FREE ESSAY ON INTERACTIVE CLASS

INTERACTIVE CLASS

How to Go From Class-Room to Web-Room as Painlessly as Possible
By Rik Hall, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick
1.0 ABSTRACT
Getting your course onto the World Wide Web (WWW) is best done using a systematic
approach. There are a number of steps that need to be taken prior to starting any of the
actual web work. Meetings should be held with various groups within your institution.
Once the actual coursework is begun, there are some essential components and some
optional components. There are specific skills and talents that you either need to
acquire or you need to access. Each web-based course is unique, but they often have many
components in common. Some are essential, others may be optional. Resources can be found
on your campus, from the many web companies and from the web itself.
======================== 
2.0 KEY WORDS
World Wide Web, WWW, Distance Education, HTML, Web-Based Instruction
========================
3.0 INTRODUCTION
The number of degree credit courses available on the World Wide Web (WWW) has increased
at the same astonishing rate as other activities on the WWW. There are some specific
steps that can be taken that will help to transport the professor from the idea stage to
the delivery of a course over the WWW. Also, just like any other educational technology,
web-based instruction works better for some situations than others. Web-based instruction
is useful when you want to create a virtual environment which is not easily or, perhaps,
safely accessible. An example is sending learners to a virtual nuclear lab or on a
virtual tour of the Louver in Paris. 
========================
4.0 WEB BASED INSTRUCTION
Web-based instruction it allows learners to gain knowledge and skill more effectively
than traditional methods. Simply transferring material such as lecture notes to the web
is not using the technology to its best advantage. Lengthy text such as lecture notes
are, in fact, best printed because most learners experience eye strain and sensory
disinterest reading long passages of text on a screen. Some specific situations tend to
lend themselves to web-based instruction. 
4.1 Encouraging Communication
You want to encourage communication through conferencing. Through internet conferencing
learners may participate in discussions or group work with one another with or without
the participation of the instructor. Role plays, simulations of historical events and
debates are also examples of how learning can be facilitated through the conferencing
option.
4.2 Accessing Source Documents
You want learners to use source documents to complete assignments such as conducting an
analysis or designing a project. These source documents may not be readily available to
learners or perhaps, based on the assignment, will not be equally significant to all the
learners. 
For example, you may ask learners to research and analyze issues pertaining to Canadian
elections. To complete the assignment, various learners may access archived information
such as newspaper and journal articles which specifically relate to their particular
interest or point of view. 
One example is a site operated by the University of Victoria (http://web.uvic.ca/history
robinson/index.html) which contains letters, maps, biographies and newspaper articles
about the murder of William Robinson committed on Saltspring Island in 1868. The
information at the site allows learners and the public to pursue their research as they
please and to access original documents which are not generally available. Individuals
are free to interpret the meaning of the documents and reach their own conclusions.
4.3 Flexibility of Learning
You want to provide maximum flexibility to allow learners to undertake learning and
research in the order which best suits them. Because the web allows learners to move
around at will, they do not need to follow a structured hierarchy. Generally learners
need and want some direction but the web allows a more flexible approach. 
4.4 Further Study
You want learners to pool data and/or analysis to find patterns and trends or to
undertake further study.
=========================
5.0 ASSUMPTIONS
For a starting point and to keep us on track in this paper, I will discuss degree credit
courses delivered by the University of New Brunswick. I will assume that for your case
there is ready WWW web access for the professor as well as web access for students.
Again, for consistency, I expect my students to have at least Netscape 3 (or its
equivalent), their own internet service provider (ISP), and the skills necessary to
access the WWW. These are my starting points - but most concepts discussed will transfer
across institutional lines.
=========================
6.0 BEFORE YOU START YOUR COMPUTER
6.1 Steps to Take 
There a number of things that you should do before you begin to do any coding,
contracting or late night computer hacking. There are meetings to setup, there is paper
work to be done and decisions to be made. Then, and only then, do you get to play with
the computer. 
6.2 Meetings
I would advise that you consider the following meetings as part of your endeavors. They
will help you set the ground rules, help you avoid some of the mine-fields, and start you
off on a working relationship with groups that can be either wonderful allies or
formidable combatants, and hopefully help keep you on track as you work towards a
finished product. 
6.2.1 Your initial meeting with your own department
I feel it is imperative for any relationship you and your delivering agency (Department
of Extension, Continuing Education or University of the World) to start with a good
relationship with your own department.
In this meeting you may need to get the approval of the supervisors of your department to
be able to deliver in something other than the traditional face to face, on campus mode.
Those in authority may have to guarantee the academic support for some period after the
first start of delivery of the course (at UNB, the period is three years).
At the University of New Brunswick, instructors delivering courses through the Department
of Extension are recommended by the faculties. This is something you might also wish to
discuss with your own department at this time. It is often assumed that the person(s)
developing a course will be the one(s) that wish to teach the course and the one(s) that
the faculty will appoint to teach the course. This is not always the case.
You should also discuss possible sources of help for the development of your course.
There are times when stipend relief may be available from various sources. There may also
be funds available from other agencies.
6.2.2 Your first meeting with your delivering agency 
Having gained the approval of your faculty, you should next meet with your delivering
agency. In this meeting, you should discuss the ways that they can help you in the
development of your course. They may also share with you what they know about possible
funding sources.
As Web-based learning is different from regular face-to-face lecture learning, they will
want you to make use of good instructional design methodologies. This is often an area
where they can help. Here are some items you may wish to discuss at that meeting:
a. possible methods of web-based delivery for your course,
b. method of payment to the instructor, 
c. ancillary support materials and their delivery to the students, 
d. how the materials, assignments, marks and communications flow between parties 
e. liaisons with the libraries
f. liaisons with Computer Services
g. on-going checkpoint meetings with your delivering agency. 
At regularly scheduled intervals, you should meet with your delivering agency as they
will wish to monitor the development of the course. Your delivering agency should be
checking with you to:
* keep abreast of your time lines. They need this to be able to best market your course
and to see that it receives the coverage it deserves,
* ensure the consistency of an Academia look and feel
* ensure the consistency of any standards for web-based courseware development (for an
example, please see http://www.unb.ca/home/webinfo/guide.html)
* keep abreast of your needs and successes.
These meetings are intended to insure the standards and formats consistent with the
delivery of your institute's courses, and should in no way be an attempt to interfere
with your teaching.
=========================
7.0 NOW YOU MAY START YOUR COMPUTER
There is an ongoing debate as to whether one should do all or some of the web work
oneself, or if the work should be jobbed out. I enjoy working with the web, I have
instructional design training and have been involved in courseware development for quite
a few years and so, as long as I have more time than financial resources, I will do the
work myself. There are many very good professional agencies that can be contracted to
produce courseware for you. These agencies can be contracted to do a wide range of the
jobs necessary to complete any type of web-based application. There are probably agencies
within your institution who specialize in instructional design and courseware
development. These units should be consulted. For certain areas of the development that
you do yourself, you will need some specific skills.
7.1 Skills and Talents
7.1.1 Essential Skills (Talents) 
You will need to be very familiar with these or will need access to people who are and
can do these aspects of the job for you.
7.1.1.1 HyperText Markup Language - HTML 
Stands for HyperText Markup Language, and on a scale of one to ten, learning the basics
of HTML is about a three. The web is a great resource (see the Resource list below), and
there are a plethora of good books on the subject. I keep the most current version of
Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML in a Week by Laura Lemay near my computer. As
with all aspects of the WWW, the print support is changing constantly, but the most
recent edition is usually the best.
7.1.1.2 Instructional Design 
Again, there a large number of excellent resources and my favorite is Jerry Kemp's The
Instructional Design Process (New York: Harper & Row, 1985). It is however, out of print,
and this is one case where I do think the next edition was not as good as the first.
Another good choice is, Robert Branch's Common Instructional Design Practices Employed by
Secondary School Teachers, Educational Technology, 34, (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational
Technology Publications, 1995).
7.1.2 Optional Skills (Talents)
7.1.1.2.1 More HTML
The more familiar you become with HTML, the more you will be able to enhance your
course's web site. This can be a good thing, and it can also be not so good. Adding
components and extra bells and whistles to your web site should be done as a conscious
choice to support your educational objectives and not just because the bells and whistles
are there.
7.1.1.2.2 CGI
Stands for Common Gateway Interface and is the coding that allows the information
collected from forms on webs sites to be manipulated. This can be as simple as allowing
students to send specific assignments to you, or can be as elaborate as on-line
registration.
7.2 Components of the Web Course
Every Web-delivered course will have a number of components. These will vary depending
upon your needs, your style and the degree of interactivity in the course. There are some
components that should be part of your site, in order to make the course appealing to
your customer. I feel that some components of a web-based course are essential and others
are optional.
7.2.1 Essential Components
These can be divided into static and dynamic.
7.2.1.1 Static Components
These components change very little. They can be put on your web site and only updated as
needed.
7.2.1.1.1 The Course Description
This will often come directly from your University calendar.
7.2.1.1.2 The Professor
This can be as informal or as formal as you like. What kind of first impression do you
wish to make? How much do you wish to add? Do you wish to link to your own personal Web
site (if you have one)?
7.2.1.1.3 Prerequisites
Again, this can often come from your university calendar. It is always a good point to
specify any particular computing hardware, software or skills that will be required for
students to be able to take your course.
7.2.1.1.4 The Text
Here is a nice place to put a scanned cover of the text - along with the ISBN, the
publisher and all of the information needed for your potential students to acquire this
text. Here is a good place to put a link to your institute's bookstore - assuming it has
a web site.
7.2.1.1.5 Communications
This is where you put as much information as you can about how students can reach you.
Will you have office hours? Virtual office hours? Can they reach you via Email? How do
they reach each other? Is there a listserv, a secure server?
7.2.1.1.6 Grading
Students all seem to want to know what they have to do to get a mark. This is a good
place to tell them about assignments, quizzes, mid-terms and finals, and any other
expectations you have of them.
7.2.1.2 Dynamic Components
These components may change often. They might be updated, or supplemented once a week or
every few days.
7.2.1.2.1 Bulletin Board 
This gets used much more in the first part of the class. As the class gets into it this
seems to be used less frequently.
7.2.1.2.2 Assignments
These can be placed on the web site before the class begins for all assignments, or can
become readable at given times or as new assignments are given.
7.2.1.2.3 Communications Options 
These are the actual components of the web site that allow interactivity in the course.
The real power of the WWW is global communication. And this is what makes web-based
courses so exciting. Your course's communications may include any number of the
following:
7.2.1.2.4 Closed Listservs
These use standard Email to allow all members of the class to send and receive messages
from any other member of the class, including the instructor. Messages are automatically
sent to all of the individual's personal Email addresses.
7.2.1.2.5 Web Forums 
These are places where people can interact. Student-to-student, student-to-teacher and
teacher-to-student or teacher to the entire class. These are sections on the web that
students go to and are able to read messages and participate in on-line, asynchronous
'conversations.' 
7.2.1.2.6 Interactive 'real time' two-way audio or video
There are numerous pieces of software available now that allow desktop two-way video and
audio. These tend to require very high bandwidth, and because they are 'real-time' they
require the participating parties to all be on the web at the same time.
7.2.1.2.7 Marks 
This is a place where your marking scheme can be listed. It is also a place where you can
post marks or assignments in (if you have a secure server that only your class can
access).
7.2.1.2.8 Class Notes
As each week progresses, or just prior to each week's work, students may need to have the
equivalent of lecture notes to supplement what is covered in the text book, or what has
been assigned on the web. Some web software will allow you to put the all the notes on
the web site - and as certain dates arrive, students then have access to the notes.
7.2.2 Optional Components
These may be essential, depending upon your requirements.
7.2.2.1 Audio clips
These may be as sound files (.WAV or .AU), audio streaming (Real Audio, Soundstream,
Shockwave) or MIDI files.
7.2.2.2 Animations
These may be as animated .GIFs, QuickTime, Shockwave or Java applications.
7.2.2.3 Quizzes, especially self-correcting quizzes
These may be as part of a web educational software (WebCT) or can be developed by
yourself or your institution.
7.2.2.4 Case studies
These may be as included as text pages or may be referenced to other sites. This is one
area where copyright can really come into play. The cost of clearing copyright on a set
of Harvard business case studies can be out of the question.
7.2.2.5 Video clips
These may be as QuickTime? video or may be done with the new Real Video that allows
real-time video streaming.
7.2.2.6 Web Database Sites
These will allow you to maintain and provide access to databases over the web.
7.2.2.7 Web Tutoring Sessions
These may be as simple as step-by-step instructions for any topic with branching provided
to additional sites. They can also be we intelligent tutorials with on-line interactive
testing.
7.3 Points to Ponder
7.3.1 Open Server 
An open server will allow anyone, anywhere on the web to access your information.
7.3.2 Secure Server
A secure server will only allow persons with some type of authorization code to access
your information.
=========================
8.0 RESOURCES 
(This list does not constitute an endorsement on anyone's part. These resources are a
jumping off points to help you get your course on the web.) Please do not overlook the
many resources on your own campus. 
8.1 My resources page
This site has links to courses, resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which
type and format of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or idiosyncrasies,
and much more.
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 
8.2 Conferences, on-line or face-to-face
NAWeb '98 - The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference is in
its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing courseware for delivery on
the WWW or for those delivering courseware over the WWW. 
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/
8.3 Books, listservs and associations
Badrul Khan's Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology
Publications, 1997) is quite good.
I host the WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400
members from around the world - developing for delivery over the WWW or actually
delivering courseware over the WWW. 
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/
The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all aspects of distance education. You can join that
one by sending this message 
SUBSCRIBE DEOSNEWS your name
to
LISTSERV@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
This is who and what they are:
DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance Education community by The American Center
for the Study of Distance Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions
expressed are those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any
opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State.
The Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often help
http://www.cade-aced.ca/
The Association for Media and Technology in Education - Canada (AMTEC) is another
favorite of mine. 
http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~amtec/
Use every and any resource you can. Join groups for support, and support others in
similar projects. This is a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just
as fast as it is emerging.
8.4 Other
Here is where you add ideas you pick up at the conference.
Bibliography
This site has links to courses, resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which
type and format of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or idiosyncrasies,
and much more.
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 
8.2 Conferences, on-line or face-to-face
NAWeb '98 - The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference is in
its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing courseware for delivery on
the WWW or for those delivering courseware over the WWW. 
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/
8.3 Books, listservs and associations
Badrul Khan's Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology
Publications, 1997) is quite good.
I host the WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400
members from around the world - developing for delivery over the WWW or actually
delivering courseware over the WWW. 
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/
The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all aspects of distance education. You can join that
one by sending this message 
SUBSCRIBE DEOSNEWS your name
to
LISTSERV@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
This is who and what they are:
DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance Education community by The American Center
for the Study of Distance Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions
expressed are those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any
opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State.
The Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often help
http://www.cade-aced.ca/
The Association for Media and Technology in Education - Canada (AMTEC) is another
favorite of mine. 
http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~amtec/
Use every and any resource you can. Join groups for support, and support others in
similar projects. This is a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just
as fast as it is emerging.
8.4 Other
Here is where you add ideas you pick up at the conference.