faculty lecture.
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The lecture has been under review in the recent pastmethod for the Web environment and how learning as we search for datathat support and validateis best accomplished through a Web-based lecture. lecturing as an effective learning strategyfor students. The pedagogical research that encourages The view of the Web course from the active rather than passive learning indicates that weperspective of student time changes primarily in may need to find ways to increasestudent mentalthe amount of time devoted to independent activity during the lecture time. This active learninginquiry, group study and inquiry, the types of movement suggests that lecturing may be effectiveassessment used, and the amount of time spent part of the time, but that we need to linkfacultyinteracting with other students and faculty. Table talking to student learning more consistently. 5.2 outlines student time use for a Web course.
As the Web develops, a myriad of applications As described earlier, the core processes of supporting differenttypesof dialogue andteaching and learning are the communication communication are emerging. One category of toolbetween faculty and students, among students, is presentation software, the tool closest to theand between the students and an assorted set of lecture strategy. The most recent releases ofcontent resources. Table 5.3 illustrates how aWeb presentation software packages have made puttingcourse might be analyzed fromthe perspective of presentationslidesontheWebaverythe amount and type of dialogue. From a design straightforward process. New improvements allowperspective, all three dialogues are important, and audio of the faculty member in the form of, fora balance of these types ofdialogues can contribute example, a voice-over. New e-mail packages haveto effective and delightful learning experiences. voice applications that allow users to send audio e- mail messages, either as stand-alone messages or as Note that like other courses, Web courses do complements to written messages. The next wavenot need to be perfectly balanced by dialogue of improvements in this category transmit video oftypes. Many factors affect the design of a course. the faculty member as well. Questions related toThe delivery environment of a course can dictate these developments ask if the lecture is a goodsignificant variation in how and when the
Table 5.2. Example of Web Course Components:Student Time-Based View
Hours Activity
40 Reading and study assignments in books, journals, andother digital resources on the Web. .
20 Primary strategy is the faculty-to-student dialogue, oftendescribed as "lecturing" or faculty-led dialogue. The tools that can be used are a mix ofasynchronous online seminars with faculty, computer-enhanced presentations, facultyinteraction with small groups of students, and student activities guided by faculty.
30 Primary strategy is an individual (or group) paper or projectassignment.
30 Time devoted to testing, assessment, and studying for testing.This is done via self-check tests and participation in online seminars andconferences. Final evaluation can be via projects or proctored testing.
15 Time required for general administrative and managementtastks. t 135 Total number of hours for a three-credit course.
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Table 5.3. Example of Web Course Components:Dialogue Focus
Faculty Student Student Total Type of Dialogue to to to Hours Student StudentResources Hours Hours Hours
Synchronous dialogue in various sizegroups. The tools used 20 20 NA 40 can be chat rooms, telephone conversations, small group meetings online or in physical places, studygroups, etc.
Asynchronous dialogue in various size groups. This includes 25 35 0 60 e-mail and online seminars.
Individual dialogue (study) with contentresources. NA NA 35 35 Total hours 45 55 35 135 dialogue types are used; in this environment,ahours of study. For every body of defined faculty member may have limited controlover theknowledge, a set of core concepts and principles structuring of the dialogue. need to be learned. These core conceptsare the building blocks of knowledge. This isvery consistent Today, a common goal of planningcampus orwith the constructivist theory of learning. The Web courses is achieving a community of learners. The goals and objectives of foundation of knowledge has to be built inan area a course can besince some concepts are essential to understanding achieved in a variety of ways,so the design of a a course is often based on faculty preferences andmultitude of other related concepts. Oneway to experiences with the content and students.think about the course content from this building Certain activities, such as group projects,canblock perspective is to think of the contentas residing require individuals who are typically fiercelyin three concentric circles (see Figure 5.1). independent learners to interact witha group. Many of the other dialogue preferencesare in the The first circle holds the essential concepts hands of the students, and rightfullyso. This is athat form the stable core of a field of knowledge. good way to accommodate individual differences.For students to learn these core concepts and principles, they need to think actively about, Additionally, the very nature ofa Web coursemanipulate, or use these concepts insome way. will shift the balance toward student-to-studentThis is also the layer in which studentsmust dialogue and to asynchronous dialogue. The toolsmemorize, repeat, rehearse, andprocess deeply. for asynchronous dialogueare much more advanced and readily available than the tools for The next circle of knowledge is the first synchronous dialogue, although we shouldn'tapplication layer of the discipline. At this level of forget about the effectiveness of "old" technologyknowledge, learning begins to be applied in such as the telephone and physical meetings forsimulated scenarios. To integrate this layer of courses that are campus based. knowledge, students actively build and create their Designing a Course from the Content own networks of knowledge, linking concepts and Perspective principles to existing knowledge. This application level, for example, might be the first math problems From a content perspective, consider the types ofthat a child solves: simple, straightforward, and content goals and objectives that make up the 135easily solved by application ofa basic rule or
- 38 - z17 Instructional Design Guidelines for Moving Courses to the Web
Figure 5.1. Content Design Model preparing and identifying content resources to support Web learning. Rather than thinking only of building a rich environment to support one course, we in the higher education community might do well to pursue developing large comprehensive databases of resources that can support a set of related three-credit courses. New resources, such as online biology,chemistry, and math resource databases, might support both introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses. A comprehensive geography project might support general education students and majors, all with much of the same overlapping materials. Online reference materials, CDs, and databases, in addition to books, are needed for learning the basic concepts in all disciplines. Comprehensive, multilayered disciplinary and interdisciplinary databases could support many levels of content interaction and application. theorem. At this level, students can solve problems Students often need realistic scenarios and by following procedures and known formulae. Itsituations to develop complex problem-solving can also be compared to the skillsdeveloped byskills. In many areas, this means costly simulations; following directions in a strange city. The strangerin other cases, we need learning that will include accomplishes the goal of getting from point A tointernshipsaddressingrealproblems.These point B, but can't necessarily retrace his or her steps,educational needs may coincide with societal needs serve as a guide for someone else, or go from pointfor additional skilled resources to solve real B to any other point. This is also referred to as aproblems. The conservatory approach to learning novice stage of knowing. has been a grand tradition in the arts; we now are at a point where we may want to incorporateregular The third circle depicts a student's active useinternships and conservatories in other fields as well. of the core concepts and principles to solve problems of increasing depth and complexity in a Course Hours: The Content Perspective selected area. At this level of knowledge, students often can and should customize their own Table 5.4 illustrates the approximate number learning and pursue their own paths of inquiry, often using materials of their own choosing. of hours in a course that might be devoted to the three levels of knowledge in a field: core concepts, The core concepts and principles of even astructuredapplications,andunstructured stable field of knowledge can change rapidly incomplex applications. our information age. We need to plan the content of our courses to allow for dynamic content Table 5.5 on the design of a Web course provides changes. This is an area where the resources anda look at the number of hours thatmight be needed the dynamic nature of the Web can be invaluable.to develop learning materials for a Web course. This table shows two types of Web courses and can help Thinking Outside the Three-Credit Courseprovide a basis for planning the amount of Boundaries resources, time, and support neededfor moving a The need is emerging to think outside thecourse to the Web. One type is a WebCourse which boundaries of a three-credit course when we areredistributes the 45 hours usually spent in class
39 - 48 Chapter Five
meetings into 15 hours dedicated to generaltraditional campus-basedcourse refers to the 45 administration and testing and 30 hours of plannedcontact hours. The other 90 hours are usually interaction in the Web environment. The 30 hours ofalready in place, another goodreason to focus on Web interaction and instruction need to be plannedtaking existing instruction to the Web before and developed carefully to promote the interactiondesigning totally new courses for the Web. that will build and nurture a community of learners. Instructional Design: What Is It? Table 5.4. Example of a Web Course: Content View With a move toward wide-scaleuse of interactive strategies and materials in higher Hours Type of Content education, and the offering of courses in virtual space and time, instructional design becomes 45 Core concepts and principles. Stable, more critical to ensure quality of outcomes. predictable content focus. However, the meaning of instructional design is not well known. Simply, instructional design is 45 Structured practice and manipulation the process of designing the environment, of core concepts and principles in methods, and resources for effective learning of discussions, exercises. Initial problem specified goals and objectives by students. solving. Check tests, weekly summaries. Content in this area can be As westartmoving fromtraditional dynamic and unpredictable as students environments of the classroom to the Web, attempt to integrate it into existing instructional design is critical. We have literally knowledge base. hundreds of years of tradition to support much of what we do in our campus-based 30 High-level problem solving or projects; courses. As we content can be customized to student move to new environments, we need to refresh interest. Applications to current ourselves on the principles of learning, teaching, problems. and instructional design. We knowmore about how students learn now than we did hundreds of 15 General administration. years ago, and the Web environment gives us an 3 .opportunitytodesignanew,usingthis 135 Total number of hours for a three-credit knowledge. This can be a very exciting time. course. An Instructional Designer in a Box
The Web Centriccourseexampleonly Fortunately, most faculty who enjoy teaching redistributes 30 of the 45 hours usually spent inand seeing their students succeed readily embrace class meetings: 15 hours to general administrationinstructional design principles. In instructional and testing and 15 hours to planned interaction indesign, three core questions (see Fig. 5.2)must be the Web environment. The number of hours ofanswered before designing any instruction: teaching and learning that a faculty member needs Who are my students? to redesign can be significantly lower, as littleas 15 What do I want my students to know, to hours, to take advantage of the interaction feel, or to be able to do as a result of this environments and the resources availableon the course or experience? Web. The hours, interactions, andresources can be allocated to the desired objectives of Where, when, and with whatresources a given course will my students be learning? in an almost infinite variety of ways. After these questions are answered,an In planning, consider that the real number ofinstructional designer or faculty memberanswers hours that need to be shifted or redesigned foraadditional questions:
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Table 5.5. Example of a WebCourse and a WebCentric Course: Materials Design and Development View
Web- Web- Course Centric Faculty Work Type of Content Course
60 hours 60 hours Review and identify Course materials that a student is to purchase materials to be distributed or have access to through a license or to students and prepare subscription. assignments.
30 hours 30 hours Prepare directed activities Course materials that a student is to search, for students. depending on customization and personal choice.
Note: The sections above are for the 90 hours generally dedicated to "Study timeoutside of class time." They can be the same for campus courses and for Web courses of all types. For Web courses, more resourceswill be available from the Internet/Web.
30 hours 15 hours Prepare materials for the Course materials that a faculty member will Web that direct students' "lecture, teach, direct, or prepare" as custom experience and content materials for the course. learning.
0 hours 15 hours Prepare materials for Course materials that a faculty member will synchronous meeting times "lecture, teach, direct, or prepare" as custom and lectures. These materialsmaterials for the course. may already be developed for a WebCentric course.
0 hours 0 hours Dynamic response to Course materials that a faculty member will students' needs and interests"lecture, teach, direct, or prepare" as custom during course delivery. No materials for students in this particular course. advance design and development. Many faculty hours during delivery
15 hours 15 hours Prepare testing and grading General administration and testing. requirements and general course direction.
Note: The preparation time for WebCourse and WebCentric courses needs to be multipliedby the standard factor of 18 used in Chapter 4. For a WebCourse, it is 30 times 18 or 540; for WebCentric, it is 15times 18 or 270 hours. For testing and administrative purposes, a good planning number is 18 times 15 or 270 hours. Indelivery mode, more students equal more faculty time.
135 135 Total hours for a three-credit course.
r )
4 1 Chapter Five
What types of experiences and interactionsand interaction? Will students have 24-hour will facilitate the students achieving theaccess to computers? Will students' computing stated goals and objectives? resources support the latest version of Web What types of assessment tools will help tobrowsers? Do students study most often while determine whether or not the studentssurrounded by children, while in a car, or during have achieved the goals and objectives?late night hours? Will students be doing joint When and how should these assessmentprojects with other students in the library, over the tools be used? phone, or over the Web? Will students have their own learning resources, their own books, their Figure 5.2. Designing for Learning own CDs, and their own subscriptions to online resources? How, when, where, and with whom will students be learning? Designing for Learning 4. Plan the learning assessment and visualize the environments for assessment. How will Who are students know they are learning? Will there be self my students? checks? Will there be practice activities? Will What do I students be evaluated weekly? monthly? In what want my students ere, when, and ways will students be graded? with what resources to know, to feel, or to do as a result of this will my students be learning? 5. Plan for the types of learning activities that experience? will take place. Design activities with a balance of dialogue of faculty to student, student to student, and student to resources. Design with a balance of The following quick checklist is a remindertypes of resources available in print, audio, and that a set of instructional design guidelinescan beWeb format, if possible. Plan for activities that short and to the point. These guidelines alsointroduce, apply, reinforce, and extend concepts. reinforce the importance of the design, thePlan for activities that are controlled and led by environment, and the support infrastructure inlearners. teaching and learning. 6. Effective communication and interaction 1. Know your students. Who are yourrequires planning; it doesn't just happen. This students? What do your students already know?statement is particularly true in the new Web As constructive learners, we can only buildonenvironments. The different Web applications what we already know. Those students who havenow available each have their own particular an established foundation in a field can learnniche for use in teaching and learning. A more, and learn more quickly. Remember, thediscussion of some examples follows. more you know, the more you can know. Mail and discussion lists. These listsare 2. Determine the goals and objectives of the effective tools for general communications course. What will students know that they do not to one or more people, and particularly already know? What will students be able to do good for faculty-to-student communication, that they do not already know how to do? What such as announcements, reminders of will students think about the content and the upcoming events and deadlines, and possibilities of the content? answerstogeneralquestions.This application is also good for students to 3.Visualize the environments in which communicate with each other. The faculty students will be learning. Will students have their member does not need to answer all the own computers to customize and store content questions. In fact, students can be assigned 42 .1 Instructional Design Guidelines for Moving Courses to the Web
to moderate and answer questions on arequires access and familiarity with the media and weekly basis and to direct questions to asupport, the best rule when starting is slinplicity. faculty member only as needed. Some type of mail or discussion list is essential in a Web Textbooks are media, too. Assigning a course. For faculty and students new to textbook to students can cause numerous learning on the Web, e-mail can be the only difficulties if your institution doesn't have toolusedforthefirst Web course a process whereby students can easily experience. purchase books and other resources without coming to campus. Online seminar and conference applications. Online seminar interaction is Web site. Use of a course Web site requires designed for extended discussions of a that faculty members have technical focused topic. For example, in an American support to ensure stability and reliability history course, a student might convene a of the site. Use of a course Web site also seminar or conference on the beginning of requires that students and faculty develop the Vietnam War. In a computer science habits for using the various media. In course, a conference might be held on addition, a course Web site needs to be breakthroughs in chip technology. In these maintained over the life of a course, and applications, faculty can assume or delegate possibly beyond, depending on the role of a variety of roles, and then monitor the the course in the department or program. discussion and solicit summary statements. We also forget that a course Web site is not a book. Using the term "Web page" causes Team projects. Simple tools, such as chat us to think that a Web page is like a rooms, telephone meetings, and physical printed page. It is not. It is a fluid medium meetings,can support group work. to be nurtured and updated as needed. Messenger services are available from Internet service providers; these services Classroom or teleconferencing room. Any can let users know when classmates are place that the class meets is part of art online, providing instant, convenient, chat infrastructure somewhere. It needs to be rooms at no additional cost. designed, scheduled, maintained, and accessed. 7. All media require infrastructure. In the instructional design process, effective decisions Online resources and databases. Faculty on the use of media are among the most and students need to have access to important. At the same time, most instruction can required and recommended materials that be delivered effectively through more than one are online. They also need to know how to medium. When selecting media for a course, we use the resources and develop skills need to ask ourselves two major questions: needed for their use.
Whataretheuniqueeducational 8. The more hours of teaching and learning characteristics of each innovation or Webthat are designed and developed, the more time application? and resources will be needed. The preceding What is the minimum set of media to usestatement is the basic principle of instructional to create an effective beginning teachingdesign. The instructional design of a program and learning environment? impacts the budget of a project, and the budget of a project impacts the instructional design. When planning a Web course, we may be tempted to use a number of new media tools and In corporate training courses, one goal of applications. Because every type and choice of mediainstructional design is effective analysis of the
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goals and objectives of learningso that thegradually to the Web, fewer resources will be learning program can be condensed into theneeded. shortestpossibletime. When instructional designers are trying to maximize learning while So, important questions need to be asked: trying to reduce the number of hours devoted to learning, the cost per hour can increase. Well- When is the program needed? designed materials can take more time and What human and infrastructure resources resources to design and develop. For companies can be allocated to this project? paying their employees' time while being trained, however, the higher cost per hour of development What financial resources can be allocated can quickly be offset by fewer hours of employee to this project? training time. Currently, though, reducing the amount of time for learning is not generally one of 10. Instructional goals and objectives impact the goals of on-campus learning. design, media, and budget. This principle of instructional design has two main corollaries. The For campus courses, planning should includefirst corollary is that complex hands-on skills a certain amount of time required for every hourprograms are generally more time consuming and of teaching and learning that is shifted from theexpensive to design, develop, and deliver than are classroom environment to the Web environment.traditional seminars or lecture courses. It ismore Currently, the best estimate for planning is that forexpensive, for example, to run a lab course than to every hour of teaching and learning moved to therun a traditional lecture course. Web, a faculty member should plan to spend between 5 and 23 hours, with a standard of 18, in A second corollary is that if the skills and design and development. Building a Web Centricknowledge to be acquired can only be taught course and moving 30 hours of instruction to theby very highly trained and compensated Web takes at least 150 hours. Thisassumesindividuals, the cost of the resources will be familiarity with the tools and applications forhigher. This is easily seen, for example, if the doing this work. skills to be taught are thosenecessary for success in piloting, surgery, or theoretical math 9. Course delivery requirements impact designcourses. In some cases, learning environments and budget. Many of us are familiar with theneed to be very sophisticated simulations, also cartoon showing a person rolling on the floor,requiring expensive, highly skilled mentors laughing out loud, and saying, "You want itand teachers. when?" This cartoon is great at conveying the fact that the delivery time can be a critical piece of Additional questions need to be asked for design requirements. If a program needs to bedesigning instruction: launched quickly, it will cost more than it will if availability is unimportant. Anothercommon What kinds of learning need to be saying in the training field is, "Good, Fast, and developed? Cheap . . . Pick Two!" Quality instructional What instructional strategies will be used programs generally cannot be built quickly with to enable the learning? limited budgets. Whataretheuniqueeducational characteristics of the technology? In translating these guidelines to higher education campus courses, this means that ifa Summary Principle: Match the instructional provost, dean, or department chair wants a degree goals and objectives to the best media thatcan be or certificate program to be launched within 18used within time, budget, and infrastructure months, a serious commitment of resources willconstraints. This summary principle combines be needed. If there is time to move theprogramthe instructional design principles of goals and
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objectives, media, budget, time, and infrastructureCosts. What is the cost structure of the capabilities. Instructional design is not simple ortechnology? straightforward. This principle reinforces the Any technology needs to be affordable for the need for up-front planning and course design three partners in a teaching and learning using a variety of media and infrastructure experience: the faculty, the students, and the support structures. When a teacher is not easily institution.Questionsofsupportand accessible, the infrastructure and the media used infrastructureneedtobeconsidered must have backups. unflinchingly.
ThesebasicguidelinesfordesigningTeaching and learning. What kinds of teaching instruction have been developed from theand learning are required for the program goals? training field and from the field of higher The types of goals and objectives, and the education materials development. They contain types of learning activities, need to be a wealth of wisdom. As part of any project considered. planning handbook, they should be reviewed before submitting proposals for materialsInteraction and user-friendliness. What kind of development. interaction is enabled? How easy is it to use? The quality of interaction,as we have Models for Learning Design discussed, is fundamental to the dialogues that make up an effective learning community. Two models for designing learning can help We need to ensure that different types of encapsulate these ideas. The first is a model of dialogue and interaction are enabled and instructional design from Tony Bates, author of supported. many books in the field of distance learning. He was one of the founding members of the OpenOrganizational issues. What are the University in the United Kingdom. This modelorganizational requirements and barriers to for designing learning is from his 1995 book,success? Technology, Open Learningand Distance Delivering Web courses to students off campus Education. requires a supplemental infrastructure to that existing on campus. Systems and processes ACTIONS Model (Tony Bates) need to be in place to recruit, admit, support, evaluate, and counsel students. These support The ACTIONS model provides a practical structures are critical to the students' success. decision-making framework for designing a new Similar support structures are also needed to program on campus or off campus. support the faculty and the teaching and learning environment. We have built our Access. How accessible is the technology for the campuses with a strong physical infrastructure; students? we now need to build campuses with strong Thisquestionofaccessisparticularly data networks and Web infrastructures. important as we begin designing and building Web Courses or Web Centric courses. If allNovelty. How new is this technology? studentsandfacultyhavetheirown New technology is often difficult to deploy and computers and access to the Web, faculty support effectively. Some designers of distance members can assume easy, convenient, and learning programs tendto become too often unlimited access. This can greatly conservative in their use of media by staying impact the designofrequirements, two or three generations of media behind. The communicationactivities,andresearch importance of decisions regarding media recommendations. selection has been greatly oversimplified by the widespread availability of the Web. Still, design
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decisions need to weigh assumptions aboutActive. Learners participate in a variety of modem and network speed and the ability to learning experiences that require thoughtful, use video and audio technology. However, by engaged activity and guided discoveries. the time a course is deployed, assumptions may change. The question is not what is the level ofCollaborative. Interactive Web course knowledge and access today, but what is the environments support and facilitate level of knowledge and access likely to be when discussion and exchange between and among the course is delivered to the target population. students.
Speed. How quickly can thecourses beCustomized and accessible.Interactive Web developed and delivered? learning fits the needs and requirements of Quality courses can take a significant amount many students in terms of time, access, career of time to design and develop. The design and goals, levels of preparation, and learning styles. development of a complete Web Course can easilytake18 months, even with theExcellent quality. Courses are designed with a sophisticated tools that are now available. learner focus, enabling learners to achieve However, a Web Enhanced course can be desired goals and objectives. This type of designed and developed fairly quickly. Many learning generally includes communication distance learning courses that arrivein with faculty members and other students and students' mailboxes in a "course in a box" form quick and easy accessto high quality have taken three years to develop by a team of instructional resources. faculty developers. How quickly can a course be developed and delivered? It depends. Lifestyle-fitted.Interactive Web learning This ACTIONS model can be used effectively accommodates the lives of students, affording at the beginning of the design of a program and as cost-effectiveeducationalopportunities a checkpoint during the design process. It is a anywhere, anytime, and at a reasonable speed. good guide for making practical decisions about an instructional program. ACCEL learning experiences are nurtured within the context of a mentoring relationship ACCEL Model (Characteristics of Interactive Webwithin learning communities of faculty and Learning) students. The model also assumes access to a rich, information-age library with databases, electronic We propose another model, ACCEL, forjournal access, and interactive, high-quality designing teaching and learning in the new Webinstructional resources. environment. The characteristics of the new teaching and learning paradigm on the Web willChapter Conclusion likely evolve rapidly over the next three to five years. For now, we can predict that some of its key Instructional design as a profession keeps the characteristics will include a new role for thelearner, the content, and the environment in focus learner as an active, involved, collaborative learner,at all times, while applying the knowledge of how and a new role for the faculty member as a guide,learners learn and how knowledge grows and is mentor, facilitator, and framer of knowledge. nurtured. We now have an opportunity to design a new teaching and learning environment that ACCEL provides a summary of how thesemaximizes time, learning, and the joy of learning. characteristics of the new paradigm may interact in the new environments that are being created and in the design of new educational experiences.
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CHAPTER 6 STEPS IN DEVELOPING WEB COURSES
Overview Building a Web Course means constructing a full teaching and learning environment. In a In today's higher education environment, atraditional environment this might be similar to bundled strategy is the preferred method forhaving faculty design and build the physical preparingcourses.Thismeansthattheclassroom.Becausebuildingthephysical responsibility for the design, development, andclassroom environment generally is not a faculty delivery of courses falls solely to one person,member's expertise, it is best accomplished with usually the faculty member. This has been aphysical plant construction experts. The same is logical approach in the past, and is one withtrue of building WebCourse environments. Expert which we have been comfortable. Under thishelp is highly recommended. model, the faculty member is recognized as having the greatest knowledge of course content, Fortunately, a rich array of new commercial structure, and instructional strategies, and isand shareware tools is emerging that creates a probably the person who can most effectively anddigital classroom environment that is comparable efficiently deliver the course. to the physical classroom environment. The most comprehensive and targeted of these tools for Currentlyinthephysicalclassroomteaching and learning are called Web course environment, paper-based technology providesmanagement tools. These will be discussed at the most common tools for teaching and learning.length in Chapter 7. The predominant instructional strategy is the lecture, often supplemented by the use of an In this chapter, we look at the kinds of overhead projector. Even when presentationexpertise needed to design and develop the software is used to develop and deliver lecturecourse materials that fill or make up the digital presentations, the teaching environment is oftencontent for teaching and learning in an online very similar to that of a lecture accompanied byclassroom. A WebCourse, completely designed overhead projector presentations. and developed well ahead of course delivery, usually consists of a course Web site that serves as Coursesthataredeliveredinonlinea guide to direct and coordinate activities and environments require additional design andexperiences. The Web site also contains links and development support. A totally Web-basedaccess to a set of digital course materials. The course, or Web Course, must be comprehensivelycourse features a faculty member who is the planned in advance. Developing and deliveringmanager or mentor for the course experience. anonlinelearningcourserequiresmorePreparing a WebCourse is usually best done with coordination than does delivering a traditionala systematic instructional design process and a face-to-face campus course. No longer can ateam approach. This type of systematic design lecture be finalized, or developed, the night beforeanddevelopmentapproachisespecially a class. In addition, changing an online activityimportant when the course will be offered a that is not working as planned is also difficult. number of times to a large number of students and will be facilitated by faculty who did not Effective Web Courses make use of a variety ofparticipate in its design and development. media, technology, and resources, and include a variety of learner-centered instructionalSystematic Team Approach to Design and strategies. These strategies help the instructorDevelopment of a WebCourse manage the dynamics and interaction of the course once it is underway. This chapter discusses a systematic step-by- step process that you can use to construct your
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Web Course. There are as many ways of designingsteps in the process are listed as linear, but this is and building a course as there are faculty membersnever exactly how it works. Many of these steps and courses. The design and development ofare best done concurrently. For example, Step courses today is a cottage industry. We design,Three, which addresses the redesign of a course, redesign, update, and change constantly, and noshouldincludetheselectionofacourse course is quite like any other. This is both themanagement system. Also, since the cost and challenge and the drawback of our current models.availability of materials influence the choice of In a very simplistic way of thinking, a Web Coursematerials, it is very good to plan for concurrency can cost as little or as much as we want it to cost.and iterations in these steps. However, one cost impact cannot be ignored. If we spend little or nothing, the course is ephemeral,Step One. Determine Your Strategy for Moving a unable to be used beyond the moment or theCourse to the Web: A Team Approach or On Your semester.Ifwe spendalotofmoneyOwn systematically and wisely, the course might be able to be used for thousands of students over a period Chapter 4 includes an important step in of three to five years, and may even be sold tomoving a coursetothe Webestablishing other institutions. This is not unlike writing aorganizational, faculty, and student readiness for textbook that can be used by many students andthe move. On today's campus, faculty members faculty over a period of time. A Web Course can behave a support structure in place for offering effectively designed and developed by followingcourses in a classroom. If you are one of the first the eight steps discussed below. faculty to move to the Web environment, the support structure on your campus may not be Step 1. Determine Your Strategy for Movingready. Support for your students may not be in a Course tothe Web: A Teamplace, and the institution may be struggling with Approach or On Your Own waystoprovidesupportforthisnew Step 2. Select Your Course Environment environment. So, determine early if you are the Step 3. Redesign a Current Course kind of person who can handle a certain amount Step 4. Gather and Prepare the Courseof ambiguity and be flexible in the face of certain Materials obstacles. Step 5. Define Unit Activities and Interactions Once you complete the readiness assessment Step 6. Build the Course Web site and know you are prepared to plan your Step 7. Implement and Manage the Course WebCourse, you can take one of two basic Step 8. Evaluate and Fine Tune approaches to design and development. The first is the team approach, which is recommended The first step is an important one. If awhen the course is being planned for long-term complete degree or certificate program is thedelivery "by many to many." This approach is anticipated outcome, some variation of the teamrecommended whenplanningdegreeor approach is the way to go. This approach requirescertificate programs as well. The second approach allthe planning and funding preparationis the "more or less on your own" approach. This discussed in earlier chapters. So, the first part ofis the low-cost model, and the one to use when this section describes the team approach and theyou have more time to transition and when you people and functions needed for this type ofwill be the faculty member who will probably development. continue to teach the course.
If you are doing WebCourse development onThe Team Approach your own and are ready to begin, you may want to go directly to the second part of Step One, If a high degree of organizational readiness "Moving to the Web Without a Team." Also, theexists, you may have the support of a team of
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individuals in the two major phases of moving toThe Development Team: Roles and the Web: when designing and developing theResponsibilities course and when delivering the course. The budget for the design and development of Project Manager. Theproject manager distance learning courses should be distinct andcoordinates project tasks to ensure that a quality separate from the delivery budget of a distancelearning environment is produced on time and learning course. within budget. Responsibilities include creating a plan to build the Web Course or degree program, Table 6.1 lists the major team members forconducting project status meetings, coordinating both phases of a Web Course project. Thethe production of instructional materials, and development team is responsible for the designplanning the course implementation. The project and development of the learning environment,manager may also plan and coordinate the the course materials, and the production of thoseevaluation of the completed course during its materials. The delivery team is responsible for theinitial delivery to students. For small projects, tasks associated with the effective marketing andsuch as a single course or a short program, the delivery of the course. In some cases, members offunction of the project manager might be the development team, such as the projecteffectively handled by a partial assignment of a managerandinstructionaldesigner,arefaculty member or other existing personnel. consultants to the delivery team. This practice helps support the marketing and planning for the Instructor or Faculty.The instructor or students who take the course. Marketing andfaculty member is the content leader of the planning for the delivery of the course needs todevelopmentteamandmaintainsoverall occurconcurrentlywiththedesignandresponsibility for the content and instructional development phases. strategies of a course.
You may be surprised at the number of team InstructionalDesigner. An instructional members listed. In many cases, the people on thedesigner provides a blueprint for the overall development team may assume two or more oflearning environment based on established these functional roles; in other cases, as in thelearning theory. By using a systematic process to responsibilities of a graphic artist, an individualanalyze the basic components of instruction, the may be contracted for certain well-defined,designer recommends instructional strategies, development tasks. assessments, media tools, and course
Table 6.1. Team Members
Development Team Delivery Team
Project Manager Instructor/Faculty
Instructor/Faculty Course Assistant(s)
Instructional Designer Web Support Person
Web Designer Technical Support Staff
Content Researcher Administrative Coordinator
Graphic Artist
Technical Support Staff
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management techniques that will effectively meetmanagement tool. Potentially cost-effective, these the needs of the learner, the course goals, andtoolshavegenerallybeendesignedand performance objectives. developed by faculty on college campuses and provide most of the features that beginning online The designer begins by matching the learninginstructors need. For institutions just starting out, goals and objectives with the characteristics andoutsourcing the hosting of course Web sites may lifestyles of students and with the constraints ofbe a wise strategy. This bypasses, at least in the the delivery environment. For example, a veryshort term, the need to build the Web server important design decision focuses around theservice part of the campus infrastructure. choice of media. For Web Courses and other online and distance learning programs, every media The Web designer is responsible for consulting decision has a resulting ripple effect because allon the longer-term needs of a course or degree media need to be supported. The basic principleprogram and recommending and implementing that all media require an infrastructure must besolutions that will provide a framework for at included in an instructional designer's plan. least two to three years. The Web designer also works with faculty to put course materials on the In an online or Web-learning environment, theWeb. Constant evaluation is necessary, especially designerisresponsibleforrecommendingas the tools continue to increase in ease and instructional activities that engage the learner andsimplicity. Web tools, just likethe generic provideopportunitiesforinteraction withproductivity toolsof word processing,are information sources such as the instructor, onlineevolving rapidly, but the design and development resources, and experts in the field. The designerof a complete Web site for a course will continue also often helps in the preparation of instructionalto take time and skill. materials. Other responsibilities might include researching online resources, developing the Most colleges,if they are serious about components ofthecourse Website,anddistance learning programs on the Web, will find evaluating the instructional effectiveness of theroom in their budgets for a Webmaster. Some produced materials. In a large team in a corporatecolleges have given up faculty lines, at least training environment, many of thesetemporarily,tosecuretheexpertiseofa responsibilities might be assigned to specialtyWebmaster. A Webmaster's skills can reap great personnel. benefits in long-term planning for structural efficiencies in a curriculum offering. Every Specialty skills such as instructional designdiscipline, and particularly a tightly structured can be outsourced or subcontracted. Institutionsdegree program, can benefit from curriculum with programsininstructionaldesignorplanning that identifies a core set of resources and educational technology might have a readya core set of processes that may be common across resource of student experts that can be effectivelythe degree program. A new way of thinking about tapped. Full-time instructional designers maycourses is to think about clusters of courses and appear costly, but, on larger curricula projects andthe resources needed to support teaching and full degree programs, they can produce greatlearning in a cluster. Instructional designers and gains in efficiency, content effectiveness andWeb designers can bring expertisetothis development, and student learning. development process.
Web Designer or Webmaster. The Web Content Researcher. The content researcher designer, or Webmaster, works with the facultyassists the faculty member by identifying content member and probably the larger department toresourcesavailableindigitalform.One select and design the online learning environmentlongstanding issue in distance learning programs foradepartment. A Web designer mayis how to best provide student access to required recommend the purchase of a Web courseand recommended content resources. If content
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materials can be made available via the Web withperson to shepherd the coordination, production, linked journal and book excerpts, subscriptionandpackagingofinstructionalmaterials book sites, databases, and other affordable digitaldeveloped by the designer, the content expert, and formats, this problem can be significantly easedother development staff into master materials and student inquiry well supported. Materials insuitable for instructional use and distribution. In digital form can greatly reduce support costs andsome projects, a commercial content publisher reduce access problems for students. In themay be a partner to whom the materials would be university environment a graduate student canhanded for final editing and production. In other often serve as content researcher; in otherprojects, where no new materials are produced, environments contractors might play this role.there may be little or no need for development and Another option is to select a textbook from aproduction assistance. As part of the course design publisher that has an established Web site for thatprocess, faculty identify instructional materials to content. be purchased from existing content producers.
Graphic Artist. The graphic artist is responsible In addition to the actual development work, for the visual design of the course materials andother personnel are often needed to support the Web site. Good visual design helps ensure that theproject team. Clerical support personnel can assist instructional message is communicated in anthe project team in the acquisition of resources effective and professional visual manner. Theand generaldailycommunication. Review graphic artist is needed most at the beginning of apersonnel can ensure that the materials are project while the "look and feel" of a course isaccurate and complete for the specified goals and beingdesigned.Graphicartistsareoftenobjectives. These review personnel may be other freelancers and work on many projects at the samefaculty, students, or other experts. time. Some projects, if they are small and limited to transitioning existing programs, may not have aThe Delivery Team need for graphic art assistance, especially since some of the new Web course management tools Instructor or Faculty. The faculty member offer design and template functions. manages the communication with the students; delivers the instruction; and monitors, challenges, Technical Support. Technicalsupportmotivates, and evaluates the students. personnel are needed to help prepare the campus infrastructure for the delivery of Web courses and Course Assistant. To maintain a high level of to help support faculty and students in their useinteraction in the learning environment, a course of the campus infrastructure for a Web Course.assistant is recommended when more than 25 Ideally, students should be able to inquire aboutstudents are enrolled. The course assistant online programs, register for class, and gain accessanswers e-mail from students, facilitates online to networking, library resources, consulting andconferences, and assists in problem resolution. all campus resources without coming to campus. Technical support personnel can advise a team on Webmaster. The Webmaster assists the faculty how to make the most of what is available onin making changes to course Web site materials campus and work around limitations or problemand needed enhancements to the course Web site, areas. Technical support is definitely needed forespecially during the first, and often during the general infrastructure resources such as the helpsecond, offering of a course. The use of Web desk, access to computers, Web hosting servicescourse management tools can help reduce the and redundancies, and arrangement for the use ofamount of support needed. technology for on-campus meetings. Technical Support Staff. The technical support Other Personnel. Projects designed as "bystaff ensure that the course Web site is available to many to many" programs will probably need astudents and faculty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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for the duration of the course. As the model isthe online course in the same manner they design evolving, the actual operation and maintenance ofand develop a face-to-face course: over time, as the servers for the Web sites might be in the mainpart of their normal load, and making changes computer operations center. These sites becomefrom semester to semester. Many institutions "mission-critical," and need to be backed up andprovide small grants and some release time to "mirrored" in other sites. help. However, getting to the first version of an online course is a significant commitment. How Technical support personnel assist the facultydo faculty manage the design, development, and member and students in the process of coursedelivery of a course for the online learning delivery. The services required, including e-mailenvironment? and network access support, are often no different than those needed for technology-enhanced Thisiswheretheguidelinesoutlined course delivery on campus. The difference lies inearlier-those for equipment, support, software, the availability of the support, which may need toand time-need to be applied. This is also the time be extended beyond normal on-campus hours toto clarify the expectations for the outcome of the include weekends and evenings when onlineeffort. Will it be a Web Course, a Web Centric learners are working on course assignments. course, or Web Enhanced course? Important questions such as, "How and for whom will the Adequate technical support is particularlycourse be developed" and "When will it be critical during the first few weeks of the semesterdelivered?" must be addressed. when online learners are becoming familiar with new technology,setting up accounts, and Without support from a project team, the navigating the maze of ISPs. It is also critical atinstructional quality of the first version of the mid-term and during the last few weeks of theonline course may suffer because the faculty semester when technology problems can impactmember must perform many of the functions or the submission of assignments and, in turn, thefind the time or the money to have functions determination of final grades. performed in other ways. As mentioned in prior chapters, this is generally too much work for one Administrative Coordinator. The administrativeindividual who is also maintaining a full teaching coordinator assists in the marketing, recruiting, andload. Most faculty and, therefore, students can admission processes of students for the course, andbenefit greatly if faculty receive release time the ensures that all the student services are in place tosemester prior to teaching online. Preparing a provide a stable, reliable, productive, and creativecourse for the Web is much more complex than educational experience for students. Depending onteaching a course for the first time, so additional the environment, this role might be absorbed intorelease time during the first semester of delivery is the normal operating business of a college oralso recommended. university. In fact, this is the goal since most Web courses are used by students on campus as much as With some provisos, the recommendation is by students off campus. made that faculty not attempt to become Web designers and developers. The faculty member Moving to the Web Without a Team can serve this role if he or she is fairly technical, is an early adopter of technology, has access to a The team approach is definitely the preferredgood Web course management tool, or has a strategy for development of an online course thattechnologically adept student available to help. is part of a certificate or degree program or that will be delivered many times. In the case of a Most academic computingcentersalso single course being moved to the Web, or aprovide training programs to help faculty get sequence of two or three courses, the generalstarted. If your organization does not provide expectation is that faculty members will developsupport for faculty converting to online courses,
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the Web itself is a great resource. There are gooddone, and with what resources and time commitment sessions online or available at other institutions.it can be done. Faculty can also earn certificates in "Online Teaching and Learning"; new programs of thisStep Two. Select Your Course Environment type are being announced every two to three months. Selecting your course Web site environment is one of the most important steps in the process of For content materials, the Web is also a greatmoving your course to the Web. This single resource. Many faculty have put their courses ondecision will have an impact on every other part the Web, and many of these courses are freelyof the process. One way of simplifying the process accessible. Fellow faculty in similar disciplinesof moving to the Web is to use one of the existing can be a great resource and Web sites associatedcoursetemplates,alsocalled Web course with the various disciplines are also goodmanagement systems. A sample of these systems resources. Many publishers offer book sites tois described in Chapter Seven. enhance the use of their textbooks. Some of these are freely available, while others are fee-based. These systems are only now beginning to emerge as commercial software with support, upgrades, and In summary, developing your course alone isenhancements. These templates are almost the not recommended unless you enjoy learning andequivalent of having your own Webmaster. When working a great deal on your own. Designing,you decide to use one of these systems, many design developing, and delivering a quality Web coursedecisions are made for you. It is easier to move a of any type is a significant, difficult, and time-course to the Web using an existing Web course consuming task. The best approach if you aremanagement system than it is to write or design your doing this on your own is to examine the timeown. Another benefit is that commercial companies requirements laid out earlier and decide howare upgrading and adding features over time so that much of your course will be converted in a singlethe flexibility and choices that may be not available semester or year. Then seek approval andtoday will probably be available later. recognition for these efforts ahead of time. Once youobtainapproval,managewellthe Consider the list in Table 6.2 when evaluating expectations of what can be done, when it can bewhat you need in the template for your course.
Table 6.2. Desirable Features in Web Course Management Tools
Access to current grade Automatic indexing and searching Calendar Capability to upload information easily Chat tool Course announcements Course backup Customized course "look and feel" Electronic mail Connections to external references Grade reporting Discussion lists Peer critique tools Progress tracking Questionnaire delivery and support Searchable and linkable glossary Student biography information Student presentation areas Student self-evaluation Student management Syllabus Timed online quizzes
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Also, be sure to look at the next chapter and theobjectives should be achieved? What should introductiontoa number of Web courselearners know, be able to do, or think about a management tools, including Web site addressesparticular topic at the end of the course? for demonstration sites. Type of Dialogue. What type or types of Step Three. Redesign a Current Course dialogues support the learning of the course objectives: instructor-student, student-student, or Moving a course to a Web-based environmentstudent-resources? When is each dialogue most provides the opportunity to reassess the strengthseffective? and weaknesses of a course. This is a good time to update a course, and to find ways to increase active Teaching and Learning Strategies. What student learning and collaboration. Table 6.3teaching and learning strategies will be used? provides a Course Redesign Guide, which is a toolBased upon the type(s) of dialogue desired, to guide the development of learning objectivesseveral instructional strategies are available for and the linking of each instructional component touse. For example, instructor-student dialogue can a course objective. For example, if one of thebe accomplished through such strategies as objectives is a knowledge objective, such as beinglecture, discussion, mentoring, feedback, and abletodefinedistancelearning,then thequestioning. instructional strategy, the content resource, and the assessment process need to be linked to that Technology. What technology will be used to objective. For skill objectives, the instructionalsupport the course objectives? Again, based upon strategies may well include demonstration andthe type(s) of dialogue and instructional strategies practice, followed by a student projectorselected to accomplish an objective, various demonstration of that skill. The Course Redesigntechnologicalresourcesareavailable.For Guide provides a set of ideas for all three types ofexample, an objective that requires instructor- objectives: knowing, doing, and thinking (attitude).student dialogue through theinstructional strategy of mentoring would best be served by a This Course Redesign Guide is best usedstrategy such asonlineoffice hours. This twice: once, when determining the course goalscomponent may require assistance from technical and objectives, and then again for developingsupport personnel in order to determine what is activities at every unit level within each course.possible in your existing campus infrastructure. For example, learners may individually read a chapter from the text, complete a thoughtful Assessment. How will each course objective response or analysis based on additional reading,be assessed? In the past, a multiple-choice exam and then share and discuss those conclusions in amay have been used. However, you may now small group of three to five peers. Or, thechoose to have students complete a final project discussion may occur while preparing a groupthat demonstrates their knowledge and skill level. response. After the activity is planned, theOr, if an objective is a change of attitude, you may description and instructions for each activity canwant students to keep a reflective journal of their be part of the course Web site. thoughts over the course of the semester. Consider creative options to assess students who During the process of redesigning a course,are now taking an active role in their learning and the designer should examine the course's variouswho are working online. components. The following list may be helpful when moving to online environments, updatingStep Four. Gather and Prepare Course Materials courses, or targeting a different group of students. During the redesign of the course, it is a good Course Goals and Objectives. What are theidea to begin the search for digital and online overall goals of the course? What instructionalresources as early as possible. There are two
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Table 6.3. Course Redesign Guide
Type of Learning Type of Teaching and Learning Technology Assessment Objectives Dialogue Strategies Instructor Lecture Videoconference or videotape Printed or online Student Discussion, consultation Audio test Know Group mentoring Online office hours Feedback on assignments E-Mail, chatroom This type of objective is Notetaking, summarizing Online seminars useful for core concepts Questioning Online content and principles. It is also important for student- generated knowledge Student- Synchronous and Audio, videoconference Project (group or objectives. Student asynchronous collaborative Chat, e-mail individual) discussions and projects Database of concepts built Journal collaboratively One of my objectives for Study groups, online Online seminars my course is: and off line Discussions lists Newsgroups
Student- Readings and Online or printed course guide Concept paper Resources experiences, interviews Books, journals Concept maps and discussions with Visiting experts experts, excercises Digital and analogue and experiences resources (i.e. CDs, in all varieties of digital simulations, databases, and analogue resources tutorials)
Instructor- Lecture, demonstration Videoconference Project (group or Student Discussion, consultation Videotape, audio individual) Do Group mentoring Online office hours Feedback on assignments E-Mail, chatroom This type of objective is Notetaking, summarizing Online seminars best for skill objectives. Questioning "What do I want the student to be able to do as a Student- Collaborative and experiential Audio, videoconference Field experience result of this instruction?" Student activities or projects Chatrooms, e-mail Database of concepts built collaboratively One of the objectives for Online seminars my course is: Discussion lists, newsgroups
Student- Simulations of authentic Interactive computer Demonstration of Resources experiences, field trips, programs, online skill internships; interviews and discussions with experts, discussions with experts; electronic field trips exercises and experiences Portfolio in digital and analogue resources
Instructor- Lecture, demonstration Videoconference or videotape Summary paper Student Discussion, consultation Audio Think Group mentoring Online office hours Project Feedback on assignments Online seminars (individual) Notetaking, summarizing This is an attitude objective. It Questioning includes building a research thought process and respect Role plays Audio, videoconference Concept maps for types of knowledge, Student- Collaborative activities Chatrooms, e-mail Field experience thinking, and people. Student Student-led discussions Bulletin board Student opinion Threaded discussions surveys
One of the objectives for my course is: Student- Reflective journals Online discussions with Case study Resources Interviews with experts experts in the field Community Internships service feedback Community service experiences
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reasons for this: (1) the materials that are availableonline environment. This is where the real work of online can surprise you and may significantlyfaculty comes in. A course Web site will be as influence your decisions about what objectives aredistinctive as the course and the faculty member's appropriate for your students, and (2) you mayphilosophy allow it to be. find highly desirable or essential materials that require copyright permissions and subscription This is also where the power of the campus access arrangements before they can be madeinfrastructure really makes a difference. If this is availabletoyourstudentsinanonlinepart of a team project or a sequence of courses, or environment. The sooner the process of ensuringif you have hired a student or perhaps your own availability is begun, the less stress is involved. Asoffspring, someone else may have done part of the mentioned previously, the process of design andwork for the first version of the course Web site. developmenthasmanyinteractionsandThe instructor, through discussions with other interdependencies and is not a linear one. faculty members and an instructional designer, can determine the needed features and discuss StepFive.DefineUnitActivitiesandthem with the Web designer, who will suggest Interactions ways in which each feature can be incorporated into the course site. Although several people are In a face-to-face environment, interactioninvolved in the process, the instructor is the one often happens spontaneously. We may plan awho makes theinstructional and content particular activity, but as it unfolds, we maydecisions. change it in response to what is working and what is not. There may have been times you agonizedStep Seven. Implement and Manage the Course over an activity only to change it in a burst of inspiration as you listened to the class discussion. After completing the first six steps, you However, spur-of-the-moment inspiration willshould be ready to begin online course delivery. not work as well in an online environment as itAn excellent resource to prepare you further is does in a face-to-face learning environment.Learning Networks (Harasim, Teles, & Turoff, 1997). Therefore, it is important that course activities beThis book provides chapters on learning and developed in detail before the first class session. teaching online.
Planning ahead does not mean that you Very simply, your job is to create a welcoming cannot adjust your activities. But planning aheadand interactive environment for your students. helps to reduce the potential confusion forYou will want to set the ground rules, just as you learnersandprovidesamoreenjoyabledo in the face-to-face environment. Set the tone for experience. Changes can still be made, butthe environment and explain that the students' sparingly. role is evolving, and that they will be expected to take charge of their learning perhaps to a greater Step Six. Build the Course Web Site extent than they have previously. Also, set up a study schedule so they learn the material in a This step is when all those yellow pad notestimely manner and participate in synchronous and miscellaneous pieces of digitaland asynchronous activities. documentssyllabus, bibliography, project descriptions, and key handoutscan be brought Managing this course will have its distinct set together. The Web course templates and otherof challenges based upon the personalities in the Web applications tools provide a step-by-stepcourse, as does the face-to-face classroom. procedure for putting it all online. With a WebHowever, the Web-based environment also course template, the process can be very muchprovides the challenge of perceived 24-hour like word processing. But the Web templates doinstructor availability. Provide guidelines to not do the course redesign as you move to a newstudents concerning your methods of responding
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to e-mail, facilitating discussion groups, and Quality of activities providing feedback on activities and assignments. Adequacy of technical support Also, let students know who they should turn to Level of communication for technical assistance. Overall satisfaction with the course It is also a good idea to have a contingency planfortimes when thetechnologyisA Final Word on Instructional Planning unavailable, such as when the server goes down. Remember that you have alternative technology, At first glance, instructional planning may such as the phone and fax, to use when theseem too time consuming to be worthwhile. computer fails. Certainly the up-front development time of an online course is more time consuming than face- Step Eight. Evaluate and Fine Tune to-face classes may have been. However, it helps to remember that the better a course is planned, Evaluation is one of the most important stepsthe more time will be available to handle in the move to the Web. Although you haveunforeseen events that go wrong while delivering carefully planned the course, you will no doubta course online. And inevitably, something will go want to change some features after seeing thewrong! You will be better able to handle it if you course components "in action." Your students canare not developing the course at the same time also provide insights into the course from theiryou are implementing it. perspectives.If your organization does not provide an extensive course evaluation, you Moving to the Web, if done in an organized, should find or create one. Companies such as E-systematic manner, can result in a quality course Curriculum,
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CHAPTER 7 TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR CREATING WEB COURSES
Overview We don't want to oversell these tools, but they are definitely worth consideration. The WCM Many tools and resources are now available totools are far from perfect, but many of these tools help faculty and students with the tasks ofare quite good. Many were developed on college teachingandlearninginthenew Webcampuses with input from and testing by faculty. environment. This chapter provides a look at twoMany of these tools are also in their second, third, major resources that can help in moving courseand fourth releases. (One of the earliest principles materials to the Web environment more quicklyof technology buying was never to buy version 1.0 and easily than in the past. The two majorof anythingunless it was a groundbreaking resources that we will look at are Web courseadvancement. One of us broke this rule and management tools and content resources bybought version 1.0 of the Pilot PDA software, but publishers. we all have our breaking points. Nevertheless post-1.0 releases are always better.) The first part of this chapter describes Web Course Management (WCM) tools that can Since WCM tools incorporate much of the significantly help reduce the time and skill neededdesign and development work that normally to develop Web offerings, whether the course is aaccompanies the preparation of a Web offering, Web Course,a Web Centriccourseorathey can speed the development and significantly Web Enhanced course. lower the barriers to offering your first Web course. These WCM tools are very important. They are becoming as important to faculty as word The second part of the chapter looks at the content and structure of publishers' Web-based processingtools,spreadsheets, and e-mail content resources that can enhance the usual book applications. These tools can help faculty andadoption strategy. Both WCM tools and new support staff with the design, development, and content Web resources can be important parts of a delivery of Web offerings. WCM tools are flexible"do-able" strategy to get to the Web. and can be used by technologically novice or experiencedfaculty.They providebuilt-inWeb Course Management Tools: A "Do-Able" guidance in the design and development ofWay to Go quality instruction, and they support the use of all three dialogues: faculty-to-student, student-to- The Web course management applications that student, and student-to-resource. are now available include a whole range of tools, suchasmultimediadevelopmenttools, In the last chapter we looked at the types ofcollaboration tools, and communication skills and functions important in building aapplications, and new Web applications are quality Web course. These skills are expensive andemerging almost monthly. We will focus on the scarce. The WCM tools incorporate some of thetwo areas you will want to use when moving your assistance provided by an instructional designer, afirst courses to the Web, but plan to keep your eyes Webmaster, and a Web developer. They serve asand ears open as new tools emerge and develop. checklistsfor guiding faculty through the planning of a Web course by providing a wideWeb Course Management Tools choice of application modules that support the teaching and learning activities in a course. The In the last two years, the number and variety of capabilities are already built in; faculty can choosetools available for helping move content and whether or not to use them. interaction to the Web have multiplied many times
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over! In 1995-96 we had simple HTML editors,overwhelm a user with features and capabilities. then we had tools such as Adobe's Page Mill, ClarisFor this reason, experienced technical faculty may Home Page, Microsoft Front Page, Asymetrixchoose to stay with the array of tools they are Tool Book, and Web tools such as Dreamweaver.already using. Before these HTML tools, of course, there was HyperCard and also Macromedia Director for the Experienced faculty, however, may also review really committed faculty! Before we knew it, thethese tools and find desirable features they have releases of Microsoft Office 97-98 had Word andnot yet started using. The first Web Enhanced Power Point applications offering the option ofcourse we designed at Florida State did just that. saving as HTML. We created a course Web site with basic tools, used e-mail, and then used a home-grown collaborative The faculty who were putting courses ortool called CONSTRUE to allow students to easily materials on the Internet in the early years (1994-post their reading reviews on the Web. After taking 97) did so by using a combination of these toolsa new look at these tools, some experienced faculty plus e-mail lists, bulletin boards, and home-have chosen to gradually redo their existing grown tools. Even as fewer technical skills werecourses with these new tools and to use them for needed to use these tools, putting all the toolscreating their new Web courses. together into an integrated Web course often took more time and energy than most faculty could The best advice in starting out is always to muster. When teaching faculty development"keep it simple," a good principle to follow when workshops at Penn State, we encouraged facultyselecting a tool to help you teach on the Web. Pick to start with just one or two tools and to ignore allan application and go with it. Keep your Web the other hype and possibilities. The wisdom ofcourse simple for the first offering. Creativity and focusing on one new tool or one new competencya unique personal style will gradually develop. in one's field can be both very calming and rewarding! One can move forward without Another guiding principle is to use the tool feeling panicked or stressed. recommended by the support group at your institution or by friends and colleagues. That way The wonder of what we have today is that theyou have existing support for your efforts. new generation of WCM tools enables faculty toAnother tool might be a little better for your learn just one tool or competency in order to reapneeds, but available support in the infrastructure the benefit of a comprehensive set of capabilities.for you and your students usually outweighs any In many respects, these new WCM tools are thepotential advantage from the additional benefits. "tools for the rest of us!" Often, if a specific feature is missing, the next release of the tool may provide it. The new generation of WCM tools covers the full range of basic course administration tools:An Overview of Web Course Management Tools syllabus and class information; thorough course designtools;collaborationtools;content This section provides an overview of some of resources; and tracking, grading, assessment, andthe WCM tools that you might want to consider. management features. We provide a brief synopsis here of some of the better known and more comprehensive tools. We Who Should Use These Tools? also list other tools that are also being used by many faculty and may be appropriate for you or These tools are best used by faculty who areyour particular discipline. newor almost newto the work of moving teaching and learning to the Web. There is always The many articles and resources available that a trade-off between simplicity and flexibility. Adescribe and compare these WCM tools at the tool that is simple and well structured does notdetailed feature level are also helpful. With
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technology, a good rule of thumb is to do a current 3. Course Management Features: student search for applications and tools, since featuresgrading and tracking, assessment tools, and timed and products change rapidly. Even the categoryquizzes. These features help reduce the amount of name for these tools is still in flux. Some reviewstime faculty spend assessing student progress in call them WBI, for Web-based instruction tools;the course. Because of difficulties in assuring others call them WCMT, for Web-based classsecurity on quizzes and exams, many faculty management tools; and others, as we do here, callmembers design student quizzes as competency- them WCM, for Web course management tools.based or practice tests, graded for completion Whatever they are called, they are rapidlyrather than for comparison with other students. becoming important faculty and student tools. 4. Administrative features: security and Comprehensive Course Management Tools technicalsupport.Thesefeaturesprovide assistance in using the tools, answering the A comprehensive WCM tool provides ainevitable questions that arise, and addressing the framework or template for the three major steps ofunpredictable and weird things that happen. faculty work in offering a course: design,Some features that protect the course Web site can development, and deliveryofthecourse,make getting copyright permission easier and including tracking, grading, and assessment.increase the likelihood that the principle of fair Most commercially produced WCM tools alsouse can be applied to some of the content. include technical support. The sample course templates usually have For the design of a course, these templatesplaces for these common elements of a course: typically provide "preformed digital buckets" for all the key components of a course. The templates Faculty introduction usually include four major categories of features. Syllabus Sharon Gray at Briar Cliff College described these Course description inSyllabusin fourcategoriesoffeatures Course materials from the faculty member September of 1998 (pp. 18-23). See www.syllabus.com/sep98_magfea2.html. Mini lectures Online or course discussions 1. Course Design Features: sample courses, Required materials course templates, and student home pages. These features help faculty get a "feel" or a sense of what Highly recommended materials a Web course might be, and they contain a Supplementary materials and resource template that can be copied and used fairly sites quickly. It is wise, however, to plan for redesign Student home pages time. The Web classroom differs from a campus classroom, and what works in one is not Student grading tools necessarily good for another. E-mail, discussion, and seminar communication features 2. Collaboration Tools: e-mail, file sharing, bulletin board, asynchronous and synchronousA Sampling of Web Course Management Tools discussion tools. These features help faculty and students collaborate and communicate with each Specific tools and their vendors are listed other, and with experts and resources not onbelow,along withtheir Websites.The campus. Remember the rule of keeping it simple;commercially developed tools described here are choose and become familiar with one or two forbeing used by higher education institutions, have the first course. generally been enhanced over time, and offer
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technical support. These tools, discussed in One interesting new project described at this alphabetical order, represent a sampling of thesite is a program at California State University at tools now available, but many others are alsoHayward using the Convene program. Cal State serving faculty and institutions well. Hayward is offering an online teaching certificate program, a 4-course, 18-unit program that the Almost any of the many tools available willuniversity hopes to expand into a 45-unit master's reduce the work required for most faculty; somedegree program. At this writing, the certificate tools will work better than others for some faculty.program has 60 students currently enrolled, In some cases, the choice of a tool may beincluding 20 from community colleges, 15 from constrained by institutional or cost factors. If youruniversities, and 25 trainers from industry and institution has already selected and set up thegovernment. infrastructure for a particular tool, do not be disappointed that you do not get to chooseoneCourselnfo (Blackboard) yourself! Someone on your campus has already
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First Class Collaborative Classroom (Soft Arc) Schedule.Providesstudentswitha
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site, as is a list of independent evaluations and3.Gray, Sharon. Collaboration Tools. Syllabus, comparisons about similar WCM tools. This is a January, 1999, pp. 48, 50 -52. This review good place to begin searching for a list of examines 33 different collaboration tools and independent evaluations. provides a smaller list of comprehensive Web course management tools. Web Course in a Box (Mad Duck) 4.Sites provided by "Independent Comparisons
to help transform and support the new teachingmake a more or less campuswide decision, this is and learning environment. A good WCM tool isa good model to follow. easy to support, requires minimaladministrative and technical resources, and is available at In many respects, these WCM tools can be reasonable costs. The best tools will link and "talkviewed as the new context or new environment to" the back office operations of the college. for teaching and learning. This new context is very like the four walls of currentclassrooms. A list of features desirable in a WCM tool hasTeaching and learning require more than physical been provided. The University of Marylandspace. evaluation also identified a set of desirable "back- end features" that includes technical support andPublishers and the New Web Environment a set of other features thatmight best be characterized as administrative features. You may Publishers of college textbooks have not had want to consider these as you make your choice. an easy time recently. Some studies suggestthat students are buying, reading, and carrying fewer Back-End Features and fewer books. Some faculty have embraced the strategy of custom publishing, selecting smaller CGI Script Support books, and preparing course packs. The cost of comprehensivetextbookskeeps Course Archive/Backup publishing increasing, and faculty often think twice about the Database Access adoption of large, expensive textbooks. Choices of Development Platform (OS, Web) With the advent of the Web, some faculty have EXE File Support chosen not to adopt textbooks at all for certain courses, choosing instead to assemble a course Java Support from other print, video, and digital materials. The Security World Wide Web is a new world to us all, and Server Type Used (Unix, NT) publishers have launched interactive divisions with the hopes that higher education would SSL Compliance (Secure Socket Layer) embrace interactive materials. Student Data Batch Input The publishing industry has also been Other Administrative and Support Issues undergoing transformation. There are fewer and fewer smaller companies. In recent years, a British Cost and Pricing Model media company, Pearson PLC, has acquired IMS Compliance Addison Wesley Longman, Prentice Hall, and (Instructional Management System) Simon & Schuster to create "the world's leading international education business." Benjamin Site License Cummings, one of the earliest publishers of Training digital anatomy and physiology resources such as Upgrades A.D.A.M. and Allyn & Bacon, is also a Pearson Vendor Partnerships imprint. Many campuses form a review committee Despite the changes in and uncertainty of composed of faculty members and technologymedia formats and pricing models of the future, staff to evaluate the current top four or five WCMindustry analysts estimate that the printed and systems. Many colleges and universities have alsoelectronics education materials business will be generated an evaluation form to streamline thegrowing at a rate of 10 percent a year for the next review process. When your campus is ready tofew years. We may not know how it will all sort
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itself out, but given the demands for education at Following are brief profiles of some of the all levels in an information society, the future forofferings from companies within Archipelago and educational materials is likely to be very good. Pearson PLC publishing groups. Many additional publishers offer interesting choices for faculty, Publishers'ContentResourcesandToolssuch as collaborative writing software and Overview Harvard case studies. This list is intended only as a starting point to describe the different types of As the publishing industry expands fromcontent resources that a faculty member might print formats into multimedia and Web formats,seekinspecificdisciplineareasandfor new content models and new pricing models areprofessional purposes. emerging. This publishing experimentation is good for faculty and for students, as their choicesArchipelago (A Harcourt Brace Company) for content access, including dynamic, up-to-date,
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company has major academic publishing hubs inof a textbook. The companion source material is Reading (MA), New York, and Menlo Park (CA).then available by a subscription which comes with You can look at their book Web sites by discipline:the purchase of the textbook. Other purchasing business,economics,informationsystems,models are also being evaluated, including mathematics, statistics, and multimedia. individual purchasing.
The Addison Wesley Longman site has an The popular A.D.A.M series for anatomy and extensive list of textbooks in each discipline areaphysiology has its own Web site at mentioned. There are twenty book sites for
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Companion book sites evolved by addingspending days, weeks, or months examining the digital resources such as interactive tutorials,various Web sites, this may be a time simply to animation, simulations, and real audio and videoadopt the Web site of the textbook that best fits content. The materials in this second phaseyour course for now and use it for a while. As shared the characteristics of book publishing, infaculty and students use the sites, a more valid which materials are developed, reviewed, edited,decision can be made. The best piece of advice and packaged for thousands of students. Bookhere is to do something. Get started, but don't sign cycles were well defined, with new editions beingmultiyear contracts! released every two or three years. Similar waves of development may occur in this new mediumWhat Next for Content Web Sites? as well. Future Web sites are likely to include the The Web sites are now evolving to the thirdfollowing features: phase as they become increasingly dynamic. They have links to related Web resources, hosted 1. More content organization by topic than by events, contests, and contributing editors. Thecourse. When this happens, we will need tools to new sites also offer virtual spaces for facultyhelp identify levels of content, types of learning networking. Rather than waiting for annualobjectives and associated content resources, and conferences,forexample, faculty who arerelevant activities and assessments. teaching in similar disciplines can network and share resources online. 2. More synchronous and current events, and greater access to experts, student networking, and These evolutions will soon lead to another,faculty networking. Content resource sites will more revolutionary mode of content publishing:begin to leverage daily and weekly news events to sharing content, materials, and eventsacross theprovide relevancy to learning. Experts will be usual course boundaries. Rather than a databaseavailable remotely, and their comments and for one general geography course, for example,ainterviews will be archived and searchable. Some geography Web site may have components whichof these capabilities are already in place, with are available for faculty who are teaching any onestudents monitoring and participating in a series of a multitude of related courses. Rather thanof major national events. These events will help to course resources, we will have disciplinestimulate the networking of faculty and students. resources that provide a rich environment for motivated students and anabundant 3. Resources that are mixable and flexible by environment for students who only want to dofacultyandstudentsforinterdisciplinary the basics. programs. It is likely that book sites will evolve into larger databases of resources in response tomore Future Directions for Content Web Sites interdisciplinary programmatic requirements and the increased use of electronic materials. Value will The current publisher Web sites are like thebe added to teaching and learning by publishers larger Web; only a small tip of the availablewith related and complementary resources that resources can be seen with a quick glance. We aremake the barriers between the "courses" and the accustomed to taking quick measure of textbooks,"textbooks" more malleable. but taking a quick look at the various book sites is not so easy since only a small portion of the As the pace of information development richness of the content can be easily seen atonecontinues to accelerate, the importance of learning time. These sites are like icebergs, mountains, orcore concepts and principles, and learning how to Webs of content, accessed only a nodeor aapply those core concepts in a discipline, will be window at a time. While these book sites can savethe keys to learning how to learn and to lifelong time, they can also use time as well. Rather thanlearning. Publishers may want to segment and
- 68 - 76 Tools and Resources for Creating Web Courses package their resources into three layersoflearningdifficultcontent. However,ifthe content, including core concepts andprinciples,materials are expanded, they may cost more; application of core concepts, and problem analysistherefore, the cost to the students will increase. and solving. Final Thought 4. Pricing models of all types. Pricing access to the content will be in flux for some time, butthe The primary valueofan educational availability of multiple options for accessandexperience, in addition to the certification, is the pricing, including individual subscriptions,willactual learning, and learning is best facilitated by be constant. Students and nonstudents,forthe structure and organization that a course or a example, may want to access a biology orwell-designed educational experience brings. international finance site, whether or not it hasEnabling studentstolearn basic concepts, been recommended by a faculty member. important relationships, and processes without having to rediscover all foundational knowledge 5. Expanded role in education by contentis a goal of higher education. Therefore, thewell- publishers. If faculty move courses to the Web andstructured materials and tools to help this happen adopt the textbook and other resources providedwill always have a role. by the content publishers, it is possible thatthe increaseduseofmaterialsdeveloped by What is not certain at this time is the format of publishers could enhance the productivity andthese well-structured materials. We do know that accountability of higher education. Faculty mightcontent needs to be structured so we canteach be able to spend less time designingandand learn in pleasurable and effective ways. developing their courses. Students might haveFaculty and content publishers will be defining access to multiple andinteractive ways ofnew roles and relationships inthe future.
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CHAPTER 8 WEB COURSE MODELS
Overview this point, the Innovator wave was over and Early Adopters were being asked to put courses on the The first part of this chapter describes some ofWeb. Creative faculty and commercial vendors the early efforts at creating Web courses. Inthiscame forward to help. case, early means only afew years ago, the period from 1994 to 1996. In Net Time, we get a newDeveloping Content for the Three Web Course generation of technology every 18 months,and aTypes host of related applications soon follow. Table 8.1 estimates the amount of packaged This chapter looks at models of Web coursescontent and the amount of dynamic course representing each of the three basic types:material in traditional and Web-based courses. Web Enhanced, Web Centric, and Web Course. EachEstimates of the amount of personal choice or of these courses is described briefly in terms ofcustomized content and dialogue and interaction content and time. are also provided.
To illustrate these types of courses in action, As we look at the ways of describing courses, this chapter also includes stories from faculty whowe can easily see that thedifference between a are implementing these Web coursemodels ontraditional distance learning course and a real campuses with real students. These facultytraditional campus course can be described in the describe how they developed their Web coursesvaryingamountsofacoursethatare and discuss some of the issues they faced on their"prepackaged." In the case of a distance learning journey to the Web. course, almost 100 percent isprepackaged. The distance learning model has the course materials Computer-Based Courses boxed and planned ahead of time. A traditional campus course, on the otherhand, is generally Early in this book, we marveled at howless than 50 percent prepackaged. So to move a quickly the Web has become part of our lives. Thecourse from the traditional campusmode to a ease and simplicityofreaching out andtotally remote, asynchronous Web Course can be interacting with anyone, anywhere is in partdaunting in terms of time, skill, and resources. driving our enthusiasm for the Web. However, designing and developing good content that is As distancelearning courses beginto essential for good teaching and learning hasincorporate Web technology and as more campus always been costly. In the 1980s, when fullcourses are moved to a WebEnhanced model, sequences of computer-basedlower divisionthese differences start to diminish. Both types of courses were being developed, the costof a three-courses may shift closer to aWeb Centric model, credit course averaged about one million dollars.for example. As these models evolve, we need to This covered all aspects of the developmentmove forward wisely so we retainthe benefits of process, including an advisory board, contentall distance learning models. selection,course design, development,and testing. Recent discussions with colleagues in A look at these types of courses from the point distance learning and publishing confirm that theof view of what can be available to students in the numbers have not changed significantly. "anywhere, anytime" mode may be helpful. Table 8.2 shows the distance learning model at the top The reality of the time requirement forand the campus course at the bottom, with the significant Web-based content development tookthree types of Web courses in the middle. The two hold during the period between 1995 and 1998. Atcolumns show the relative percentage of teaching
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Table 8.1. Relative Percentage of Developedand Dynamic Course Content Elements
Packaged Dynamic Personal Dialogue and Developed Materials Materials . . Choice MaterialsInteraction - Traditional 92% to 100% 0% About 5% About 3% Distance Learning Delivered in a Course course package Web Course in 70% to 80% 5% to 10% 10% 5% to 10% Distance Learning Prepackaged and Campus content with Web Programs communication Web Centric 55% to 75% 5% to 10% 10% to 15% 15% to 20% Course Adopted book plus Web content WebEnhanced 50% 15% 20% 20% (Dialogue Campus Course Adopted book often increases plus Web content beyond 100%) Traditional 35% 20% 20% 25% Campus Course Usually an adopted text _., and learning that requires synchronousmeetingsteaching a traditional campuscourse can change a in physical space. course to a Web Enhanced course by making changes to only 10 percent of thecourse content Looking at courses from this perspective,weand interaction. The easiestway to do this is by may be surprised to see the small differencemaking three major changes: between a traditionalcampus course and a Web Enhanced campuscourse. A faculty member Use the Web for distributing all the documents for a course
Table 8.2. Relative Percentage of CourseContent Elements that Areon the Web Type of course Content and interactions using Synchronous the Web and other asynchronousresources, requirements/same such as books physical place Distance 90% to 100% 0% to 10% Learning
Web Course 90% to 100% 0% to 10% WebCentric 75% to 90% 10% to 25%
WebEnhanced 65% to 75% 25% to 35%
Traditional 50% to 65% 35% to 50%
BEST COPY AVAILABLE - 72 Web Course Models
Use the Web or the Internet for e-mail changes in the types of resources that are communication being used in teaching and learning Use the resources of the Web for student environments learning Web Enhanced Course Stories If this is so easy, why don't more colleges require all faculty to create Web sites for their A Web Enhanced course is one that makes use courses? Institutions that have declared a newof Web technology to support four types of effort: context for teaching and learning by requiring that all students have 24-hour access to computers support distribution of course materials are close to this requirement. However, this type support student access to course materials ofchangeoftenproducesunexpectedor and related resources unforeseen consequences. support dialogues between faculty and students, among students, and between As we haveseen,changes towarda students and resources Web Enhanced course mean a great deal in terms supportmanagementandassessment of faculty skill and knowledge, and accessible, portable tools. Such changes also have ripple processes. effects in increasing the requirements for an A Web Enhanced course usually starts as a effective teaching and learning infrastructure. traditional campus class, but with the addition of e-mail, bulletin boards, and student postings We think these factors suggest a healthygradually creates a 24-hour, 7-day a week respect for change and for the consequences ofsupplemental classroom on the Web. Most of us change. Moving courses to the Web is not anwho have done this have a goal of creating a isolated activity.It has an impact throughoutlearning community on the Web. Recall that a campus structure and campus practices! Web Enhancedclassgenerallyretainsthe requirement of the regular schedule of classroom Stories About Web Course Models meetings on campus. Less time is usually spent on administrative chores such as presenting the Faculty who have journeyed to the Web canschedule for the next exam or the next report provide first-hand accounts of the experience.because these types of items are always easily This section features stories from five facultyavailable on the course Web site. In other words, members who teach courses using the Web. Eachclass time is usually improved due to more of these stories demonstrates a different approachavailable time for substantive dialogue. A to moving to the Web, while still focusing on the Web Enhanced course has about 20 percent, or 30 important goals of teaching and learning. hours, of the course interactions on the Web. This a mix of faculty and student A brief introduction to each story highlights30 hours is which type of Web course the faculty memberinvestment in the course. teaches (Web Enhanced, Web Centric, or Web Course) and the issues that are of greatestA Web Enhanced Course Story: Business interest. Common toall these stories are EricL.Hansen,associateprofessorof changes the Web is making in three aspects ofmanagement at California State University in higher education: Long Beach, teaches a graduate course in an MBA changes in the amount of time faculty andprogram. This class meets once a week in the students spend collaborating with each otherevening and has 20 students. Hansen moved into the Web Enhanced mode with the use of one of the changes in the expectations of faculty and WCM tools previously described. students
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Havinggonethrougha Web Enhanced The midterm exam is a team take-home case. experience with 20 graduate students,HansenDuring the semester, each student also writes a four- began using many of the same techniques inanpart paper, called an Individual Project, in which the introductory management course. He isalsostudent analyzes his or her current work situation and planning to test this mode of teaching with largerdevelops a plan for the company and for himself or numbers of students. So we will want to stay tunedherself. for Hansen's further experiences. Asyou read Hansen's story, watch for how he uses the Web The Courselnfo Web site consists of a number of environment to enhance studentdifferent online modules which I used in a number of discussions-occasionally seeding the discussion withdifferent ways to support the studentlearning "a few cryptic comments." Also notice his techniquesexperience. The announcement feature on the home for managing the flow of documents, now mostlypage was a good place for general information and as electronic, and student feedback on key projects, anda backup to general e-mail. Of course, there's the how students make use of technology to meet instandard page to set up the syllabus and course
teams, although they are all commuting students. description. I noticed practical advantages to being able to communicate with individual students, a group Using a Web Course Management Tool of students, or all of my students at any time, without with Business Students having to wait for the next class meeting. Eric Hansen Students uploadedallofthepapers they
During the spring semester of 1998, I used ansubmitted, and I graded them and sent them back. instructional support Web site provided by Blackboard, Because we were not tied to submitting paper, I offered called Courselnfo, as a teaching and learning tool. Mystudents the option of turning in drafts of their papers
experience with it was very positive, and I want to share early via Courselnfo so that I could give them that and also hear from others about their experiences. preliminary feedback. For any given assignment, about Courselnfo is a class management set of Web pages. half the students took me up on my offer. It definitely It appears to work with any browser, although Netscape improved the quality of their learning experience, Communicator and Internet Explorer 4.0 are the onesjudging from the improved quality of the papers. Early most commonly used by my students. feedback also gave them more control over their grades. For me, grading a paper the second time was The course thatI taught was an MBA capstonemuch faster than grading one from scratch, so I don't course. I teach this course on campus in a traditionalthink that I put in much, if any, extra time for providing classroom. The seminar, with twenty students, meetsthis service for my students. once a week for three hours. There is no distance learning component. Students typically organize A related benefit was my ability to manage the themselves into teams of four, resulting in five teams. students' workload. For example, this class met once a week, on Tuesday nights. But because students were I do not use a textbook. Instead, the readingsubmitting papers by uploading them rather than consists primarily of journal articles and one or twoturning in hardcopy, I wasn't limited to having Tuesday supplementary books. I make extensive use of Harvard night due dates. Students had the ability to submit Business School cases, both for discussions and forpapers at any time. In practice, they frequently opted to written assignments. turn in their papers on Sunday evenings or first thing Monday morning. The communication module was For each class,allfive of the student teamsprobably the feature used most frequently. Each team prepare to present the discussion case. Then, in class, had a homepage, and they used its chatroom feature to I select one team at random to actually present thehold online team meetings to work on their case case, and a second team, also at random, to critiquepreparations. This was important, since the students all the presentation. A general discussion of the case andcommuted, and arranging off-campus meetings was the assigned reading material follows. generally inconvenient.
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The discussion board was the most active single When introducing the students to the idea of a feature, so far as I could tell. Because there were twentyWeb Enhanced course for the Introduction to students in the class, classroom discussions generallyManagementcourse,Hansenusedthis left several people out, especially the shy ones. Initially,description to present his expectations: I decided to remedy this by using the discussion board as an extension of the classroom discussion. Thus, In this class, we will use an instructional support students who were not as extroverted as others wereWeb site called Courselnfo. It will serve as a center for discussion and information exchange. It will provide you able to participate actively in "classroom" discussions. with interactive, current information about a variety of To energize the discussion board, I would seed it with a things that we are discussing, such as cases, your few cryptic comments of my own about the next reading grades,communications from your team about assignment, and what it might have to do with the meetings scheduled, and announcements from me. assigned case. This made the discussion very relevant Some of this information will come from me, some from for the upcoming case presentations. your classmates, some from other sources, and some will be provided by you. You will either need to have As you can imagine, the discussion board took off Internet access at home, or you will need to use the and became the "hot spot." In addition to accomplishing North Campus Library computer lab,the CBA its intended purpose of including shy students in theComputer Lab, or some combination of these. In this discussion, it emerged as an ongoing daily dialogueclass, you will submit all of your written papers by centered on course topics. By the third week of theuploading them to the Course Site. You may not hand in semester, the quality of the written and oral case hard copy papers. You may not hand in diskettes. presentations shot up, and it stayed higher than I've ever seen itfor the next 12 weeks. This, in turn, As can be seen, the need to have access to the energized the in-class discussions. Web, and to understand how to use it,is a requirement that must be addressed. If it is more The grading module allowed students to use theirdifficult for a student to access the Web than it is passwords to access their grades at any time. This hadto access the campus library, then neither the a number of advantages over other approaches. First, itcourse nor the students will probably be kept the students much more informed about wheresuccessful in this environment. If accessing the they stood with regard to their grades. This saved meWeb is equally cumbersome to accessing the library, time answering individual questions. Again, it furtherthen it will probably work. If accessing the Web is reduced the amount of paper with which I had to deal.easier and more convenient than going to the campus library, the students will probably learn to Instead of walking into class carrying thick folders full of strongly prefer courses in the Web environment. student papers and grading materials, I would bring the night's discussion case, nothing more. A Web Enhanced Course Story: Chemistry
Putting this all together, the total impact of using This story about a Web Enhanced course in Courselnfo was greater than the sum of its parts. At leastchemistry is quite different from the story with for this class, using this tool radically changed the nature business students. John Moore, a chemistry of the learning experience. Students were used to havingprofessor, has larger numbers of students-250 to a one-night per week class meeting, with one outside350 each year-and is generally aided by graduate team meeting every two weeks to prepare assignments.assistants. In this course, the on-campus interaction The addition of Courselnfo, withitsset of onlinestill includes large lecture classes and labs. So the modules, metamorphosed this traditional experience intocourse structure is very similar to what we are an ongoing, interactive community of learners. accustomed to intraditionalon-campus environments.Yetasignificant amount of I personally had more fun teaching this course than interaction and activities is now in the Web I've had in a long time. environment, and the use of other media-rich
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resources, such as CD-ROMs, are part of theprocedures, equipment, and techniques that they use students' learning package. each week in the chemistry lab. The online quizzes test their understanding of this content. In this case, the major enhancements from the Web environment appear to be in three areas: lab There are two kinds of online quizzes each week: one preparation; tracking, assessment and monitoringfor lab and one for homework. Students have two of student learning; and increased accessibility toopportunities to take each quiz. They receive immediate faculty and teaching assistants. The online quizzesfeedback on the quiz as soon as it is submitted. For any and related references also help to ensure success wrong answer, students are given sources for exploring the in a difficult course by providing structured answers on their own before retaking the quiz. 'This really resources for filling in conceptual gaps that helps results:' says Renee Cole, a postdoctoral fellow, who students may bring to the course. Notice that thiscreates the quiz questions and tutorialreferences. Web Enhanced course also uses a WCM tool to"Students may have learned the proper procedures and help create the central, focused Web site for thevocabulary in high school, or they may not have. They may course. The tool used in this example is WebCT. also have some significant gaps in their backgrounds. This method of pretesting provides a review for some students Large Classes of First-year Chemistry Students and an important introduction for others." Take to Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Cole is convinced that the use of WebCT templates Colleen McCabe and Kathy Christoph has made less work for the teaching assistants. Quizzes are scored, feedback delivered, and grades John W. Moore has been a chemistry professor atrecordedelectronically. Quizzes alsoprovide a the University of Wisconsin Madison for over 20 years.database of questions and answers that are valuable During that time, he has continually faced theas study materials for in-class quizzes and exams. challenges of teaching beginning lab chemistry to large numbers of students. In January of 1989, he anticipated Since the use of WebCT on this campus is still in its some of our now common online Web tools by writing early stages, the chemistry classes are not yet using the these prophetic words in the Journal of Chemicalbulletin board feature. However, Moore and Cole hope to Education: "Computer-simulated experiments,use it soon. They believe that the threaded discussion interactive videodisc lessons, instrument simulators,concept, where students can have a dialogue or and computer-based data collection and analysisdiscussion online,willfacilitate student group work. provide a golden opportunity to greatly broaden theStudents work in groups of three to five on laboratory horizons of laboratory instruction." experiments and also to work together to solve "challenge problems" in class. These challenge problems Ten years later, Moore has integrated theseare more complicated conceptual problems which often computer-basedtoolsand World Wide Webrequire the groups' collective knowledge to be solved. applications into his two-semester general chemistry course. This course enrolls 250 to 350 students each The chemistry department Web server is the host year, and consists of lectures, discussion sections, for the online syllabus, previous exams, lecture notes, and laboratory work. The use of e-mail, the Worldteaching assistants' home pages, and various Web site WideWeb, CD-ROMmaterials,and videoreferences. The interactivelecture,which uses technology has enhanced learning and improvedmultimedia presentations and live demonstrations of safety for these students. chemical reactions, prohibits the Web from substituting for class or lab attendance. According to Moore, The recent addition of WebCT, a Web-based"Although some redundancy is inevitable, and even learning system software tool, provides a tool to offerdesirable, students know there is unique information in online quizzes in place of homework and prelabthe various methods of delivery. Technology has assignments. Students now have easy access toallowed us to expose students to material in different multimedia-richtutorials and descriptions of labways and thus touch a variety of learning styles."
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At the beginning of the semester, students are can bring is to place students in an active provided with two CD-ROMs that contain video clips, rather than a passive role. People learn best by computer-generated animations, and software doing, observing, thinking, making choices, programs to supplement the traditional textbook. Moore and discovering the consequences of those states, "Our main objective is to have students develop choicesby being active. a conceptual understanding through problem solving rather than memorize some facts they might expect toA Web Enhanced Research Seminar on the Web know for an exam." This story comes from Jack Child, a Professor Students with their own computers are best situated. of Spanish and Latin American Studies and the However, the chemistry department hasits ownDirector of the Center for Teaching Excellence at computer lab, and the UW-Madison campus has 15American University in Washington, D.C. This computer labs at locations around campus. Some arecourse focuses on his use of the Web for open 24 hours so no student isat a significantenhancing the process and the outcome of the disadvantage. Students are encouraged to use e-mail to research project that constitutes a major part of the ask questions of faculty and teaching assistants. Moore course. The students review and comment on reports that "students are quick to send e-mail if they feeleach phase of the research project and share ideas something is wrong with a quiz question or answer." Cole on how to proceed. Others in cyberspace are has noticed that "some students are not comfortable with invited to comment, and do so! This is a good face-to-face interactions and can ask their questions at aexampleof how theWeb canfacilitate convenient distance by using e-mail." collaboration and shared discovery.
The UW-Madison chemistry departmentis The Web also supports increased use of a fortunate to have a professional videographer whodiscipline content database which links to other can quickly provide a multimedia clip specific tocontent sources and can be used as supplemental lectures or labs. He has also served as a resource to course material. Another key goal is that of more than a dozen visiting faculty who came toteaching how to teach with technology so that Madison tohelp create video and multimediamore new teachers can make better use of materials. Moore estimates that more than tentechnology. person-years are wrapped up in video production for the chemistry departmentnot an insignificant cost. Child comments that he is probably going to Much of the funding for these efforts was provided bymove away from the use of a generic Web two NSF grants. application tool to one of the newer WCM tools. He hopes this will save time for him and his The technology that Moore envisioned more thanstudents. Note also his plans for developing ten years ago was not just a pipe dream. The chemistry course-specific or discipline-specific CD-ROMs to department at the UW-Madison has worked towardaccommodate the large amount of content making his vision a reality, to the advantage of facultyneeded. Here is another opportunity for content andstudentsalike.Enteringstudents,alreadypublishers, or for Child to publish it himself. comfortable with computers, can use the tools of e-mail, WebCT, CD-ROMs, and the Internet practically Research Seminar on Spanish American Studies anytime, anywhere to participate in the learning process. Jack Child
But more critical to Moore than the improved access This paper provides a brief summary of how the to learning that technology offers is the way technology author moved a traditional Spanish/Latin American changes the student role in the learning process: Studies graduate seminar to the Web. The goal of this project was to use technology to enhance the course. A I believe that the most important criterion, and second goal was to introduce teaching assistants and the most important improvement technology potential teachersthe master's degree candidates in
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the seminarto ways in which they could apply Students are expected to research and present to computer technology to the courses they were, orthe class, in Spanish, a Research Project related to the would soon be, teaching. themes of the course. The presentationwill be developed in four phases: The name of the course is Spanish Graduate Seminar: Cultural Movements in Latin America. The 1) A one-paragraph proposal course description from the course catalog is as follows: 2) An outline and report on sources This course will examine a series of cultural 3)A100-word abstract of the final paper movements inLatin America as seen through their 4) A 10-minute oral report in class and a final literature and art, and analyzes how they have influenced, written report of about 20 pages and have been influenced by, the historical and political setting of their times. The cultural movements include: the Each of these phases of the report is posted on the pre-Columbian currents; Renaissance; baroque; student's Web page as it is completed. The purpose of neoclassicism; romanticism; costumbrismo; realism; putting the successive stages of the paper on the Web is to naturalism; modernism; and early 20th century currents. permit the other students in the classand anyone else in cyberspaceto comment and offer suggestions. You will be The seminar will also emphasize appropriateexpected to e-mailwith hard copy for the faculty techniques to teach Latin American literature, art, and memberyour comments on each of the other students' culture at all levels. These will include the integrated efforts at each step in the process, and your comments will use of visuals, cultural objects and computer-assisted form part of your grade. The software we will be using to instruction, such as CD-ROMs and the Web. Theprepare our Web pages is Adobe Pagemill for Macintosh, resources for this seminar include a CD-ROM disk withand students are encouraged to add visuals and hypertext sample programs, including two on Latin American links similar to those on our course Web site. painters which will be the starting point for an oral and Tools Used for the Course written report on a Latin American painter. This CD will be loaned to all students. The template used to develop the course Web site was Adobe Pagemill, available in both Macintosh and The course has an experimental Web site as part Windows versions. The faculty prepared a template for of American University's emphasis on educational the students' material on a floppy disk, which was technology. This Web site's home page has links to the distributed to the students. The template had Web pages course features. Of special interestis the "Daily for the various elements of the research paper: proposal, Review" section that contains questions focused on the outline, sources, and abstract. The floppy was turned in assigned readings for each class. There is also a Webto the faculty for posting on the Web at the various due page for each student in the course. Progress reportsdates. Students were encouraged to be creative with on each student's research projects,plus othertheir Web pages, and add to the template visuals, materials, will be posted to this Web page. The URLanimation, sounds, and anything else they thought addressforthecourse Websiteis
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Each student was required to comment on everybecause they had no computer at home, and the other student's work, in Spanish, at each stage using acomputer labs on campus were frequently crowded. course discussionlist;all students and the facultyThis has been a persistent problem, but each year member received a copy of each message. Wemore students have their own computers, often with discovered that outsiders from other universities in thedial-in modem access from home or work. United States and Latin America also joined in the commentary. Faculty Perspective and Future Plans
Building a Course Database for Use Across Courses From a faculty perspective, this was an interesting and rewarding experiment in using computing and Web One additional feature of the course Web site wastechnology to enhance a course traditionally offered in a set of questions on each week's reading assignment. weekly face-to-face lecture and discussion sessions. The instructor already had an English and Spanish textMore time was spent in preparation, due to the need to that he had authored and placed on the Web for andevelop the Web template and transfer the students' undergraduate literature course. Links wereinput onto the Web site. This was not an unreasonable established to these questions as a point of departurecommitment, and the course stands ready and fortheevening'sclassdiscussions.Additionalavailable, with some modifications for the next offering materials, more suitable to a graduate course, of the course in a semester or two. supplemented these undergraduate course materials. As far as future plans are concerned, we are Best Outcomes from This Experience experimenting with several commercially available course-authoring packages, which will greatly simplify The best thing about this experience was thethe task of organizing the course for the Web, and interaction among the students as they reacted to theirwhich will permit threaded discussion of given topics. peers' research proposals under development. UsingWe are also preparing CD-ROMs with the textual and the Web and the course discussionlist,students graphic materials used in the course to include the corrected, made comments, and offered suggestionsapproximately 1,400 slides that provide historical and and additional sources for research information. Theartistic "windows" into the cultural history of Latin papers became far more collaborative than under theAmerica. Because of the sheer sizeof these old approach, in which each student worked inmaterialsabout 500 MBit is not feasible to put them isolation. on the Web. Each student will receive CD-ROMs as part of the course package. The next best thing was the students' creativity in designing and creating their own Web pages. AlthoughWeb Centric Course Story they were initially constrained by the instructor's assigned template, they also felt free to deviate from it and designed How does a Web Centric course compare to a their own, retaining the essential course elements. Web Enhanced course? A Web Centric course is similar to a Web Enhanced course in that they both We also profited from comments made by people not make extensive use of Web technology. A taking the course, who happened upon the Web pageWeb Centric course uses the Web to support the while surfing. My favorite e-mail message in the course same four course functions-distribution, access, was the following: "We were surfing the net and were very dialogues, and management and assessment-that impressed by the course site, especially Lindsey's Webthe Web Enhanced course does, but expands these page. P.S. Of course, we are Lindsey's parents." functions.
Other Responses, Concerns, and Evaluations For example, because a Web Centric course significantly decreases the requirement for location.- Student response was very positive. One or twobased, synchronous classes, most Web Centric complained that the Web emphasis was a problemcourses have more components on their Web sites
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that serve the direct teaching or lecturing function,could see what you could do withitfor teaching. also known as the faculty-to-student dialogue. Technology can lead your teaching-you have to learn it to These direct teaching activities can look very much know what's possible."The faculty all felt that it really helped like lectures. They might be software-generatedto be working with colleagues who were all learning the presentations with an audio track. In fact, they aretechnology at the same time and who together would often called minilectures. They can also be simple create a new model of peer learning for students. instructions for learning activities or expanded directed learning experiences. Monk's part of this project, together with two colleagues, was to redesign a courseinhealth Anothercommonfacultyfunctionisbehavior, a general education course for first year coordinating discussions and then providing students at Penn State. debriefings and analyses. On the Web, tools with structured spaces for discussions for and faculty The instructional strategies that had been used in office hours often serve these functions. the past for this course included many student presentations and group discussions, so the faculty did A Web Centric course has between 60 percent not significantly revise the course content or approach. and 75 percent of its content from prepackagedUsing the Internet and presentation software to course materials, such as an adopted book plusenhance these strategies seemed natural. Monk Web content. The amount of dialogue and comments that, " It would have been very difficult for me interaction can be anywhere from 10 to 20 percent,to convert a lecture course to an online environment. and more if the students really take charge. That's a much more dramatic kind of shift."
Health Behavior and Anatomy Notes The students also had to become familiar with the Elizabeth Hawthorne technology. They learned to use presentation software, to search the Internet, and to access library resources This story about a Web Centric class begins a longremotely. time ago in Net Time, the late fall of 1994, when Susan Monk volunteered to participate in a technology-rich, The Middle student-centered learninginitiative at Penn State, dubbed Project Vision. Participants were selected only Monk and her two colleagues delivered the course moments before Santa began to aim for chimney tops.to three classes of twenty students each. These Monk was one of nine faculty members and threestudents were spread out across three campuses: librariansatthreePennState CommonwealthBerks, Delaware County, and Mont Alto. The course campuses who took part in this project. meetings and discussions were all online. This made the shift away from lectures easier, because the faculty Six faculty were given a semester of release time and member and the group of students were not in the summer support. Their mission was to learn the technologysame physical space. and to develop and deliver four Web courses for first-year students in 1995-96. These courses would use the World A WCM tool, First Class, was used to help manage Wide Web and other electronic communication tools to online discussions and seminars. E-mail was also used promote active student learning and eliminate all lectures. extensively. The faculty member and the students met At that time, Monk was familiar with computers. Whatvia Pictel videoconferencing equipment in campus happened subsequently was unpredictable. classrooms that were turned into "Learning Studios."
The Beginning The Now
In Monk's words, 'We were given laptops, training and Monk and her colleagues continue to offer this time; otherwise I wouldn't be as far ahead as I am now. The course in this Web Centric approach, even though all key was to become comfortable with the software so youthe students are now on the same physical campus.
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What About Other Courses? their collegiate experience. Another concern is the cost of some of the software, e.g., Animated Dissection of Although this story focused on the Web Centric course Anatomy for Medicine (A.D.A.M.). Fortunately, lower designed for theProject Visioninitiative,Monk'scost versions are becoming available. experiences also changed her non-Project Vision courses. Monk comments that,"It has dramatically altered Monk's story is a continuing one. "After 26 years of everything that I do. I teach everything using technology." teaching,I am renewed by the challenges of the new technology and relating it to teaching. Technology has "In my smaller courses, the students do projects,improved my teaching and has improved student and part of their lab experiences require researching learning. I am certain of it.I feel a part of the information a topic and doing a Power Point presentation on it. revolution thatis happening, and, because of the They learn about researching on the Internet so theyabilities I have been able to develop, I am helping my can present the main issues. In my larger classes,students be a part of the information revolution as well. students have access to my Power Point presentationsThere is an exhilaration of being involved at the online. I think this helps the students. I try to get them beginning of a new age, especially one this profound. I to look to the Internet for answers. I put samplecould never go back." physiology and anatomy questions online andit seems to help; students' grades are higher than In this case, the institution opened the door, but before. Students can review lecture notes and examMonk made Web-based learning happen for her and for materials. Students are willing to study if they knowher students. what to study." Web Course Story When teaching physiology and anatomy, Monk uses Power Point presentations that incorporate the A Web Course, as described earlier, is a course dynamic capabilities of the computer. She says, "I findthat can be taken anywhere, anytime, by almost it particularly exciting that I can show movement which anyone. There are no requirements, or very I couldn't show before. You can go nuts in physiologyminimal requirements,forlocation-based using your hands and whatever to try and showgatherings. There can be requirements for something. Now I can include movementshowing ansynchronous activities if Web technology or other ion channel opening and closing, for example. Thisremote distance technology is used. A course that improves the quality of student learning and makesis fully on the Web is usually designed and students more confident." developed with a distance learning population in mind. On-campus courses generally tend to be But using technology for teaching and learning isn'teither Web Centric or Web Enhanced courses. The all positive, according to Monk. Some of the concernsamount of design and preparation needed for a she expressed include the amount of time needed toWeb Coursethatiscompletelyoralmost develop suitable slides for presentations and to createcompletely online is costly and usually takes a a Web site. "Of course," she observed, "now that theminimum of nine months to prepare. In some slides are developed, they are done. I can reuse them higher education venues, Web Courses tend to be repeatedly and modify them readily as researchdesigned and developed by faculty or teams and informs our understanding of the fieldsin which I then delivered by other instructors or tutors. In teach." Another challenge is the extra time she nowfact,the materials and content of courses spends with students via e-mail. "It's extra time, but it'sdeveloped by publishers are almost Web Courses time I don't mind. It gives students an opportunity to getin need of a good delivery instructor! Again, questions answered that they might not be able to geteverything is changing, so the moment after you answered or even ask face-to-face.Itincreasesread this, you may find a contrary example. informal interaction after the e-mail exchanges:' And research has been clear that this extra time spent on The story that follows is more than a story out-of-class contact helps retain students and enrich about a Web Course. It is a story of how a
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completedegree program evolvedtobecorrespondence degree mills had always hung heavy successfully offered as a degree program on theover traditional campus education. There was real Web implementing the Web Course model. One ofcriticismof anythingthat smacked ofdistance the most important lessons of this story is theeducation on a campus-based institution. realization that students who take courses on the Web usually want a full sequence of courses Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA, is a new leading to a certificate, degree, or specialization.(founded in1978),highlyrespectedgraduate This is the area that promises the greatest growthinstitution, fully accredited by the Southern Association for the future. The issue of accreditation is anof Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the state of important one in any program, particularlyVirginia.Theschool'sfirstPh.D.degree in programs heavily dependent on technology andCommunication Studies was added in 1991 and was distance. Schihl has been shepherding thesesubsequently accredited. Would we jeopardize our programs through accreditation with greatquality program with a distance track? For most success. These programs are serving as modelsstudents already in the program, and for a number of for how to achieve effective learning andfaculty, the response was an unqualified "no way." community at a distance over the Web. In November 1998, Regent completed a SACS site This story reinforces many of the concepts thatvisitation for a ten-year accreditation reaffirmation, and we have been developing. You may want to paywas fully accredited for both on-campus and online special note to the following two. First, notice howdegree programs at both the M.A. and Ph.D. level in Schihl defines "distance education" as "anycommunication studies. The online Ph.D. program in learning that occurs outside the classroom but iscommunication was in its fourth year and the online mediated by the university." In other words,M.A. in its second. The site visitors called us a "role students taking Web courses did not have to be atmodel" of accreditation, with the fewest a distance. They could be close, but not on campus.recommendations in the chair's seventeen They "took the geography out of distance."accreditation committees. Second, note the definition of residency as "building a community of scholars." How this is How are we doing quality graduate Web-based being achieved isstill a challenge, but thisdistance education? We began during the fall of 1994, definition clears the way for new thinking aboutwith both feet in the Web for full degree programs. Our just what a community of scholars is and what Web site for our first online program, graduate programs might hope to achieve by
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and student-student interactions. Needless to say,weeks for master's students) and a one-week on- university services also kept up with the college'scampus seminar each summer following continuing distance development. The library went online,coursework. During that time the students learn the academic services went online, and student servicesdistance support resources of the library, the computer went online concurrently. services support available, and the graduate-level demands of writing style forms. Added to these Some secrets of our success? First, the immediate components, each graduate faculty member addresses burden of developing Web-based education had to bethe students and presents his or her research interests placedina faculty Webmaster who would beand publications. For the doctoral students, the responsibleforall Web site development, and,graduate faculty propose research projects, create especially, posting faculty syllabi for all courses. Asking research groups, and begin actual research that will be facultytolearn and use HTML would be ancontinued with the students from their home learning unnecessary intrusion into already busy schedules. environments. Field convention papers and Faculty development workshops provided the basis forpublications are the goals of these early research adapting existing course syllabi to the Web. A gradual endeavors. introduction to Web-based teaching was agreed upon; two courses were introduced to the Web per semester What would be done differently if we were to do it until all courses were converted. all over again, knowing what have we learned? Our first lesson was that there were no guidelines, no manual, We had also agreed that any student accepted into no history of online graduate level degrees. We were the university could take any course from either track. the cutting edge. We tried things, made improvements, Distance education became defined as any learningand moved on. Facing serious accreditation scrutiny that occurs outside the classroom but is mediated byearly in the history of our degree program, we knew the university. We took geography out of distance. We that our accrediting body was considered conservative. found that there were local students who could not takeOur early choice in building the Web-based degree some classes (often delaying degree completion)program was to remain as close as possible to a because of family and job commitments. Distancetraditional education paradigm. Hence, we stayed in the courses allowed them to take courses at their own time semester time frame for beginning and ending courses. and place. Our online courses were also to be equivalent to their on-campus double except for delivery; the online Distance learning opportunities brought in a wholedegree was to be equivalent to its on-campus double, new target audience for our graduate degrees: facultysave residency. of colleges and universities already teaching but in need of terminal degrees. These faculty could get only We also found that we learned and adapted as we a one-year sabbatical leave to study while ourgained experience. Our early focus was to build an programshaveatwo-yearminimumrequired academically superior distance learning experience that coursework period. Now, these applicants could study could rival its on-campus equivalent. In doing that, we on campus for one year (and the two adjoining lost a balance for the distance learner. We were too slow summers) and complete their coursework at home andto create the nonacademic experience for the distance on the job. learner; we failed to establish residency in the form of orientation,cultural life, andpeerinteraction Another secret to successful distance education foropportunities for the off-campus learner. But as we accreditation purposes was residency. We definediscovered our omission we began to remedy it. We residency as building a community of scholars. Thevideotaped the graduation and video-streamed it on our faculty want to meet their distance students; there is stillWeb site. We contracted to videotape an original theatre a deep-seated need for interpersonal contact. We production (we have a theatre arts major in the college) accomplish residency in two ways: a prestudy on-and added it to our Web site. We produced a distance campus workshop the summer before beginningstudent orientation site and introduced an electronic distance studies (four weeks for doctoral students, two version of an on-campus graduate colloquium.
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What are some of our pedagogicaltime and effort required by this approach, the accomplishments? One of our challenges was todemands of society for new types of learning, and reduce a distance student's on-campus presencethe flexible and linked possibilities of the new during doctoral studies. Originally, we felt that a studentmedia, is there another way? should be back on campus for qualifying exams and oraldefense,dissertationandthesisproposal The Electronic Quad defenses,andfinaldissertationdefenses. We developed a proctored procedure, so that 16 hours of The story of the Electronic Quad describes a written qualifying examinations can be securelynew model for how instructional materials might conducted online. The same proctored procedurebe developed and shared for teaching and allows us to hold the oral defenses via telephonelearning in the future. The Electronic Quad is an conference call. With no security demanded for aexperiment in distributed educational materials dissertation proposal defense, a conference call alonedevelopment and delivery. Faculty from six suffices. We stillrequire a face-to-face dissertationdifferent universities cooperated in a project to defense on campus. develop and use shared instructional modules in their field of communications studies. We also aretryingsynchronous computer- mediated learning at the dissertation writing stage. This project, they said, had its origins in Most faculty know that the most fruitful time with theirseveral interrelated goals, objectives and beliefs: dissertation chair was side-by-side going over written dissertation drafts. With a video camera and software The application of a "componentware" like Net Meeting, the candidate and chair can see and approachtothedevelopment of hear each other, and they have the same dissertation educational materials. The goal of this text file on the screen for editing purposes. approach is one that the developers of educational software have been trying to We also discovered the value of Real Audio for audio achieve for many years. A component taped speeches used in a political communication approach can offer advantages in the areas course and the role of audio tapes for a script and ofreusability,costreduction,and screenwriting course. RealVideo serves our media development time reduction.Itisa studies area well. We are on the verge of creating our strategy by which a set of materials-larger own interactive CD-ROMs for many courses. than needed for a single course-are developed. Faculty then select content Do we want to do more distance education? The from this array of modules or components success of four years and the first graduates from the all- to construct a course based on the course distance degree track has prompted us to consider new requirements and goals and the particular degrees which will be offered entirely online, perhaps in student population and delivery arts and entertainment management and in media environment. education. I think it is safe to say that we are discovering Theapplicationofpedagogiesthat the future in achieving successful distance education integrate an active, cooperative, team- today. Indeed, "chance favors the prepared mind." oriented approachtolearning.This reinforces the movement towards focusing Developing Web Databases on greater student responsibility and activity in learning and in student-to- Thus far, the stories have largely focused on student dialogue. how one faculty member moved one course to the Web. In many respects, this is similar to the crafts The use of Internet-based instructional approach in the Middle Ages. Every product was delivery to support not just distance designed and developed by a master crafter. Each learning, but learning in context (e.g., just- product was special but very expensive. Given the in-time instruction).
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The use of new collaboration technology The project continues a theme that is emerging to support cooperative instruction bybased on the new capabilities of our technology to be communities of teachers and students. sliced, diced, combined, and recombined. We like to call this "beyond the course," as a unit of analysis, In addition to building components ofplanning, and delivery. Thinking at this level may be courses with these goals and criteria, thea toolin restructuring for productivity and Electronic Quad involved the creation of anaccountability. educational testbed and the development of tools to support distributed education. DuringCommon Questions About Web Courses the project, the project team identified four basic types of tools used by all faculty. These four Faculty who are asked to move their courses tools included a simple Web publishing tool orto the Web are really in the forefront of the Web course management tool, a tool to supporttransitiontothe new paradigm.Likea online surveys or student workbooks, use ofkaleidoscope, these first faculty are being tossed common synchronous and asynchronous audioabout in the change of the pixels from one steady and video technology, and Web lectures usingstate to another. While we have started to see a presentation software tools. By using this set ofclearer vision of teaching and learning on the tools, faculty members created environments forWeb, we still have many questions: electronic courses. What kinds of content work well in a Web Electronic Quad was set up to prototype four course? criticaltechnology solutionstosupporta Are there any kinds of content that are not distributed instructional community: appropriate? Are there any levels of courses that are not A digital archive of shared instructional appropriate? materials Which students are best suited for this Groupwareapplicationstosupport environment? coordinated development of materials How can we develop relationships with a A database to store student work and class? Is the class entity going to be grades replaced by lots of individuals? Can we A business model to motivate and manage achieve a class community? cooperation How can students learn to be more independent? The six universities participating in this project are the University of Illinois, Urbana- How can faculty handle 25 to 30 students, andpossiblymany more,inthis Champaign; the University of Arizona; the environment? University of Kansas; Arizona State University; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and We can't know the answers to many of these Michigan State University. This story wasquestions in any depth for some time. We all will presented at EDUCOM 98 by Barbara J. O'Keefe,need to contribute to the answers. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Sally Jackson, University of Arizona; and RichardConcluding Thought Williams,UniversityofIllinois,Urbana- Champaign. This project was supported by a The idea of moving to a new teaching and grant from the Advanced Technology in Higherlearning space, a space that is really not a space at Education Program at the University of Illinois,all, is a new one for some of us. Some of us feel Urbana-Champaign. that it is just not possible to develop and cultivate
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relationships across space and across time. As weable to imagine how we ever taught without the learn from our experiences, we discover ways toWeb. The next chapter provides a look at how to succeed in teaching and learning in the virtualuse the tools to help students learn and help classroom. In another few years, we may not befaculty teach in a more collaborative manner.
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CHAPTER 9 CREATING AND SUSTAINING ONLINE COMMUNITIES
Overview student roles are being redefined. Faculty are moving from being the sole source of information American pioneers moving across the Westto becoming facilitators, mentors, and guides. faced life-threatening hardships along the trail.Studentsaremoving from beingpassive After arriving at their destination, they faced theknowledge absorberstoactiveknowledge challenges of settling new homesteads andgenerators (Eastmond, 1995; Harasim et al., 1997; building new lives. They faced a myriad ofHiltz, 1994; Moore & Kearsley, 1996). questions. What food would grow? What type of shelter should they build? How would they In the online environment, learners are govern themselves? How would they relate toassuming more responsibility for their learning their neighbors, and how would they relate toand are even assuming some responsibility for the outsiders? In other words, they had to determinelearning of their fellow students. Some of the how they would become a cohesive unit, atraditionalfacultyresponsibilities,such as community. identifying and generating course resources and leading discussions, are being shared with the FacultyandlearnersinaWeb-basedlearners. Online learners face the challenge of environment have similar challenges. We've madelearning new content, while also learning new our journey to this new online environment. Now,technology, communication methods, how will faculty and students build new spacesinstructional strategies, and roles. and conceptualize new ways of interacting. How will learners operate within this environment? One instructional strategy that faculty have What are the roles and expectations? Who willfound useful in encouraging students to take govern this new environment? responsibility for learning in the face-to-face classroomiscollaborativelearning.With The new digital communication tools supportcollaborative learning, students work together in types of interaction between the students andsmall groups to "maximize their own and each faculty that were never possible before. But howother's learning" (Johnson & Johnson, 1993, p. should those tools be used? What types of138).Group members areresponsiblefor applications make sense? How are they best useddiscussing and explaining course content, solving for instruction? problems, providing feedback, and ensuring mutual success among group members. Learners Does it seem as if there are more questionsdepend upon one another as knowledge- than answers? providers; the faculty help validate students' mutual knowledge building. Even though we are moving from an Industrial Age "delivery" paradigm to an The faculty's challenge in this environment is Information Age "knowledge-building"to manage the interaction and collaboration paradigm (Dolence & Norris, 1995), or even whateffectively. A faculty member who has used some are calling the "Communication Age"collaborationstrategiesinthetraditional (Thorndike as quoted in Cooney, 1998), ourclassroom has an advantage, but collaborative instructional experiences from the face-to-faceactivities in a Web-based environment have environment can help build our new onlineslightly different dynamics and management communities. considerations.
As we move from faculty-centered to learner- Thischapterdiscussesthebasicsof centered instruction, traditional faculty andcollaboration in the online environment. What is
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it? Why should it be used? How do you build a The major drawback of interaction is that it collaborative community without face-to-facedoes not necessarily promote the team building communication? process. For team building to occur, we need to use the next stage of community The Continuum of Community buildingcollaboration.
Interaction, collaboration, and cooperation areCollaboration terms that are usually used interchangeably when we are talking about small group work. While Collaboration is the act of students working similar, each of these terms has a distinct meaningtogether in small groups on a particular activity in teaching and learning environments. Each typeduring a finite time period. One example of of interaction can be a distinct stage towardscollaboration isto form student groups to building a learning community; each type ofcomplete a single activity or a set of activities interaction also can be differentiated by theduring a single class. The purpose of group learning goal of the activity, the duration of thecollaboration is usually to analyze a situation, activity, and the structure and complexity of thesolve a problem, or brainstorm ideas. Learners are learning experience. The connection betweenconnected through the joint activity and the learners usually deepens as interaction time, taskcommon short-term goal. But due to the short structure, and complexity increase. As learnersduration of the activity, learners may not become spend more time interacting on increasinglyinterdependent or look to each other for mutual complex, higher-order thinking activities, ansupport as the course progresses. online community of multiple, interdependent perspectives begins to form. The faculty member provides less guidance and leadership in collaboration than in an Interaction interactive activity. At this collaboration stage, the group may turn to the faculty member to resolve Interaction is a communication exchangegroup negotiation problems or to validate certain between two or more learners.Itis not afacts or processes: "They say the answer should be prolonged exchange, so there is no lastingthis, but I think it's that. Which is right?" Overall, affiliation established between learners. Whenhowever, the group operates more independently students exchange answers or discuss their ideasthan students do during simple interaction. with the people near them in a face-to-face classroom, interaction occurs.Itis short inCooperation duration, fleeting, and does not require that learners maintain or build a lasting connection. A very fine line separates collaboration and cooperation, which is why the two terms are often Interaction is used to increase communicationused interchangeably. The difference between the and participation, to engage learners in eithertwo terms, as they are used in the continuum of content or processes, to enhance the processing ofcommunity building, lies in the complexity and content by learners, and to give and receiveduration of the activities. In cooperative groups, feedback (Wagner, 1997). In a classroom, a facultylearners work together with minimal guidance member usually leads the interactive process andfrom faculty in order to achieve an outcome or is a visible figure in it. When learners aregoal that can only be achieved collectively and interacting,thefaculty member isintheinterdependently.Cooperative groups work background, but learners still have a tendency totogether throughout a course to complete a series look to the instructor for answers instead ofof problem-solving or peer-learning activities that relyingon eachotherforguidance andculminate in a product, such as a project report, or interpretation. an action, such as leading an online conference.
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the interaction stage of community building. Both of increased faculty availability and may are good one-to-one communication tools, and increase student dependency upon the they are also useful in collaborative activities. faculty (Eastmond, 1995). Faculty have Conferencing tools support collaboration because begun to report that teaching distance of the longer duration of the activity and the learningcourses"isademanding increasing interdependencies; conferencing tools proposition for professors... an enormous alsosupportcooperativeand community amount of work, much more than teaching activities. in a classroom" (McKinnon, 1998).
Inthesecooperativeandcommunity Nature of online environments. Students interactions, virtual environments such as Multi- must face the challenge of interacting User Dungeons (MUDs), MUD Object-Oriented without the usual physical and vocal cues (MOOs), Multi-User Simulations Environments of face-to-face communication. Students (MUSEs), and Multi-User Adventures (MUAs) must also overcome the difficulties of the support community building through online asynchronous nature of online discussion simulations and problem-solving activities. These as it relates to negotiating consensus. are "imaginary worlds in computer databases Communication is not instantaneous in where people use words and programming many cases, and the spontaneity that can languages to improvise melodramas, to build be helpful when solving problems is lost. worlds and all the objects in them, solve puzzles, This can slow the group formation process etc." (Rheingold, 1993, p. 145). Table 9.1 illustrates as well as group discussion. the relationships between tools and types of Brainstorming, for example, is best done interaction. synchronously. The lowly, ubiquitous, and familiar telephone can be a good tool of Drawbacks to Community Learning on the Web choice for some activities.
Quite honestly, online learning environments Technology comfort level. Comfort with require more time, effort, and commitment on the technology is key to whether collaboration part of every member of the community. We have takes place. However, discomfort with identified seven challenges presented by the technology can promote community when increasedinteractioninonlinelearning a learner reaches out to the community for environments: help.
More faculty time. When learners are new Less self-paced. Another drawback is that to an online learning environment, online sometimesbuilding community can communication encourages an expectation appear to interfere with the positive
Table 9.1. Tools and Types of Interactions
Interaction Collaboration Cooperation Community
E-mail X X X X - . Chat X X X X
Conferencing X X X _ . MUDs/MOOs X X
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Two key attributes of a cooperative group aretraditional, face-to-face education, from that the members are interdependent since allelementary to higher education. Studies of its group members must succeed in order for theeffectiveness have concluded that achievement, group to succeed, and individually accountableproductivity, self-esteem, peer interaction, and since each member's performance is individuallygroup cohesion are higher in collaborative groups assessed in some manner. than in individual or competitive learning environments (Johnson & Johnson, 1993), and In a cooperative activity, the faculty member iscritical thinking is enhanced. In addition, Johnson a facilitator who structures the group andand Johnson (1993) state that "a dialogue with determines the goal or goals of the activity, but thepeers promoted more higher-level reasoning and process for completing the activity is determinedability to apply learning than did a dialogue with by the group. The faculty member may monitora computer" (p. 147). the process and provide guidance as needed or requested by the group. As learners become more In an online distance learning environment, dependent upon each other, they become morecollaborative learning techniques have been responsible for their learning and move closer toimplemented through the use of computer- being a community. mediated communication tools such as e-mail, chatrooms,andconferencingsoftware. Community Computer-mediated communication tools supportthesmall-groupinteraction,peer A learning community consists of learnerscollaboration, and teamwork that Pea (1994) who support and assist each other, make decisionsfound lacking in satellite- and videoconference- synergistically, and communicate with peers on abased distance learning environments. varietyoftopicsbeyond thoseassigned. Community goes beyond cooperation; it is a self- Studies analyzing computer-mediated managing entity. communications indicate that online collaboration can increase participation and decrease student In a learning community, the faculty memberisolation in distance learning courses (Harasim, et is a community member with a consulting role.al., 1997; McCormack & Jones, 1998; Collis, 1996). Although the faculty member may introduceCollis further reports that online collaboration some activities and discussiontopics,theincreases the likelihood that different perspectives community members also determine additionalwill be introduced, and supports quick and easy activities and topics. Learners turn to each othercommunication, as well as the use of interactive first for problem resolution and knowledgeinstructional strategies. building before they seek information from the faculty. Building community can also assist in the management ofthecourse. As an online Community: Why Create It? community grows, learners become more self- directed, and tasks such as facilitating discussion, Larocque (1997) summarized the sentimentsensuring accesstocontentresources, and of many faculty members in his paper's title: "Me,providing technical support can be accomplished Myself and...You? Collaborative Learning: Whyby members of the community. Bother?" Creating community often seems to take more time and effort to plan and administer thanTechnology Tools that Promote Community other instructional strategies. So, it's worthwhile to ask, Why do it? What are the benefits? Many Web applications and tools support each of the types of interactions that promote During the last three decades, collaborativecommunity building. E-mail and chatrooms are learning has been used throughout all levels oftools that fit the short duration characteristics of
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aspects of time-independence and self-work in a physical environment where students pacing. The class must stay together inhave met each other face-to-face, online learners some manner to communicate on the samewill not automatically group themselves. The topics during a particular time frame. Aanxiety with which learners begin to interact person falling behind can be detrimentaland collaborate online with peers they have to the community when the situationnever met is similar to going on a blind date. causes frustration or resentment on theHow will I get to know this person? What will part of those who respond in a timelywe talk about? Will we be compatible? Will we manner and wish to move to the nexthave similar interests? How well will we work topic. together? Lurkers. Learners can have negative Moore and Kearsley (1996) underscore the perceptions of collaboration if all memberscarefulmanagementneededtocultivate of the group are not fully engaged in thecommunity in online learning environments. In process(Hiltz,1994). Some learnersan online learning environment, "participation is remain community lurkers if collaborationnot likely to happen unless itis deliberately is not perceived as a valuable or essentialplanned and the faculty/moderator encourages part of the learning experience. it" (p. 119). "The key to being effective," they note, "is that the teacher takes full advantage of the No emotional cues. Students may not feelinteractive nature of the media. The faculty comfortable disagreeing with one anothermember brings learners frequently, indeed almost in text-based communication. Sometimes acontinuously, into action by asking questions, student can disagree in a joking manner inencouragingstudentpresentations,getting a face-to-face environment and peers dostudents to talk to each other, and in other ways not take offense. In an online environment,involving them fully in the teaching-learning misunderstandings occur more easily andprocess" (p. 71). often take longer to resolve than they do in physical environments. Many of today's learners have received the bulk of their education in a lecture-based, Inexperience with collaboration. Manytraditional classroom. Therefore, learners usually adult learners have not been taught how torequire an orientation to their more active and collaborate with and critique their peers'responsible roles as online learners. Increasing the work. Adult learners may also discount atime, structure, and complexity of collaborative critique that comes from a peer they do notactivities as the course progresses can encourage perceive to be an expert in the same sensethis shift of focus for the learner. that a faculty member is an expert. Learners may look to the faculty memberClass Activities that Build Community to referee the discussion. Learners want to know they are on the right track with their Johnson and Johnson (1993) found that thoughts and may want faculty validationcooperation among students would not occur before they accept the opinion of a peer. unless the students were trained in cooperative strategies. Providing adequate training can be a How to Build Community challenge when a course is limited to one semester. However, the following suggestions for Techniques for structuring collaboration areways in which cooperation can be gradually not necessarily obvious. One faculty member,developed in an online course can help overcome when asked how to structure collaboration, said,obstacles. With these activities, students can learn "Well, I give the students the activity and tellcollaborative techniques while they learn course them to form groups." While this strategy mightcontent.
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Student introductions. Begin with an comfortable, introduce an activity that introduction activity. This can be done requires interaction between two peers, through an online profile, via a conference such as having each one review the other's posting, or in a more informal area such as reflections or allowing them to question a café or student lounge. each other on factual or core content. As mentioned in an earlier section, this can be Provide examples of topics learners might done via e-mail, chatrooms, or online like to mention in their introductions. notebook exchanges. Be sure to allow three Encourage them to post pictures of to five days for this activity to occur in themselves to provide visual cues to their ordertoaccommodatescheduling peers. These profiles can be used to get a difficulties between the two learners. sense of which community members might work well in a group together, Collaboration activities. At this point, two based on their careers, learning interests, or three dyads can be merged to form a and time commitments. recommended group size of four to six students (Harasim, et al., 1995). Balancing Follow up with an e-mail or survey expertise within each group as much as concerning student experiences with possible is a worthwhile practice. Small technology,distancelearning,and group discussion is a good strategy for the collaboration. Individual e-mail messages groups to learn consensus building and to students might be appropriate with begin forming interdependency by focusing somestudentstodeterminetheir on resolving a problem or dilemma. personality and work ethic. Appropriate grouping of compatible individuals will Set netiquette standards, or manners, for move the learners more quickly toward the community and allow community successful collaboration. members to amend or appeal the rules as the community builds. See Harasim (1995) Preinteraction. Begin the content activities or an online site for helpful examples of with tasks that a learner can accomplish netiquette rules. individually. This will give students time to get to know one another through the Keep after the lurkers who are not introductory exercises and to become participating by assigning roles and familiar with the basics of the technology responsibilities, such as summarizing a before adding the stress of coordinating discussion. Call on them just as you would activities with a peer or group. If students in class by asking questions in the are not confident in the use of the conference area addressed specifically to technology, they will be slow to enter their the lurker. thoughts or may not use the tools at all. Provide a space on the course Web site Cooperative activities. Effective face-to where technology problems can be posted face cooperative techniques such as a forpeerstoread andassistwith jigsawalsoworkinanonline resolution. Preinteraction activities can environment. Jigsaw is a cooperative include online lectures, readings, and activity in which each group member has a reflection assignments. piece of the knowledge content needed to solveapuzzle.Other small group Interaction activities. It is good to plan strategies include roundtable discussions, about two weeks for new learners to role plays, and team projects that result in become comfortable with the online Web the creation of strategies for complex real course environment. Once students are life challenges.
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In cooperative activities, assigning and conference. The student team presents and rotatingrolesto team members facilitates the conferences. Sufficient time throughout the semester is an effective needs to be provided for the planning of strategy. Varying roles can assist learners these types of conferences. in organizing themselves and developing self-direction. Several researchers have The time that a faculty member spends identified various roles over the years managing the online interaction should (Cohen, 1972; Rudduck, 1978; Brochet, decrease as the course progresses and 1989; Harasim, et al., 1997): learners become more experienced with collaborative and community activities. Leader or facilitator who helps set group Once a community is formed, it should be goals, tracks group progress, and manages predominantly self-managed, meaning group activities that community members take Negotiator who eases or resolves conflicts responsibility for initiating and Editor who summarizes the group's coordinatingactivities.Thefaculty discussions and progress for the rest of the member then is able to step into the community background and allow the community to Consultant who researches and provides govern itself. additional resources to the group The bottom line. An online community is Pacesetter who encourages the not something that simply happens. It cooperation and participation of lurkers must be developed and nurtured through Challenger who encouragescritical diligent planning by the faculty. It also thinking by introducing questions or requires the commitment of the class engaging group members in a debate of community to make it work. However, the their position. outcomes are well worth theeffort. Similarly,effectivecollaboration and Online community activities. Large group cooperative learning activities also must conferences and seminar groups are very effective online community activities. be developed and planned. These types of Student teams can be responsible for activities nurture student learning and are researching topics, presenting ideas, and useful tools in creating effective online soliciting feedback and ideas from the teaching and learning environments. other learners. Many of the book sites Collaborativeactivities may also be mentioned in the earlier chapter on among the best ways to help manage the contentresourcesoffersynchronous time commitment of faculty for online events with experts. One community courses. This is an area where more activity could be to participate in one of research and more tools will help make these online events and integrate that significant differences in future learning experience and information into the environments.
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CHAPTER 10 ISSUES IN THE WEB ENVIRONMENT
Overview found myself staring moodily at the contents of my Eudora Inbox, wondering why I had ever decided to Over the course of this book, we have handle all communication with my students myself. The addressed many of the issues that faculty andlatest assignment from my students was a project administrators are facing in the new onlinedescription. After two hours of trying to sort my e-mail environment; however, we have not addressedinto some semblance of order, Istill had not found the them all. Strategies for dealing with many of theseproject description from 5 of my 29 graduate students! issues are still evolving, but the issues are complex and often challenge strong cultural Every one of my students,itseemed, had traditions. Answers are few and far between; whatmanaged to create a different name for the subject we have now are temporary strategies to useheading of their mail files. These same students, later while technology and practices are sorted. in the semester, sent their completed projects to me in every imaginable file format. They also sent files to me, Four recurring issues are the source of I later learned, with obscure viruses that were difficult to ongoing frustration for developers and managerseradicate. Seven students were quite inexperienced in of online courses: the use of technology at the beginning of the course, which added additional spice to this mix. Managing e-mail communications with students To my surprise, I soon added myself to the
I I really knew very Class size in online courses "inexperienced" list.learned that little about managing course delivery over the Web or Copyright issues and intellectual propertycommunicating with students using this new teaching policies and learning environment. I learned that actually doing Assessment and evaluation this type of teaching is definitely more challenging than just talking about doing it. What follows is a reflection of The quick pace of the online environmentwhat I learned from facing the perils of faculty-student provideslittletime for the exploration orcommunications online.It takes the form of a list of resolution of these issues. Our discussion is only athings not to do when communicating with your starting point. students over the Web.
Issue One: Managing E-Mail Communications 1. Do not expect all students to read and with Students participate successfully in your class discussion list during the first week of the semester. The The subtitle of this section could be "Whatprocesses for setting up class discussion lists and NOT To Do When Communicating with Studentsgiving all students e-mail access have not been on the Internet." In the spring of 1997, when onefully automated in many higher education of the authors, Judith Boettcher, was new toinstitutions. For those institutions that are using teaching via the Internet, she blithely decided tosome of the new tools, this situation is improving handle almost all the communication with herand may have become automatic. students online. Her story of this experience and the lessons she learned from it follows. For other institutions, and especially for students at a distance, a lag of one to two weeks BecauseI was teaching a campus course aboutforallstudentsto be prepared with the distance learning,I thought it was important that thetechnology is not unusual. In planning online students and I practiced what I preached. So it was thatcourses, then, some backup strategies may need to in the middle of a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon, Ibe identified.
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Two areas may need support. First, access tostudent's handwriting to clue us into hisor her course content must be assured and reliable. Withidentity. Now faculty detectives have to search distance learning students, a good strategy is tothrough e-mail logs or other lists for matchinge- have students support each other in providingmail. access to the content information. Sufficient technology support is another critical piece that 3. Do not be available to your students all the must be in place. For solving technology accesstime. Many dedicated and committed faculty problems, a lag of two weeks is usually sufficient.truly enjoy teaching and want to be available to Direct students to the institution's help desk andtheirstudents throughthis new medium. the local Internet Service Provider (ISP) ifanAdditionally, as we move some of our teaching external one is being used. Students can alsoand learning to this new environment, we are successfully team up with each other to resolveconstantly reminded that the power of technology technology problems. enables us to be available anytime, anywhere. Consequently, many students expect faculty 2. Do not be vague about the names ofmembers to provide answers and responses toe- assignments. If you want your students to turn inmail questions immediately. We are becoming assignments via electronic means, be very specificincreasingly aware of how rapidly technology is about what should go in the subject line ofamoving and how slowly our bodies and minds are message. In fact, you may want to develop aadjusting to the use of technology. Just because it simple algorithm for naming these files. Theis possible to be available 24 hours a day, 7 daysa algorithm might have three parts, suchasweek does not mean we have to be, or should be, "Assignment 1: Theoretical Principles, Studentavailable anytime, anywhere. Full Name." For a project sequence,you might want to develop a subject, such as "Project You can manage response expectations from Prospectus," "Project Summary," or "Coursethe very beginning of the course by following Summary Paper." To ensure that the assignmentthese five suggestions: name students are to use is always accessible, this information can be directly available from the Set up a framework for turnaround time course calendar on the Web. for response to e-mail. Usually saying that you will attempt to respond within 24 The first part of the subject heading eases the hours is considered reasonable. use of the filter feature of many e-mail programs, Announce that there will be times when automatically filing the assignment e-mails into the24-hour responsetimewill be the special assignment mailbox. The second part suspended.Thisincludes weekends, of the algorithm, the content name, makes iteasy announced vacations, conferences, and to sort by subject once the messages are in the unexpected emergencies. You also agree to appropriate mailbox and may help keep the announce to the students when this learning objective evident. response time will be suspended. It is not always easy to access the network from You may wonder why am I suggesting that anywhere, anytime. Even though we see students include their full name in the subject World Wide Web addresses advertised heading. The e-mail identifiers students use may everywhere, only about 20 to 25 percent of not even remotely resemble their real names and the population is linked to the Internet. students may not be using the signature block feature available on many e-mail packages. If you choose, you can set times at which Having students include their names in the the 24-hour response time will be even shorter, particularly just prior to deadlines. subject heading is actually an updated version of the ancient plea to put their names on their Some faculty set e-mail office hours when papers. When we used paper, we often had a they will be actively monitoring and responding to student messages.
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Set up a contract with students that whendiscussions or problem solving. In these cases, they send an e-mail with a question orfaculty may choose to compose a response, comment that you feel is of generalanalyze the content, and provide feedback on a interest and value to the class, you willweekly basis to ensure that students stay on track respond with a general note to the entirewith the development of content and ideas. In this class. Responses to these questions canway, students interact with each other and test become the basis for additional courseand hone their ideas with their peers. guidelines and frequently asked question (FAQ) lists. 6. Do not forget to provide feedback and You may want to remind your studentsevaluation of student progress and learning. that your faculty role includes more thanAlthough we all want to believe that students are taking courses because they areintensely teaching responsibilities. interested in learning the course content, in fact 4. Do not assume that electronic mail isstudents are also there to earn their grades and received or read in any specific time frame.meet program requirements.Consequently, Internet communication is a new medium. It isstudents want timely and personal feedback on not as fast or as immediate as a telephonethe work they do. conversation or a fax, nor as slow as the postal service. When we send electronic mail, it moves in Al Oosterhof, a faculty member at Florida a methodfor discrete packets over a local network and throughStateUniversity, developed providing timely feedback with the use of word numerous gateways and other networksbefore it processing and spreadsheet software. A paper by is received by the addressee. We have all heard of letters being mislaid in post offices or warehousesOosterhof on this approach is be available at and finally being delivered after 20, 30, or 40
To borrow a quote from the Newseum inmodel of communication. The teacher is speaking Washington, D.C., "If you don't wantto readto 25-30 students at the same time, and theireyes about it in the newspaper, don't do it." For facultyand body language communicate the extent of and students, we might adapt itas follows, "If youstudent attention and understanding. In this don't want to read about it in thenewspaper,environment, thefaculty member isoften don't write it." assumed to be the one and only expert. Weare still strongly influenced by this concept of the faculty 8. Do not go unprotected from viruses. Updatemember as the lecturer dispensing informationto your virus protection software regularly andthe students. ITV classrooms, telecourses, and often. If you choose to runyour machinetalking head presentations on the Web reinforce unprotected from viruses, be vigilant about thethis model of knowledge flowing primarily inone attachments you receive from students anddirection. others. Do not open or executeany suspicious files. In the online environment, the lines of communication are more divergent. We havea A number of helpful resources are emerging tofully linked network of communication lines, assist in improving electronic communications.including threads among all members ofa Web For example, look for articles on netiquette forcourse community and among multiple groups of students in online courses. The 1997 book,students aswell. This network pattern of Learning Network, can help guide both the designcommunications between faculty and students and delivery of Internet courses. The bookand between and among students createsa provides useful information on issues of facultypowerful tool for inviting and supporting student time management and studentevaluation.involvement and thinking. Studentsare more Teaching at a Distance: A Handbook for Instructorslikely to contribute their experiences, share their (Boaz et al., 1999), available from the League forinsights,andframethoughtful,reflective Innovation, is another useful tool for faculty whoquestionswiththisnewnetwork of are designing and implementing technology-communication. Therefore, the courseprocess of based learning. creating a knowledge communityamong the student group and a knowledge base within each Issue Two: Class Size in Online Courses individual springs from manymore sources. Expertise can come from many directions, but As faculty are gaining experience withconfusion may also be more prevalent. This teaching and learning online, theyare alsoconfusion often may become a step in developing discovering that they are spendingmore andknowledge and can highlight needs formore more time interacting with their students. A keycontent development. Given this network pattern determinant of how much time they spend is theof communication, itis possible that faculty number of students in their classes. Suddenly 30members will spend course time listening and students, a common on-campus class size, isreflecting on thoughtful questions and analytic overwhelming faculty online. Questions about thecomments. optimal size of a Web course are being askedmore and more often. Must Faculty Spend More Time?
One reason for class size concerns involves the We have sprinklings of anecdotal evidence communicationpatterninthenew Webthat faculty spend not only more time with online environment. In the classroom, well-definedcourses than with campus courses, but that they patterns of communication exist. The mostspend significantly more time with their sections of accepted pattern of communication is primarilyonline courses. In a Web posting (11/20/96), L. from the faculty to the students, and from theEstabrook, Dean of the Graduate School of students back to the faculty. This is avery efficientLibraryandInformationSciencesatthe
1 es4 Issues in the Web Environment
University of Illinois, notes that a faculty-studentmentioned two examples worthy of note. In one conversation during a class break can take 30university engineering program, an additional seconds while that same information may take$150 per student was added to a faculty member's two to three minutes to exchange in an e-mailsalary for every distance learning student, plus an message. additional $50 per student was sent to the department's budget. At one state university, One useful approach to measuring the amountfacultyteachingdistancelearningcourses of time faculty are spending on student andreceived a $100 bonus for each student once the course communication is to try to estimatetheenrollment exceeded 25. In another example, in a amount of time that a given faculty memberlibrary information program on the East Coast, spends with each student over the course of afaculty received an additional $50 per out-of-state semester. Early estimates of about two hours perstudent enrolled in the course. student, including student testing and evaluations but not lectures or preparations, have been In the classroom models of learning, faculty rejected by some faculty. In a presentation on thisworkloads in many institutions are based on topic in March 1998, Frank Jewett of the Californiaformulas yielding 10 to 12 hours a week for every StateUniversity System Office noted thatclass or section taught. In some institutions, although the two-hour per student figure hashowever, the number of hours per week can be as been rejected, sometimes vigorously,if onelow as four hours. The baseline number of calculates the number of hours per week in astudents is generally 25 to 30 students. If class semester, divides by the number of hoursenrollment reaches 40 to 50 students, faculty are available for student interaction, and then by thesometimes able to negotiate for additional number of students, it becomes apparent that twosupport for the class. hours is about right. It is simply not possible to spend much more time than that. We may feel that These classroom models and their associated we need or should spend more than two hoursworkload estimates are built on what might be per student, but there are simply not enoughcalled the bundled model of course production in hours in a semester to do so. It is no wonder thatwhich faculty do everything related to their own faculty often feel stressed by the demands ofcourse. They design, develop, and deliver a online teaching, student communications, andcourse. The delivery includes meeting with student evaluations. students on a regular basis, preparing and giving lectures, directing group work and learning Increased Faculty Workload experiences, and evaluating students.
Analyzing the question of student enrollment In distance learning course production, a in a Web course leads inevitably to questionsdifferent model is generally used. Rather than one about faculty pay, workload, and workingfaculty being responsible for design, conditions. As early as 1990, Murray Turoff, in adevelopment, and delivery, the faculty member is foreword to a book on online communication,often only responsible for a portion of the entire noted that "the workload for faculty is linearlyprocess. Currently, our Web courses are neither dependent on the number of students" (Harasimfish nor fowl. They are like campus courses in that et al., 1997, p. xii.). faculty do everything associated with the course; they are like distance learning courses because the Some distancelearningprogramsarestudents are not generally on campus. So we have implementing new salary policies to acknowledgean additive model in terms of workload. Faculty the extent to which larger numbers of studentsdo everything they have been doing plus all the impact faculty workload. In a posting to thepersonal communication with the students online. American Association for Higher EducationAnd, it is all being done with new tools that listsery (11/24/95), Bill O'Neill of Southern Utahfaculty don't know very well and with increased
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expectations by students, administrators, and Wayne Hall, from San Jacinto College-Central legislators. in Pasadena, TX, said that he also is "doing battle over class size." At this time, he believes that 15 New Tools, New Models students should be the maximum limit for Internet courses. He has reached this belief after The next wave of technology, includinghaving taught psychology classes on the Internet networking and camera imaging, will alleviatesince 1996. He has taught 20 students for four this situation to a degree. Small cameras attachedsemesters, 30 students for two semesters, and 39 to computers may encourage faculty to return tostudents for one semester. At this writing, Hall has the mode of synchronous office hours so they cantwo sections with a total of 49 students. He is talk rather than write to students. These tools maysearchingforawaytorecommendto help improve the communication feedback loop. administrators "a more realistic number of students for Internet courses." Hall has reached So where does that leave us in answering thethis point while serving in a dual role asa question of student numbers in a Web course? Wedepartment chair and a faculty member, so he may be moving to the Web only to find that weunderstands both sides of this debate. can handle fewer, not more, students effectively. MaryEmersonfromCollinCounty This is a curious phenomenon. The ability toCommunity College in Frisco, TX, is asking the put courses on the Internet caused us all tosame question on behalf of her computer science speculate that master teachers from the topdepartment, which is in the process of setting research universities would be able to reachstandards for this environment. Mary commented hundreds, even thousands of students. Now,that their traditional on-campus classesare experiential data is suggesting that the maximumlimited to 30 students, but that instructors who number of students for online courses is reallyhave been teaching computer classes of 30over very low, ranging from 12 to 20 students,the Internet are finding them to be "very, very depending on the level of interaction with thetime intensive." faculty member. Some experiencesseem to suggest that Web courses can support larger At another institution,thefaculty and numbers, in the range of 25 to 65 students, foradministration agreed that 15 would be the courses that are focused on training, certification,number of students a faculty member would have or professional degrees. when teaching an online course for the first time, and that subsequent courses would increase to the Necia Millerof Rose State Collegeinregular on-campus level of 30 students. This is Oklahoma is a member of a faculty committee thatgood in that it provides some learning time for worked on a class size in online courses proposalfaculty and students. Another, less optimistic for the college administration. This group soughtview is that it simply delays addressing the real a recommendation for online class size to be noproblem, which is that our current class model more than 20 students. One member of theneeds to be substantively redesigned for online committee wanted the recommendation for classenvironment. However, we cannot be certain size not to exceed 18. The difference between 18about that yet. Other faculty are finding ways to and 20 seems minimal and insignificant at firstrun Internet courses with more students. One glance, but if we estimate that every additionalfaculty mentioned that she was handling 37 student requires at least another two hours ofstudents, but only 32 of whom are really engaged faculty time, based on current models andin online processes. expectations, even an increase of two students in one course makes a difference. Multiplied over a Marie A. Cini from Duquesne University series of courses, it becomes substantial. suggested that the challenge of managing many students online is that "we are still hung upon
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some form of contact with the instructor as themaster's program will have larger numbers, model of instruction." Marie goes on to say thatpossibly in the 50 to 60 range. Linda Harasim from one of her biggest goals when teaching online is toSimon Fraser University recommends that 20 is wean students from dependence on her and toabout the right number for upper-division "point them towards one another." She believescommunications classes. that the "right" number of students in a Web course will grow because the expectation that Stories about Web courses with 50 to 60 instructor contact is paramount will decrease. students are emerging. Some of these courses are programs designed for acquiring what is known These numbers are far from the much largeras professional credentials rather than traditional numbers originally dreamed of by administratorsacademic degrees. Other projects are starting to and legislators. Other technology-based models ofreach students in the 200 plus range, but those distance learning have supported very largecourses are highly automated and have such numbers of students by using mass deliveryfeatures as tutorials and online testing. methods. Telecourses can be beamed to hundreds, and even thousands, of students. Closed circuit Three major instructional design questions television and interactive video classes oftenmust be answered before deciding on the optimal support numbers ranging from 40 to over 200number of students for a Web course: students. What are the goals and objectives of the Traditional distance learning professionals course? have thoughts on the expectations of students for Who are the students and what kind of interaction with faculty in a course experience. A educational experience are they expecting? project by the Western Cooperative for Educational Is the faculty member ready, willing, and Telecommunication,
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recommendation for the next two to four years: Expectations of society: How can we start small! Probably 10 to 14 students is a good change the model to achieve quality, low number to start with for a fully online Web Course. cost, and high satisfaction for all? This provides learning time for the faculty member and the students. Be aware, however, We might also consider that we haven't come that a real danger exists with starting small.very far in the science of teaching if a teacher is Habits and strategies of teaching and learning thatalways required. In what alternative form might work well with small groups do not necessarilythe teaching function be constituted? In what scale up very well. other forms might courses be offered? While it may not be something we want to consider, we What we think would be helpful at this timemay have to put some creative thought into how for our community is a definitive research projectwe can use technology to structure and deliver that experiments with a "Megacourse" on the Netreally great learning experiences with less effort that is similar to very large lecture classes in theon the part of a teacher. If we continually design hundreds on our campuses. With such a project,and redevelop the same course every semester, we might be forced to learn more about how toare we not still a cottage industry in how we scale up for large numbers of students. We knowdesign and deliver learning? Must we always do we need better tools for both faculty and students.it this way? We will not learn this very quickly while keeping classes very small. Such a project, however, would (Note: Thanksto Don Ely from Syracuse be a very risky approach. A team of faculty, aUniversity, Frank Jewett from the Cal State System comprehensive infrastructure, understandingOffice, and Robert Schihl from Regent University for administrators, and understanding students whosharing their ideas and thoughts on this topic. Thanks are willing to experiment in this way would all bealso to Marie A Cini, Mary Emerson, Wayne Hall, and needed. Necia Miller for their input and communications.)
Fundamental Questions Issue Three: Copyright Issues and Intellectual Property Policies The issue of class size in online courses is causing us to look at basic issues we have not Copyright has always been an important issue discussed for some time in higher education. in distance learning and is now assuming new importance in the Web environment. Questions Expectations of students: How muchsurrounding the ownership of academic courses access and interaction with the facultyand faculty retention of copyright of their research member is appropriate for the classpublicationsarediscussed with increasing content and goals? frequency. The topic of intellectual property is a Expectations of faculty: How much timehot one in the world of educational technology. should a course take under our currentOur discussion provides general information model and under the new model? Is it timeregarding copyright issues, and we encourage any to look seriously for strategies that willfaculty member who has copyright questions to help us deliver online learning moreconsult his or her institution's policies and efficiently while reducing the facultyguidelinesortoseeklegaladvicefrom burden? appropriate professionals. Expectations of administrators: What size Looking at Copyright: User or Owner? classes and what types of courses do we offer our students while maintaining and Faculty generally want to be knowledgeable developing ourdesiredinstitutionalabout copyright from two different perspectives: image?
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Using materials copyrighted by others for Section 106 also specifies for items 4 and 5 that teaching, learning, and research these rights pertain to literary, musical, dramatic, Developing materials copyrighted byand choreographic works; pantomimes; and themselves, the institution, or publishers pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other All the rights and privileges of copyrightaudiovisual work. These rights, as specified, owners in the U.S. are based on copyright law thatclearly reserve the right for visual and sound has its origins in the U.S. Copyright Act of 1790.images to the copyright owners. Hence, Web sites The document that has been the basis of thewith visual and sound images that belong to current law dates from October 19, 1976, with avarious movie and television studies are restricted number of minor revisions added over the lastin their use. For example, this means that five years. A new copyright act was passed incommercial Web sites with images of Star Trek 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, tocharacters and sound clips may be in violation of address the new possibilities not previouslythe copyright owners' rights, particularly if they envisioned.Questionsabouttheuseofare used without permission. What about such copyrighted materials in online and distanceuse for teaching and learning purposes? learning environments are still being debated. In practice, copyright owners do not sue for The sections of the copyright law that are mostevery violation. Most copyright suits are brought pertinent to teaching and learning from the 1976when significant amounts of money are involved, law are Sections 106 to 118. Copies of theor when it is perceived that the use of copyrighted Copyright Law are available from the Copyrightmaterial harms or damages the image or Office in Washington, D.C. and from the office'sreputation of either a copyright owner or the Web site at
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However, we must note that "fair use is not free The fourth test is that of market value. Does the use." Section 107 then provides some criteria touse of the copyrighted work without permission provide guidance in interpreting this right of fairdamage or restrict the copyright owner from use. There are four criteria used to evaluateappropriate compensation for the intellectual whether a user of copyrighted materials can claimwork? This is the argument often used in the area of fair use. These criteria center on the use of the worksoftware piracy, for example. Software publishers and the characteristics of the work and include theclaim that their revenues are significantly lowered if purpose for which the work is being used, thetheir software is shared among groups. Publishers nature of the copyrighted work, the amount orof academic journals often make this same claim substantiality of the portion to the whole, and thewhen their works are placed on reserve and effect on potential market or value of the work. students make photocopies for themselves.
The first of these criteria is that of purpose. IfAdditional Guidelines on Fair Use the purpose for using the copyrighted work is commercial use, then generally, permission for Additional help in interpreting Section 107 use must be obtained. This criterion must beappeared in a discussion of fair use in a House of applied in the following example. If facultyRepresentatives report from September 1976. That incorporate copyrighted material into educationalreport noted that, "despite the fact that the courts materials and thensellthoseeducationalhave ruled on this 'fair use' doctrine many times materials commercially for profit, this is not fairover the years, no real definition of the concept has use,asthefacultywill benefit from theever emerged," and "as the doctrine is an equitable copyrighted material with no compensation backrule of reason, no generally applicable definition is to the original copyright holder. If the purpose forpossible, and each case raising the question must using copyrighted work is nonprofit use, asbe decided on its own facts." educationalorresearchuseisgenerally considered, then fair use can usually be applied. However, this House report provided three additional tests or guidelines to be used in The second criterion focuses on the nature ofinterpreting the doctrine of fair use. To apply the work. If the work is nonfiction or simpleunder the fair use doctrine, use of copyrighted factual material, then itis easier to use thematerial must also meet the three tests of brevity, copyrighted work without explicit permission. Itspontaneity, and cumulative effect. is more difficult to claim copyright violation for a diagram showing the process of osmosis, for Brevity refers to the percentage to the whole example, than for a diagram of a fictionalcriterion just mentioned. This reaffirms that short invention. It is difficult to prove that some factualsegments are more acceptable than longer material is unique, belonging solely and only tosegments. The next criterion is that of spontaneity. one individual. If a faculty member decides to use material for educational use, and there is, reasonably, not The third testis that of the amount ofenough time to seek and receive permission, then copyrighted work being used. This criterionfair use generally allows use of the material for involves the percentage of the work being used inthat one time. However, faculty may be at risk if relation to the entire work. The easiest way tothey use the same material over a number of remember this test is to think of a ten-line poem.semesters for key parts of their instruction Generally, use of a small portion of a copyrightedwithout asking permission.Thisguideline work is permissible provided other tests are met,suggests that sustained use over a number of but use of a large portion is not allowed. Thus, usesemesters is not fair use. Finally, the guideline of of the complete ten-line poem would needcumulative effect suggests that multiple copying permission, but ten lines from a much longerby faculty over the course of a semester needs to work might not. be restrained. Cumulative effect also refers to the
104 - 110 Issues in the Web Environment number of items that can be used from the same While these guidelines were adopted by the author or collection. consortium and the cooperating organizations, the Conference on Fair Use chose not to adopt Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia these guidelines. Part of the reason for the dissension was that the rules for distributing and Inordertoaddressthedifficultiesinusing materials for distance learning were so interpreting the fair use guidelines, especially inrestrictive that they effectively blocked the ability light of the rise of digital media capabilities and theto design many types of distance learning almost effortless distribution on the Internet, theprograms. Consortium of College and University Media Centers (CCUMC) worked with a number of Ownership of academic courses is a complex organizations to produce a set of guidelinesissue. In the traditional model of on-campus specificallyforthe useof multimediaforcourses, the question has rarely been asked. In the instruction. The complete set of Fair Use Guidelinestraditional distance learning model of courses, forEducational Multimediaisavailableathowever, in which a team of faculty have
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over the copyright of the articles to the publisher Joint copyright ownership of teaching and in return for the publishers' work in reviewing,learning materials may or may not be reasonable. editing, publishing, and distributing the work. But itis important that we find ways to acknowledge the right of a faculty member to his Two trends are causing higher educationor her own work, and the right of an institution administrators to question this model. One trendfor reasonable access to the work of faculty is the steadily increasing cost of academicmembers. journals. The cost of many journals has become prohibitive, and institutions find it difficult toResources on Copyright purchase the journals in which their own faculty have published. A second factor is the increasing There are multiple Web sites on copyright time it takes to ensure that the faculty are stayinglaws, starting with the Copyright Office itself, within the copyright rules regarding their own<1cWeb.loc.gov / copyright/ >. The following Web materials. The provost of the California Institutesites also provide information about copyright of Technology, Steven E. Koonin, made headlineslaws. on September 18, 1998 (Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A29) when he proposed that faculty
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We could talk a long time about assessment For students who must meet internship and evaluation. There are a number of good andmentoringrequirements,some initiatives underway on the use of technology for programs set up tutors and mentors who improving teaching and learning. The Teaching, are located geographically closer to the Learning,andTechnology(TLT)Group's student. The mentors are often graduates Flashlight project,
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At the completion of the program orConcluding Thought course,theinstitutionprovidesfor assessment and documentation of student This chapter has addressed issues that are of achievement in each course. great concern to both faculty and administrators. Program or course announcements andAs we evolve the new teaching and learning electronic catalog entries provideparadigm, we need to depend on the mutual appropriate information. understanding of institutional priorities and focus on appropriate educational experiences for our Thefactthatprogramandcourseconstituents to develop reasonable strategies for announcements are being evaluated is worthaddressing these issues. noting. If students sign up for a course or a program expecting one set of outcomes and Note: Many issues discussed in this chapter had experiences, and later learn that the program andtheir origins in columns and articles that were experiences are very different than they expected,published in Syllabus over the years from 1997 to 1999. the level of satisfaction of the student will be veryFor more information, visit the Syllabus Web site, low. The student will perceive the program to be
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CHAPTER 11 PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE By Judith V. Boettcher
Overview since my youth, I am drawn to thinking about what comes next for the education profession. In fact, the Where will we be in teaching and learning inturning point of my interest in the future of higher education in the year 2007? Will we knoweducation came while I was in the doctoral what it is to be a learning, rather than a teaching,program at the University of Minnesota in the late enterprise? Will we have come to terms with the1970s. I was required to take a class in either the role of technology in learning? Will we knowhistory or the future of education. I figured that one more about how to assist the learning act? Will wecould always go to the history books to see what have sorted out and accepted the many roles ofhad happened in the past-with an apology to faculty? Will we be comfortable with the role ofhistorians for their very needed perspective! the for-profit education companies? Will anHowever, I wanted to explore, contemplate, and entirely new type of institution, focused ondiscuss the future of education. From that point on, updating the professional needs of adults, bethe future of education, specifically the influence of solidly in place? technology on the teaching and learning process, became my lifelong passion and interest. No doubt, we will inch our way closer to these answers over the next eight years. After all, the The fantasyiscalled "Student-Centered future is always clearer once we are there. LearningintheLastingExperiencesLtd. Holodeck: As Good as It Gets!," and was first This chapter has two very different sections. Inpublished as a column in Syllabus in June of 1998. the first section, I use data points to predict,A "holodeck," a creation of the Star Trek television suggest, and anticipate what higher educationseries,is a three-dimensionalsimulated might look like in 2007. This first section looks atenvironment in which people can interact fully the higher education enterprise from six differentwith computer-created special effects creating a perspectives. It is similar to taking a walk andreal experience. The thoughts in this chapter are watching the world as it subtly changes with eachintended as both playful and serious. I hope that step. The shifts in perspective are small butyou will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed significant. Like the kaleidoscope, virtually all thewriting it. elements of teaching and learning enterprise will be there, but they will assume strange andForecasting into the Future of Teaching and unfamiliar shapes. Learning
The six different components of higher SciencefictionwriterWilliamGibson education addressed are: (1) the higher educationdescribed our adoption of technology and the enterprise as a whole; (2) degree programs andworld we create as a result when he said, "The continuingeducationprograms; (3) thefuture is here; it is just not evenly distributed." As institutional infrastructure; (4) faculty and studentwe look at each of the six major components of the tools and roles;(5)content resources; andhigher education enterprise,the prediction (6) research in learning. Because we looked at eachstatements will all have some wiggle room to of these in some detail earlier in the book, theseaccount for this uneven distribution of the future. are broad brush predictions. For example, some institutions are already mandating that all courses have a Web presence of The second part of the chapter is a fantasysome type. Therefore, some institutions will move about what learning might be beyond the yearforwardquicklyinthesevariousareas, 2007. Having been an aficionado of science fictionaggressively embracing the new environments,
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new tools, and new processes, while other Another major shift will be in the credibility of institutions will be more conservative and movefor-profit companies.Jones International forward more slowly. University,
-110- 116 Perspectives on the Future organizational and faculty challenges of diversemodularization of their degree programs. One businesses. expanding pharmacy program allows students to start a nine semester program at the beginning of Degree and Continuing Education Programs: Theany semester. Other programs offer eight-week Second Set of Predictions rather than fifteen-week semesters. Many of these programshave intensiveconference-like Higher education program offerings willorientation activities to help participants get to shift from a focus on degree programs toknow each other, and then use frequent, an almost infinite variety of new types ofasynchronous communications throughout the certifications, modular degrees, and groupprogram to maintain a sense of community. programming. Many of the new programs will have The focus of another category of professional significant components that are self-pacedprograms already in place is on updating and andself-tested,andcanbedoneupgrading knowledge in a specific field. This is anywhere, anytime. Subscription alumnimost pronounced in the professional areas of programs may proliferate. engineering, business, medicine, law, nursing, pharmacy, and education. Program content in the Interaction with expert faculty will be anfuture will continue the focus on updating integralfeatureoftheseprograms.knowledge and skills, including areas such as However, access to expert faculty will beperspectives, contextual problem solving, and expensive either in terms of time ornetworking.Newprofessionaltoolsand money. programs will likely incorporate the updated knowledge and skills into professional tools. The focus of most of these degree andDistinctions between working and learning will continuing education programs will not beblur significantly. This may have interesting geographic. These programs will be developedimplications for continued annual certifications. and delivered to provide access to as many learners as possible. We already are seeing Other institutions with strong ethical and tremendous growth in degree opportunities thatvalues traditions may offer continued growth in are place and time independent. Earlier versionsnonspecific professional programs and offerings. of these programs were evening and weekendInstitutions will likely design new ways of programs. Now we will see an explosion ofcreating loyalty to their particular degree and anywhere, anytime programs that meet a widenondegree programs. Institutions may choose to range of student needs. These programs may beoffer subscriptions to an integrated set of learning complemented by highly concentrated residentialopportunities, which will include choices of experiences that can be completed with one orlearning programs, combined with access to large two weeks away from work. databasesofcontent,specialalerts,and networking opportunities with fellow students. These programs will reflect the design process that begins with a study of the life-styles and Another trend that may impact these predictions needs of the target students, and then the creationis the growth in the desire and need for an of programs that fit the students' needs. This isundergraduate degree. Some states will be facing part of the new customization strategy of thesesignificant enrollment pressures over the next 10 to programs. Many MBA programs are now15 years. In these states, demands for alternative available as intense, focused learning programsways to provide undergraduate degrees may well that use a supportive cohort of students to helpencourage the development of new, focused models. address the common problem of dropping outOne strategy being tested in Florida is the use of among working professionals. Another strategypartnerships between community colleges and thatinstitutionsaredevelopingisthefour-year institutions. In some of these programs, Chapter Eleven
a number of upper division courses will be offeredfaculty and students with different types of online on community college campuses. All thesedialogues, testing and assessment applications for options and mixes will further blur distinctionstesting and tracking, and students' tracking of between higher education institutions. their own status. It is important to watch Internet2 developments, specifically what is being created Institutional Infrastructure: The Third Set ofin high-end collaboration tools for research and Predictions teaching. These sophisticated collaboration tools will have significant resource requirements The 1990s will be remembered as theinitially, but these will decrease over time. decade of the Web. The next decade will be oneofmobile,portable,wireless Barriers toeffective, comfortable virtual technology that supports teaching andlearning are coming down, but they are still learning anywhere, anytime. significant. Access to computing and to the Web Tools and systems that support teachingwill not be virtually universal for another 5 to 15 and learning will become part of theyears. The cost of hardware is now rapidly critical infrastructure on higher educationdeclining after a period of stability around the campuses. $1,000 to $1,200 point. Competition is heating up at the $600 to $700 level, and may be lower by the The transitiontothe higher educationtime you are reading this. Free options are also institutional infrastructure of the future is wellavailable, but with commitments for two to three underway. Many institutions recruit, admit, andyears, the cost still is close to $500 to $600. screen students from afar. Students can register, pay bills, check grades, update addresses and The camera attached to the computer for one- phone numbers,andreceivecourseandon-one videoconferencing is becoming a standard programmaticconsultingonline.Contentaccessory, and I am more ready for it now than I resources are being accessed electronically fromhave been in the past. Videoconferencing is the students' homes and other locations. Contentkind of tool that one only wants to use if partners resources are digital, dynamic, and distributed. in communication also have access to it. This factor is slowing down greater use of this tool; The development of online campus serviceshowever, there are also drawbacks to real-time will continue to evolve rapidly. Standing in line onvideo communication. Students in one distance campus is being replaced by being online offlearning program complained that, when their campus. Faculty student consulting and officeone-way video system moved to two-way video, hours are being replaced by asynchronous e-maileating a pizza and putting their feet up were no and synchronous chat, telephone calls, andlonger good form! videoconferences. If technology power keeps increasing at the Futuredevelopments in informationrate of a generation of technology every 18 technology infrastructure will focus on enhancedmonths, technology access will probably not be a securityandreliablecommunicationandproblem. However, I believe that the cost of access collaboration tools. Information technology toolsto information will be an increasingly formidable will also center on teaching and learning online.challenge. Just as we have seen a shift from Evolving Web Course management tools andhardware costs to software costs, we will see a collaboration tools will be rapidly enhanced, withshift from the relatively low cost of Internet access the potential for reducing the amount of time andto the higher costs of accessing well-structured, skill needed to teach and manage learning online.easily researched content. The digital library of today is not really free; the digital library of the These tools will have templates for differentfuture will probably not be free. Just as we can types of courses, collaboration tools to assistsubscribe to many sources of content today,
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includingmagazines,cablechannels,and programs will be faculty and instructional newspapers, we will be able to subscribe to many designers to develop and deliver these varied databases of content that are comparable to programs. premium cable channels. Tools to support faculty and student work online will evolve quickly. Over the next few years, we will see multiple generations of software agents come and go. Higher education teaching and learning today Maybe by the year 2007 we will have becomeis in many respects a cottage industry. We have accustomed to personal robots, digital assistantsone person, the faculty member, doing a whole who can help us remember our preferences andcoursefrom soup to nuts. From the design and who we interact with most frequently. Thesedevelopment phases through the delivery of the robots will write our summaries and to do lists;course, the one faculty member does it all. And anticipate the articles we want to read; helpthis same process of creating and building the formulate the questions we might have; andcourse is repeated every semester, because every provide guides, hints, and insights into thetime we teach a course, we revise it, at least answers. The new mapping systems, available inslightly. This is the model of the master craftsman. some automobiles,thatserveaspersonal navigators are one specific instance of personal In the next ten years, I hope that we will begin assistants. to address the challenge of customization and personalizationwithtechnologyandless What about Peter Drucker's comment in 1996intensive faculty resource investment. This may that colleges campuses will no longer be needed?be the least reliable of all the predictions. I believe that college campuses will still be needed to serve the core mission of educating 18 to 24 Faculty work is already undergoing dramatic year-olds. I also believe that many portions ofshifts. Faculty are now expected to learn the software campuses will be redesigned to better serve 25 totools that support teaching and learning on the Web, 74 year-old learning professionals. Any institutionoften without any additional time. Yesterday's word undergoing construction should consider thisprocessing is today's course management tool, and population and its needs, and the new type ofwe can be confident that tomorrow will bring a new programming in the future. Miniconferenceset of tools. In addition to learning how to teach in centers, as opposed to classroom buildings, maythis new environment, faculty often must assist be the way to go. students in learning how to learn in a new way as well. The new active collaborative modes of student If the primary classroom of the future is to belearning are more demanding on the student; on the Web, designing and supporting the newinevitably, time spent on the technology will divert teaching and learning environment will requiresome energies away from content learning. some serious thinking and investment. The campus infrastructure must have new virtual Teaching is becoming a technology-intensive plant or IT organizations todesign, plan,part of the faculty member's responsibilities. The implement, and support teaching, learning, anddemands on the faculty will continue to increase research. unlessspecializationisacknowledged and supported. Not every faculty member can or Faculty and Student Tools and Roles: The Fourthshould do everything. Some will focus on Set of Predictions program design and development, others will focus on course delivery or overseeing tutors who Faculty work and roles will becomemanage the actual interaction with students. dramatically specialized. A major barrier to the development and Some faculty who delight in the combination delivery of the new learning professionalof development and delivery may well become
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teaching and learning personalities, specializingContent Resources: The Fifth Set of Predictions in the creation of resources to be used by many others orthe broadcast delivery of those More of the core concepts and basic resources. These faculty personalities may stay at principles of fields of study will be colleges and universities, or they may become prepackaged. stars of the for-profit content publishers or for- More learning will be structured for profit institutions. Again, some faculty may keep knowledgeandskillcompetencies, doing what they are now doing for some time to especially in the learning professional come, but the new cadre of faculty will be institutions. expected to know how to teach online. Access to well-structured content and The shift to faculty specialization and online databases will not necessarily be free. teaching is hindered by three major factors: time, There will be free areas and subscription resources, and habits. areas. Rather than course databases, discipline Time is precious, and change requires time. It databases will be suitable for knowledge also requires energy. Yet changing and rethinking clusters. our courses and programs on campus will require resources and skills that are not always available. Publishers are moving quickly to build large Faculty need to ask fundamental instructionaldatabases of content on the Web that are suitable design questions about their courses. The goodfor supplementing textbooks. These databases of news is that many of the new faculty tools havecontent could become a large percentage of a some instructional design already built in. Thiscourse. Rather than redevelop 40 to 60 percent of will help the process. The change process will alsoa course every semester, a faculty member might go more smoothly if faculty have support inonly need to plan or redesign 30 percent of the thinking through the questions about how to usecourse. these new tools in an online environment. These databases of content might also become The question of habits is something we don'tattractive portals for discipline knowledge. As we talk about often. Faculty and students have habitualhave discussed, the trend toward greater use of ways of doing their work. Moving to these new toolssynchronous and asynchronous forums is just is not automatic. These changes of habits will shiftgetting underway. Each of the places will become more smoothly and with much less stress if facultya Web channel for learning the basic competencies are given time and tools to develop new habits. in these fields. In some cases publishers may spin off lifelong learning businesses using their rich While the majority of learning has alwayssources of content. Faculty now work for occurred outside the classroom, we will now seepublishers as writers and editors; maybe they will faculty doing much more teaching outside thebecome discipline tutors. One company, CBT campus classroom as well. This means not onlySystems, offers self-paced, high end, professional online, but also off-campus. Learning is moving toupdating and certification tutorials, as well as the home, to the workplace, to wherever thecourses that come packaged with a mentor. learner is. Another prediction is that more learning will Computers will not go away, even thoughbestructuredforknowledgeandskill sometimes we may wish they would. Time spentcompetencies. In the information age, the need to learning good new habits with our computers willacquire competencies will be more important than be time well spent. In our new world of the future,obtaining degrees and good grades beyond basic a computer linked to a network will probably behigher education. Therefore, learning, especially more important than a car. in professional programs, will be structured for
- 114 - 1 Perspectives on the Future general awareness and understanding in some The question about the role of computer areas and depth of knowledge and analysis intechnology in teaching and learning has been other areas. It will always be integrated with workseriously asked for about 20 years. Two decades applications. ago, we first talked about the possibility of technology replacing the teacher. William Norris, We may wonder how the basic knowledge fromCEO of Control Data in the 1980s, said that, "if a core discipline areas fits into this concept. Whoteacher can be replaced by a machine, he or she needs to know these basics? Is the goal of learningought to be." That was a revolutionary statement those basics to develop a wiser way of thinkingat the time, but he meant exactly what he said. about the world overall? Can that goal be achievedAnd with the benefit of 20 years of development by studying other basics? What are the coreof technology and tools, we should think deeply concepts, principles, and perspectives our studentsabout what portions of the learning process can will need for the next three to four decades? efficiently be done without the intervention or interaction of a teacher. Perhaps those portions of Along with questions regarding curriculumlearning ought to be done a different way. We now changes in the new environment come concernstalk comfortably about teachers being mentors, about cost. Although computer hardware costscoaches, and guides rather than sages. We are now are coming down dramatically, the cost of accesscomfortable that the role of the teacher is to assist to well-structured content databases is increasing.learners when they need help. Many Web sites that used to be free are becoming subscription sites. We are learning that just as The question of how we can effectively use books and newspapers are not free, the Web willtechnology to help society meet its learning needs not be free. We do have free broadcast television,over the next decades is a very serious question and this model will probably be extended to theindeed. We have not been doing nearly enough new Web content media. There will be free areasresearch in this area. We are using information age supported by advertisers and subscription areastechnology to support industrial age learning financed by users. experiences. We are rich in choices of tools today, but the wisdom in how, when, and where to use Over the next decade, higher education willthese tools is lagging seriously behind. Also rethink the basic components and structure of itslagging are serious efforts at building computer enterprise, including courses and degrees. Itistutors with the aid of artificial intelligence to possible that the course as the basic unit of structuremonitor and guide the learning process. for higher education will disappear, and it may be possible that we will have many more choices. We all can and must learn much faster than we do. But we need to know more about how to Research in Learning: The Sixth Set of Predictionsstructure content and interaction with the content to become faster learners. More research on learning More research on learning, and, morewill show us how to improve the design of content specifically, research on the structuring ofmaterials and how to build resource materials that content for rapid acquisition of corewill last longer than one semester. Some of this is concepts and principles of knowledge, willhappening with publishers building simulations and be funded. Who will take the leadership inconcept demonstrations. But much of this is being securing this funding? Who will fund thisdone without the benefit of research into how these research and who will conduct thistools can be built more effectively and efficiently. research? Technology, including tools, resources, Consider how the articles in Scientific American and communication methods, will be usedare written. Generally, any one can read the first to stimulate and enhance learning to meetfew paragraphs of a Scientific American article, but the needs of working professionals. with each paragraph, the text and the concepts
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become more difficult, and a greater knowledgeTrek reruns with my children in the late 1980s. base of the discipline field is needed for fullAnd I am very fortunate to have as my comprehension. When this happens to me, I goholographic tour guide my favorite educator and back and reread. Sometimes this is enough to helpphilosopher, Dr. John Dewey. me continue to broaden my own knowledge. Other times, quite frequently, I give up and move John Dewey (let's call him Dr. Dewey from to other content. But that's okay as it is leisurenow on) is very animated as he leads me through reading for me. In learning situations, however,a series of demonstrations in the newly dedicated we need to persevere until we build that largereducational holodeck called "Lasting Experiences conceptual framework and fill in some of theLtd." Dr. Dewey begins by taking a deep breath content. and saying that now, at last, we have a set of educational tools worthy of addressing his We know that learning needs to be rooted.dreamsofcreatingreallyeffectiveand Consider the view of the tree of knowledge, whichindividualized student-centered learning is still a good analoguey. The core concepts, theexperiences. essential understanding of a field of knowledge, are the roots, the large lower tree trunks, and theThe Learning Continuum large branches. Without that root system, many other concepts we might delight in-the smaller Dr. Dewey says that one of the key concepts he branches, leaves, and fruit-are not accessible. Wewrote about early in the 20th century was the need to have materials that can help studentsimportance of continuity in learning, providing a build knowledge structures well and effectively. continuum of learning experiences so that a student could build knowledge, brick by brick, Moving On layer by layer, synapse by synapse. Even back then, he continued, we knew that for effective We are only eight short years from 2007.learning, students needed an "orderly and Where will we be at that time? Going back to theordered set of activities that could result in the quote by Gibson, "The future is here. It is just notcompletion of a learning process." Learning evenly distributed." Many of my predictions areexperiences, almost throughout the 20th century, extrapolations of current trends. We know that wewere more a series of random events that may or will be surprised by the future. The Web surprisedmay not fit the internal continuity of structure us all. What other surprises are out there? needed by students. We hoped that students would learn, and students did learn, but it was As we come to a close of our journey to thenot very orderly, and many students missed a Web, here is an imaginary journey into a futuregreat deal. Most important, many students missed where some of our visions for individualizedthe orderly development of a rich and broad instruction may actually come true. foundation of knowledge that would support them in becoming effective lifelong self-learners. The challenge back then was that dealing with Student-Centered Learning in the Lasting even small groups of students made it difficult to Experiences Ltd. Holodeck: As Good as It Gets!provide the continuum of learning that could efficiently meet the needs of individual students. A Minidream and Fantasy Voyage in Search of Lifelong Learning Now, he says, look at what happens here in the Lasting Experiences Holodeck! Dewey stops Here I am at last . . . on an educationalbefore what looks like an old airport security holodeck, modeled after the famous Holodeck ofcheck point system. As students step through this the Starship Enterprise. I have been thinking andarch, they pause and are recognized by the dreaming about this ever since I watched Starsystem. Then they hear their mentor's voice
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welcoming them and accompanying them to thethought of as the next layer of bricks, or the next section of the holodeck that is being individuallysprout of new growth in the brain, or the and dynamically readied for them. Dr. Deweydevelopmentofawhole newareaof explains that this is a security and identificationknowledge. This concept also clarified the point. As the students pause,the systemimportance of the role of a teacher, in that the recognizes them by their eyes, searches for theirteacher was essential for more rapid and appropriate mentor, and recreates that mentor ineffective learning to take place than a learner holographic form. The student in front of us goescould manage on his or her own. off with a holographic mentor of Gordon Moore, the famous CEO of Intel in the late 20th century. This concept helped teachers understand the importance of Dewey's own principle, the Anticipating that I might object to such"continuity of learning experiences." The ZPD isolated and generated learning experiences, Dr.also reinforces the concept of learning readiness Dewey quickly explains more. He says thatwith which it is closely associated. The readiness students must have a variety of learningprinciple says that a learner needs to be at a experiences. The Lasting Experiences Holodeck ispoint of readiness before learning certain used for their conceptual development andmaterial. Put another way, a learner cannot learn problem-solvingexperiences.The holodeckisolated facts easily, or integrate them usefully knows what aims or goals students have andforthe long-term and use them in any creates, via artificial intelligence (AI), the types ofmeaningful way. A learner can learn "facts" only experiences needed by the student to build theif the knowledge can be related to knowledge or next layer of knowledge and relationships. The AIanexperiencethestudentalreadyhas. scenarios are integrated learning experiences,Vygotsky's principle of the Zone of Proximal oftencombiningtwo,three, or moreDevelopment suggests, that, in fact, the zone of disciplines-leveragingtheinterdisciplinarylearning possibilities for an individual learner nature of most problem solving and creativity. might be a fairly narrow zone. On the other hand, it also suggests that the more we know, At this point, Dr. Dewey digresses. He saysthe more that we can come to know. that it is important to know one other concept that really informs the AI scenarios here in the Lasting Dewey said that, for example, as they were Experiences Holodeck. experimenting with earlier versions of the mentoring and AI software, learners became At the Intersection: The Zone of Proximalfrustrated either when the situation was too Development obvious or simple, or when the situation was too complex and the requirements too demanding. In Inthemid-20thcentury,hesaid,anthe first case, learners would lose interest and educational theorist by the name of Levsearch for more complexity, sometimes getting Vygotsky developed the learning concept of thesignificantly off track, and sometimes Zone of Proximal Development. Vygotsky'smisbehaving and causing trouble. In the second concept of the Zone of Proximal Developmentcase, that of too much complexity, learnerswould (ZPD) was that the act of learning occurred atmake very basic mistakes due to a lack of theintersectionof four components: theunderstanding of core concepts and principles. Learner, the Teacher, the Content, and a Problem that could be solved using the Content. So the appropriate band or zone for learning The ZPD represented the difference (or the gap)needs to be carefully assessed. Over time, artificial between what a learner could do individuallyintelligence software has been improved and can and what could be done by the learner with thebetter assess just what zone of learning is possible help of a more experienced person, usually afor students, allowing students to optimize time teacher or another expert. This zone might beon task.
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Boettcher, J. V. (1995, October). Technology classrooms, teaching, and tigers. Syllabus,9, 10-12.
Boettcher, J. V., & Cartwright, P. (1997, September/October). Designing and supportingcourses on the Web. Change, 10, 62-63.
Bransford, J.D.B., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (1999). How people learn: Brain,mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
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- 122 - About the Authors
Judith V. Boettcher
Judith V. Boettcher is the executive director of the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN), a non profit higher education member organization. CREN's mission is to provide knowledge services and Internet tools to support information technology professionals in research and education. Prior to joining CREN, Boettcher was the director of the Office of Interactive Distance Learning at Florida State University. She also served as the Director of Education Technology Services at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. While at Penn State, she chaired the universitywide Technology Classroom program that designed and developed over 50 technology classrooms. While at Control Data Corporation, she served on League for Innovation task forces on strategic planning for technology integration into the teaching and learning process and on library automation.
Boettcher has a Ph.D. in education and cognitive psychology from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in English from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. She served as the project leader for the Educational Uses of Information Technology (EUIT) Joe Wyatt Challenge EDUCOM project, 1990-1992.
She is dedicated to the transformation of teaching and learning processes with the wise use of information technologies. This commitment is based on the belief that the higher education community, empowered by the new knowledge technologies, can create a renaissance of teaching and learning for students and faculty and for the larger needs of society. Her e-mail address is
Rita-Marie Conrad
Rita-Marie Conrad is an online instructor for the master's degree program in instructional systems design with a major in open and distance learning at Florida State University. In this role, she is responsible for managing the delivery of Web-based courses on topics such as online collaboration, learning theories, and the design of Web-based instruction. She has also taught computer literacy and multimedia programming courses at Tallahassee Community College, and other educational technology courses at Florida State University. She has consulted on the design and implementation of distance learning courses, managed technology-related projects, and provided educational technology consulting and training to K-12 teachers.
Conrad has presented on a variety of online and distance learning topics at conferences such as the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE), the Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT), and Syllabus, and at the University of Wisconsin. She has a Ph.D. in instructional systems design with a specialization in distance learning from Florida State University. Her e-mail address is
129
- 123 - ,CREN
CORPORATION FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL NETWORKING (CREN)
The Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN), is a nonprofit organization that provides knowledge services and Internet tools to support the needs of higher education and research institutions. CREN focuses on providing strategic and practical IT services, such as live expert audio Webcasts, high volume mailing list management software, and certificate authority services. Complementary services are offered to members tl-yough vendor alliances. CREN produces and disseminates knowledge and services on academic and professional IT issues to over 200 institutional members, including Princeton, Penn State, Oberlin College, and Portland Community College.
Created in 1989 from the earlier 1983-launched BITNET organization, CREN now focuses on support of campus information technology infrastructure professionals. One of the most effective and widely used forums that members engage in is CREN's "Tech Talk with the Experts" Webcast Series. Since their debut in late 1997, these live audio Webcasts have been hosted by top campus leaders in the information technology field who share their knowledge and expertise with faculty, staff and students at CREN member institutions. Engaging in active question-and-answer sessions about a variety of IT topics relevant to their institutions, both academics and professionals are able to learn more about topics such as "The Digital Millennium Copyright Act" and "Tools for Teaching and Learning Online." Web event pages provide background information and resource links about the Tech Talk topics, and audio archives and transcripts are available following each event. Schedules for Tech Talk Webcasts are regularly posted on CREN's Web site,
To address the increasing need for institutions to engage effectively in secure interinstitutional resource sharing, CREN is currently implementing a top-level Certificate Authority Service which provides authentication services to CREN's member institutions and other organizations within the academic and research community. This service is designed to ensure that online information access and e-commerce is secure and affordable for members of the campus community.
As a way of providing even more member benefits, CREN has formed alliances with a number of organizations with similar missions, including CBT Systems and Blackboard Inc. CREN also creates and produces ListProc 8.2, an expanded version of the popular electronic mailing list management software. ListProc 8.2 has the capacity to handle the large and growing email lists regularly found at higher education institutions.
As a result of its expanding informative archive of IT resources, CREN's Web site was named "Site of the Month" in April 1998 by The Technology Source,
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- 124 - Since 1968, the League for Innovation in the Community College has been making a difference in community college education and in the lives of millions of educators and students. The League's ongoing mission is to improve community colleges through innovation, experimentation, and institutional transformation. Twenty CEOs from the most influential, resourceful, and dynamic community colleges and districts in the world comprise the League's board of directors and provide strategic direction for its ongoing activities. These community colleges and their leaders are joined by more than 670 institutions that hold membership in the League's Alliance for Community College Innovation (ACCI). The League-with this core of powerful and innovative community colleges and more than 100 corporate partners-serves nationally and internationally as a catalyst, project incubator, and experimental laboratory for community colleges around the world. Current initiatives take shape in the publications, conferences, institutes, and other quality services associated with the League's internationally recognized Workforce, Leadership, Information Technology, and Learning-Centered Education programs. These current programs, along with the League's 31-year history of service to the community college world, explain why Change magazine called the League the "most dynamic organization in the community college world."
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