Developing online materials

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Developing online materials
eLearning

• Stephen Bostock
• Advisor for Technology and Learning
• Staff Development and Training Centre
• s.j.bostock_at_keele.ac.uk

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Modes of engagement with e-learning

• Minimum presence online
• Web supported (all) materials
• Significant enhancement with technology student
  activities of several types
• Wholly / largely online course (all the above)

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B. Web support Materials - and for most modes

• Admin or teaching information
• Existing content dropped in
• Office documents, pictures
• Other formats
• Rich Text Format .rtf, Adobe .pdf
• Web pages .htm or web sites
• Composer, FrontPage, Dreamweaver
• But not Word, Save As Web Page
• Accessibility keep it simple!

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Online teaching-learning activities

• Communication, discussion, support
• Email from and to students, course aliases,
• Frequently Asked Question pages
• Real time chat, whiteboard etc. (??)
• Asynchronous discussion boards BSCW
• Collaboration student group work, PBL, projects
  virtual project room

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Online teaching-learning activities 2

• Feedback on performance quiz, test, assess,
  evaluation
• Student generated content, online
  presentations, peer review
• Virtual laboratories, simulations, visualizations
• Support for reflection Statements of Reflection,
  online portfolios, Personal Development
  Portfolios, tutor comments on reflection by email

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Tracking student activity

• By their messages, products
• By web hits, but not for individuals
• Discussion board activities
• Virtual Learning Environment VLE
• Tracking individual accesses to everything
• Discussions reads/writes, chat transcripts
• Customized release of content based on tests,
  etc.
• Integrated user interface for tutor/author and
  student, customized, calendar,

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Designing e-learning

• Pedagogy-pull not technology-push
• Analysis of learning needs and constraints,
  opportunities and risks
• Learning outcomes defined
• The teaching-learning activities needed
• Every technology and teaching activity (TLA,
  medium, scenario) has strengths and weaknesses,
  and costs
• Evaluate each medium and then the mix
• On campus blended with face-to-face

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Offline technology support for face-to-face
teaching

• Lectures
• Digital projectors, visualizers
• Networked PC for using web etc.
• PowerPoint
• Interactive Whiteboards including
• Digital flipcharts
• Voting devices for staff-student interaction
• Shared use of software
• Seminars, small groups some of the above

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Final thoughts eLearningis it a good thing?

• Is chalk a good thing for learning?
• Are rooms a good thing for learning?
• Is technology a good thing for learning?
• Is eLearning about learning, or just e?

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Learn.keele menu
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www.learn.keele automatic menu
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VLEs - WebCT
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WebCT designer view
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webCT manager
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BSCW folders
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BSCW discussion
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Digital flipchart
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Voting devices Personal Response Systems

• Electronic handsets
• Mechanical devices like cubes