Web-based Instruction - Annotations

Web Design../Library/link%20to%20presentation%20pages

Web design - or more accurately Web course design - is a huge area with lots to say. The issues are both technological and pedagogical and you really need to understand both sides and their interactions to do a good job.

On the presentation slide we have listed some issues. We will not elaborate on those issues here, but will give a different perspective on the same problem. A good place to start is to think about how the Web is going to be used. Here is a table illustrating some of the uses. Hopefully it is self-explanatory. It ends with a set of design steps. This particular material is proficiency-based Think of that as a particular pedagogic approach. One of the important principles in designing Web material is that one needs to have some pedagogic approach in mind.


The Uses and Design of Webs in Instruction

Robert Roberts & Robby Robson

A web is collection of Internet resources with a common theme or purpose. Internet resources include web pages, web objects, or computer communicated communication tools. Use individually or combined, these resources act as potential resources for web-based instruction.

Uses in the Teaching and Learning Process

Administrative

Administrative uses of the Web in teaching include posting syllabi, posting assignments, posting class information, certain uses of mailing lists, accessing grades, and so on.

Communicative

Communicative uses of the Web in teaching include discussion groups, chat rooms, MUD's, moos, woos, email discussions, on-line tutoring, distributed learning and distributed teaching.

Informative

Informative uses of the Web in teaching include using the Web as a source of reference material, pulling in live data via the Web, displaying current events, using the Web for presentations (like this one), and delivering straight content via the Web.

Interactive

Interactive uses of the Web in teaching include interactive text, on-line testing, MUD's, moos, woos, interactive "reality" (shockwave, cocoa, VRML), and guided autonomous learning.

Degrees of Use

  1. Minimal (Administrative only)
  2. Structural (Administration and Communication)
  3. Supplemental (Quizzes, material, administration, some content)
  4. Primary (Course is delivered via Web with supplemental lectures.)
  5. Complete (Course is delivered solely via the Web.)

Designing Instruction using Web-based Content

  1. Target Proficiency
  2. Search for Internet Resources
  3. Evaluate Search Results
  4. Establish Pedagogical Approach
  5. Define the Web
  6. Choose Web Components
  7. Write Program Activities
  8. Define Evaluation Strategies
  9. Implement
  10. Evaluate, Determine Sufficiency and Proficiency

Robert Roberts, 1998 and Robby Robson, 1997

 

For the full course see the resources page in the presentation. ../Library/link%20to%20presentation%20pages

Perhaps the most important thing to say about designing instructional material for the Web is that you need to think ahead. Structure - pedagogical, technological, and navigational - is important. Designing even small amounts of instructional Web-based material is not a "seat of the pants" effort.

PDF Format ../Library/link%20to%20presentation%20pages

One interesting possibility for the delivery of on-line materials is the PDF format by Adobe Systems. This format is designed to work well with both browsers and printers. It requires a free plugin to view, but this widely available and often pre-packaged with the browser. PDF format allows the inclusion of hyperlinks and permits searching.

In portfolio based assessment, and in other applications, it is convenient to store actual student work. PDF format offers an intriguing possibility for doing this. It is also the best format for delivering text-based documents via the Web. Texts are often appropriate as part of an educational Web site!


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© 1998, Robby Robson, All Rights Reserved. Contact: robby@orst.edu for information and permission requests.

Last Modified: 11/27/2024 23:32:21