ED-MEDIA 1999 Proceedings Book - Association for the ...

(3) On-line Quiz--This component will be helpful for self-assessment. The quiz contains close-ended questions
that can be used to gauge one’s understanding of the necessary skills and concepts of the topic.
(4) Homework--This component provides the necessary information and tools for working on the assignments.
(5) Beyond the Basics--For the more advanced students, this component contains links to other relevant web pages
and information that encourage exploration beyond the minimum.
(6) Discussion Corner--This area takes the form of a threaded discussion. This is the place where the students can
have asynchronous discussions and work collaboratively with their peers and the instructor. Students who have
interesting questions or problems will be able to post them to the discussion corner. Other students, as well as the
instructor, will join in the discussions by providing answers, or hints to these questions.
(7) Tools--This component contains a collection of Java applets that are helpful in understanding and exploring
the topic. These Java applets provide an opportunity to give a richer interaction with the material in terms of
graphical exploration and calculations.
(8) FAQ--Frequently Asked Questions from each topic will be included under the topic of the week. This
component focuses on students’ questions rather than the instructor’s ideas.
3. Pedagogical Approach
In this setting, the web-site, together with the email facility are integrated with the regular class meeting,
class textbook, and lecture notes. The site is used as another channel for students to seek feedback and help from
the instructor and peers, to understand and explore more about the topics. The ultimate aim is to achieve teaching
(as well as learning) for understanding. (Perkins, 1992)
Basically, the ITC site is a second chance for a student who missed or needed to review the lesson(s) to
acquire the clear information of the topic. The Lecture Notes of the lesson of the week, in this case, Newton’s
Method, not only teaches the learners the technique of applying the method, but also emphasizes how and when to
use the method, in a concise manner. For students who need extra guidance, the step by step Guided Practice will
equip the users with the necessary skills and concepts. The understanding of the concepts will be further enhanced
at the Discussion Corner and the FAQ, where the doubts and misconceptions will be discussed and clarified. The
Java applets examples and tools will also help to make understanding the concept easier, both during the lecture
and self-revision.
From our experience as teachers, we know that if one can correctly explain a concept, she truly
understands the concept. Thoughtful practices are enhanced by the assignments that focussed on assessing
students’ understanding through open-ended questions (…/ITC/assign/index.html). Students are also encouraged
to pose and answer questions, helping each other in the Discussion Corner (where their grades will be boosted by
taking part actively in the discussions). In this way, the instructor, as well as the members of the class, will be the
key components in providing informative feedback to each other.
On the whole, the existence of the web-site provides motivation. Older, re-entry students in general are
back in school to achieve a specific goal: a diploma. They are (for the most part) extremely motivated to do well.
Any opportunity for extra help and support will be motivating. Even if the student is not in a position to need
extra help with the requirements, he will receive motivation in the extended opportunities in Beyond the Basics.
Computer technology and the web make it possible to present graphs, figures, equations and text in an eyecatching
appearing and meaningful manner. This might be enough to hook even the most nonchalant student.
4. Discussion
Some difficulties encountered during the trial run are: (1) Only half of the class (16 out of 31) have the
access to the WWW out of the campus, and not many students are posting and answering questions at the
Discussion Corner. It is thought that the situation could be improved by granting some financial aids in helping
the students to gain access to the WWW. (2) Housing the web-site in the Polytechnic’s Internet server is
inconvenient, not only in uploading files, but also in posting comments/questions at the ITC site. It is
recommended that we should set up our own department’s server to alleviate some of these problems.
References:
Perkins, D. (1992). Smart Schools: Better Thinking and Learning for Every Child. New York: The Free Press.
Perkins, D. et al (1995). Software Goes to School: Teaching for Understanding with New Technologies. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Brackett, G (1998). T525 course web-site. [Online: web]. Cited 22 Aug. 1998. URL:
http://hgseclass.harvard.edu/t525/index.html