Serf®

Server-side Educational Records Facilitator

What Is Serf?

Invented in 1997, Serf is a self-paced multimedia learning environment that enables students to navigate a syllabus, access instructional resources, communicate, and submit assignments over the Web.Instructors create courses without having to know HTML.

LoggingOn

Viewing the Course

Student Control Panel

Instructor Options

Editing a Serf Syllabus

Textual Content (adds text to the current cluster) Class title (starts a new class cluster)Generic title (starts a new generic cluster)Preamble title (starts a new preamble cluster)Multimedia graphic (adds content with a graphic icon and link) Multimedia movie (adds content with a movie icon and link) Multimedia sound (adds content with a sound icon and link) Multimedia Web site (adds content with a Web site icon and link) Observational assignmentWeb portfolio assignmentWeb query assignmentSubmit file assignmentTrue/false questionMultiple choice questionFill-in-the-blank questionImage map questionShort answer questionSlider question (Likert scale)Examination (launches a test)Strand (launches a tutorial module)Diagnostic (launches a self-assessment)Survey (administers a questionnaire)Control panel (creates a customized control panel)Menu bar (replaces or augments the current Serf menu bar)Banner (replaces or augments the current banner)Trailer (replaces or augments the current trailer)

Kinds of Syllabus Events

Creating an Event

Editor Viewer

Navigating via the Index

Editing the Calendar

Setting the Date

Jumpstarting the Calendar

Editing the Style

Rostering Students

Using theGradebook

Assigning Grades

Discussion Forums

Controlling ForumAccess

Reading ForumTopics

Writing In aForum

Serf 2.0Summer 1998

Version 2 added to Serf a testing system that can administer and grade objective

test questions in a traditional exam style, or present competency-based tests

according to Bloom’s mastery learning model.

Kinds of Test Questions

True/FalseMultiple ChoiceFill-in-the-BlankImage MapShort AnswerSlider (Likert Scale)

Editing aQuestion

Editing aPool

Editing aModule

Practice vs GradedWeight of ModuleCriterionRepeatsReviewsDeadlinesTime frames

Editing aSection

Relative weightQuestion poolRandom or sequentialLengthCompetencyOriginHide or see scoresTime limitAllow skipping questionsAllow changing answersBranching on condition

Serf 3.0Summer 1999

Version 3 added support for surveys, diagnostic assessments, and tutorials.

Creating aDiagnosis

Making aDiagnostic

Teaching in the Zone

Helping All Students by Giving What They Need, When They Need It

Identifying the Zone

Vygotsky defined the zone of proximal development as the difference between the difficulty level of a problem a student can cope with independently and the level that can be accomplished with help from others.Systems like Serf identify the zone and provide the help from others.

Throwing the Zone Away

In traditional teaching, we throw the zone away.Students take tests, the results of which often are never handed back.Students hand in term papers at the end of a course with no chance to rewrite them.We are throwing the zone away.

Teaching in the Zone

Constructivist teaching via the Web brings the student into the zone.The instructor becomes a coach who helps the student achieve goals.Time shifting makes the process efficient and manageable for student and teacher alike.

A Hypothesis

The effectiveness of an online learning system is directly related to the degree in which it facilitates teaching in the zone.Methods I use to do this include:

Giving the student another tryJust-in-time discussionCustomized scaffoldingGallery of other students’ work

Problem-based Learning

The problem with problem-based learning is assessment.How do you assess what each student has contributed in a cooperative learning environment?Systems like Serf solve this problem by logging what each student contributes.