Chapter 12
This chapter discusses overcoming technical hurdles
and making WBT available to more learners and more
organizations. Technical complexity can affect students
as well as instructors. For students, technical complexity
frustrates, distracts, and discourages learners, who
either waste valuable time in the course or else just
give up. For instructors, dealing with technical problems
can overload them and other staff to such a degree
that they have little time and energy to devote to
the learning activities of the course.
There should be a plan for technical support while
you are designing your course. Which planning for
technical support, you should consider all the issues,
plan for disasters, and consolidate support for multiple
courses. Also, you should lower the technical difficulties
for students by doing the following:
- Identify technical barriers
– reduce the requirement and help learners
meet them.
- Reduce technical requirements
– do not require students to use extra technology
(plug-ins) if it not necessary and do not require
lowering settings (ex: resolution screen size).
- Limit the number of new technologies
– do not require learners to learn several
new technologies.
- Simplify and integrate technology
- Pick multipurpose tools –
use tools that handle multiple functions. For
example, Windows Media Player can play several
video and sound formats that otherwise might require
several players.
- Obtain safe conduct through firewalls
- Require some computer skills
– state the expertise requirements of your
course ahead of time and enforce them
The author notes that it is important to solve problems
before the course starts. Some ways include helping
learners meet requirements (test whether learner’s
system meets the requirements, get instructions on
how to download software, set browser, etc.), specify
requirements fully (hardware, operating system, display
setting, browser version, internet connection, media
players, and browser settings), test compliance with
requirements, automatically test fundamental requirements,
test the display of individual media (graphics, video,
fonts, plug-ins, etc.), schedule early collaboration
activities, practice live events, and provide complete
setup instructions.
Learners should be supported during the course. Some
ways to support learners include: designate a starting
point, and create necessary support resources (FAQs,
tutorials, instructions, discussion groups for technical
problems, student handbook, etc.). In addition, it
is also important to test the course. Testing should
be on a minimal system which just meets the minimum
requirements. And finally, each component in your
entire learning system should identify a source of
support such as training staff, information technology
department, tool vendors, and learners themselves.
Suggested Quick-Check Questions
- The author talks about integrating the
installation of several programs and plug-ins
into one install, using programs such as InstallShield
and Wise Solutions (pg.491). Do you need permission
from vendors to package several downloads into
one package that exists on your site? Are there
copyright issues?
I think many programs and plug-ins does
not require permission from the software vendor.
Flash player, Shockwave player, and QuickTime
are the only ones I can think of that can be packaged
and be distributed freely.
Chapter 13
This chapter discusses some alternatives and adjuncts
to conventional courses. Sometimes these can be added
to a WBT to improve learning, but it can also be used
with the need for WBT. Some alternatives include:
(1)
libraries, (2)
museums,
(3)
glossaries, (4)
job
aids, (5)
mentors, (6)
conferences, (7)
guided
tours, (8)
field trips,
and (9)
simulations.
Libraries allow knowledge to be accessible by collecting
important information, labeling them, organizing them,
cataloging them, and allow learners to find it on
their own. Check to see if a library for the subject
area already exists before creating one. Some tips
to creating better libraries include (a) gradually
growing the library, (b) include a wide range of media,
(c) link to other repositories, (d) publish a usage
policy, (e) provide several modes of access, (f) automate
the process of entering and updating information,
(g) unite libraries and museums. Libraries can be
integrated into WBT courses by creating a guided tour
to show learners around, conducting scavenger hunts
to familiarize learners, assign guided research activities,
and use library-based materials throughout the course.
A
museum is an organized
collection of exhibits gathered in one place. Museums
are useful to make available the artifacts of a field,
provide access to concrete instances of objects from
a field being studied, and enable learners to discover
patterns and trends among separate objects and instances.
Unlike traditional museums, a virtual museum does
not have space limitations. Limitless amount of information
can be integrated, so therefore, museums could include
a variety of exhibits and media while making sure
that each exhibit get annotated thoroughly (should
include name, description, ID number, dimensions,
creator, date, medium, owner, history classification,
rating, sales, price, keyword, and links to details).
Visitors of virtual museums should have control and
choose what they want to see. Museums can be integrated
into WBT courses by creating a learner’s tour
of the museum, assign scavenger-hunt activities, craft
guided-research activities, organize specialized tours
through exhibits to reveal patterns and trends you
are teaching, and assign learners the task of finding
relevant objects or personal interests.
A
glossary defines
terms and guides readers in their use. Many web-based
glossaries have much more functionality than traditional
dictionaries, such as illustrations, synonyms and
other related words, and pronunciation with sound.
Glossaries should be created when there are a lot
of specialized terms and abbreviations, when correct
use of terminology is crucial to success, and when
specialist and non-specialist must work together.
Some tips on creating better glossaries include focusing
on a particular field, evolve your glossary, write
clear definitions, separate term and definition, and
link related definitions. Glossaries can be used with
WBT courses by having a link to someone else’s
glossary on the web or creating a special glossary
just for your course or a subject.
Job aids provide
help to someone performing a job right when and where
they need it. The different types of job aid include
task-specific instructions, checklists, reference
summaries, and calculators. When using job aids in
WBT courses, it is important to not make the job aids
into tutorials, not to let job aids remove the need
for learning, use job aids as mementos (allow them
to continue using it after the course), and use job
aids to simplify the course.
Mentoring
is the idea of having a wiser and more experienced
person guide development of a less experienced person.
The mentor provides guidance, advice, and knowledge
as requested by the less experienced person. Mentoring
provides detailed subject matter knowledge, emotional
maturity, perspective, knowledge of the way things
really work, business savvy, and analytical skills.
Some tips for better mentoring include preparing mentors
by helping them become familiar with tasks, recruit
good mentors (ex: managers, senior professionals,
consultants, etc.), match mentor and learner carefully,
and allow time. When using mentoring in WBT courses,
it is important to make the mentors needed but not
essential for completing the course, make mentors
more than just pen pals, and monitor mentoring to
see how effective the mentors are.
An online
conference is similar to a traditional conference,
in that it has speakers, attendees, papers, presentations,
panels, vendor exhibits, and sightseeing tours. The
only differences are that it is cheaper and nobody
has to travel. Also, in an online conference, more
people can participate, participants can attend every
session, nobody has to take notes, presentations can
evolve, and presentations are more complete and thoughtful.
Some tips for creating a better conference include
announcing the conference, price the conference reasonably,
minimize technical difficulties, control audience,
schedule for the convenience of participants, layer
presentations, and integrate with conventional conferences
and publications. Conferences can be used in WBT courses
by allow learners to attend a conference, have learners
assist with the conference, and have learners conduct
a presentation.
A
guided
tour demonstrates an interactive computer system but
does not teach how to operate it. A guided tour should
be used when people need to see the big picture, when
people just want an overview, and when people will
be involved in the software but will not be operating
it. Guided tours can be used in WBT courses by having
a tour of the course, a tour of the interface, and
preview the software used in the course and the software
you will be teaching.
A
field trip
lets learners explore a real or conceptual space and
consists of definite stops where the learner can observe
and learn. Field trips should be used when a place
is too far away, when the places are too spread out,
and when it is too dangerous (such as toxic vapors,
bullets, etc.). Some tips for creating better field
trips include keeping the trip simple, keeping the
layout stable, show spatial relationships, let people
inspect object of interest, let people go ff on their
own, and anchor each stop with a visual. Field trips
can be used in WBT courses to let learners see how
concepts taught in the course are applied (or misapplied)
in the real world.
A
simulation
provides a new kind of learning environment which
can be used to teach everything that is needed to
learn a topic. The simulation works by consisting
of rapid cycles of interaction in which the learner
acts and the simulation provides immediate feedback.
Learners can also access help and instruction pages
if needed. Simulations should be used for learning
when costs of failure are high, learners need individual
training, many people must be trained, tasks are complex
and time is short, and the skills to be taught are
subtle or the knowledge complex. Tips for creating
better simulations include making the simulation meaningfully
realistic, design the required elements well, program
variety into the simulation, let learners play multiple
roles, provide instructions and context, and go beyond
trial-and-error learning. There are many different
types of simulations such as one-shot simulations,
learn-by-example simulations, and microworlds. Simulations
can be used as WBT courses by allow the learner to
choose whether to learn from the simulation or by
conventional tutorials. There will be no test because
the simulation is the test.
Suggested Quick-Check Questions
- Will online conferences have the same
impact as traditional conferences? Should online
conferences support traditional conferences instead
of replacing them? Are there any research conducted
on how effective it is (learning, collaboration,
community)?
The idea of an online conference is very interesting
and I think it’s a great idea. But I also
feel that there a lot of issues as well. I haven’t
seen much (or any) research conducted on this
topic. I can see that it can be a challenge for
facilitating collaboration and a sense of community.
I don’t think that online conferences should
replace traditional conferences. I think it's
a great idea to support it. For example, it would
be great if the AECT conference would be held
online as well as in an actual conference. Some
people that cannot afford the travel can choose
the online version. Although it will not be as
effective, it will be much more affordable.
