http://dwb.unl.edu/

dwb/Meetings/WebG/WebGroup.htm

Web-Coursesfor Chemistry Teachers

David Brooks, John Markwell, Marjorie Langell, Randy Emry, Kent Crippen, Karen Cohen, Helen Brooks

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-9819377. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

• Overview

• Technical Mechanics

• How it played in Boston

Overview

Automatic Testing

• 24/7

• Mostly automatic

• Often personalized feedback

15 Courses

Periodicity; Energy & Matter; Thermodynamics; Chemical Equilibrium

BondingCarbon and PolymersBiomolecules; Molecular Biology; Energy &

MetabolismWater and Solutions; Gases & the AtmosphereAcids & Bases; RedoxInstrumentationNuclear

Topics

• Content

• Pedagogy

Content• Principal Topics• Practical Applications• Science Integration• Math Integration• Home Labs• Graphing Calculator Lesson• Probes Lesson• Industrial• Simulation

Pedagogy

Inquiry, Descriptive, Safety Culture, Misconceptions, Environmental, Historical, Demonstrations, Experiments, Content Integration, Mathematics Integration, Graphing Calculators, Probe Experiments, Simulations, Special Emphasis, Resources

Stress on integration of ideas across areas and disciplines.

Technical Mechanics

• iMac

• WebStar

• HyperCard

Supporting Interactivity

Create Web Form

Action includes HC.cgi

WebStar gets input from form

WebStar creates AppleEvent

HC script responds to AppleEvent

Information passed to HC

HC processes information using scripts

HC replies -- usually with a ‘calculated’ Web page

HC Schematic

Questions

• Essay• Blank• Short• Multiple Choice• Rank• Check (multiple multiple choice)• Multiple Label• Match

Essay

Essay items required ‘hand’ grading.

Model answer provided immediately; evaluation delayed.

Short

Short answers were programmed individually to offer varied problems appearances and individualized feedback. Answers included worked-out solutions using the particulars of the problem presented to the student.

Feedback immediate.

Other formats

Immediate feedback.

Topic

System revolved around topics. Content stored by topic. Assessment items attached to topics.

Format

Three frames.

Top bar for navigation; of minimal use.

Left frame accessed topic.

Right frame contained content, links, buttons to access items.

Pages calculated -- one topic at a time --for each individual.

Progress Information

Links to topics in left frame always active. However, as student works through materials and completes quizzes, links to content with no remaining quizzes turns gray.

Quiz buttons disappear.

At Log-On Time

Student sees all comments connected to essays, and learns results of essay evaluation. Color coded.

Must be read.

Pages Written

Pages written to files. File names encoded with scrambled 4-letter block.

Necessary to overcome HC 30K limit.

Instructor Access

Instructor sees list of all students. Sees indication of # chars to be read. Clicks to access. Sees on items at a time. Grades P/F on each essay item. Makes comments in scrolling text field. Has date information on student. Has e-mail link to student. Sees color codes when >=93% items complete.

Files Types (Stacks)

Student Records

Courses

Student Records

Three types of records:Student demographic

Mentor demographic, student list

Course enrollment

Course Files (Stacks)

Topics

Quiz Items

Course Record

Tracks individual items per student.

Student logs on. Gets list of items remaining. Goes to course stack. Writes remaining items with topics. Creates new page, topic by topic, deciding link colors and ‘buttons’ based upon remaining items.

On-Line Administration

Add studentName, e-Mail address. Created id name and

password.

Add mentor

Add course enrollmentid name, course desired

Link Rot

Link rot was our biggest problem. Depended upon accessing extant material rather than creating material.

Develop rot reporting and management tools.

Outcomes

Participants

106 teachers from 27 states earned 508 credits in 15 courses

Tuition Impact

During the period 3/1/02 through 4/30/02, participants completed 30 courses.

On 2/27/03, participants with ongoing active enrollments were informed that the free-tuition aspect of the program would end on 4/30/03. During the period 3/1/03 through 4/30/03, participants completed 139 courses.

Credits per Teacher

Drop-Out/No Show

Everything is public, including all assessments.

147 teachers signed up but did little/nothing. There were 747 course registrations, but only 508 completions. This was a surprise.

This is not costly.

Mentors (Instructors)

Brooks -- 574

Markwell -- 91

Rest distributed among 20 mentors

Credit Choice

416 in science (CHEM, BIOC, BIOS)

92 in education (CURR)

Skills Varied

Many highly skilled -- preaching to choir

Many low skilled.

Full gamut of skills. ALL indicated some learning.

Integrity

Could use public site in parallel. Detected this by recording time/id/IP address.

A few instances detected.

Time to Complete

685 days record long.

2 courses in one evening was record short. Took about 5 hours. When you think about this, it is not crazy that a person could learn something, review successfully, and do this in an afternoon-evening.

Questions