Don Quixote 1605-2005: teaching Don Quixote on WebCT in the 21st century

Informatica, Dec, 2006 by Roger Moore

This paper presents some basic ideas about different ways of teaching literature at the university level in the computer age. It outlines the structural organization of Don Quixote 1605-2005, a hybrid or blended course recently taught using computer technology, in this case, WebCT. This course turned out to be an interesting experiment in web based teaching and this paper presents and analyzes some of the results of that experiment. Finally, this paper presents some of the more important teaching (professor) and learning (students) reactions to the course.

Povzetek: Opisane so izkusnje ucenja spleta na inovativen nadin.

Keywords: WebCT, hybrid course, blended course, Don Quixote, teaching literature online

1 Introduction

Classic literature gives the examples of intrinsic beauty, spiritual maturation, and knowledge of human nature. It is an essential part of world inheritance and the world experience of presenting and solving ethical problems. Modern information society claims well-educated people in the field of computer science. But an underdeveloped emotional sphere, a strongly rational approach to making a choice and taking a decision may make a human being rather lop-sided.

So 400 years later Don Quixote sets out again to perform another miraculous deed: to evoke strong curiosity in his way of perceiving the world, in his awareness of human relationships, and in his kindness and generosity.

It is important to study great works of literature like Don Quixote, especially in the age of computers and online learning, precisely because reading a substantial classic like Don Quixote and presenting ideas online enables students to organize their reading, teaches them time management, involves them in online writing and debate, and opens to students of humanities, even at the humblest levels, an insight into the uses and functions of information technology.

The structure of this paper is relatively straightforward: beginnings and organization of the course, the establishment of a marking scheme, the development of an online protocol for discussions, examples of discussions and themes, an analysis of student postings broken down by frequency, and some conclusions on the nature of workload and the success of the course.

2 Beginnings

This paper begins by stating that the Don Quixote course was not initially scheduled to be taught on the WebCT platform. That came about by accident. There were 17 students enrolled in the course, all from different levels and different backgrounds. These included students completing a minors, majors, or honors, as well as students from the science program of a neighboring university. Because of these varied academic backgrounds, there was no single time at which the class could meet. The students with a scientific program had course schedules that conflicted with those in a humanities program on account of their labs and practical work; these were unable to attend a traditional course at standard times. However, when the class met for the first time, it was possible to establish two separate hours per week when two groups of 9 and 8 students could meet. One group meeting for an hour late on Tuesday night and the second group met for an hour early on Wednesday morning. The instructor's challenge was to experiment with WebCT and gain experience as a course designer while reviewing WebCT as a teaching and learning experience. From these beginnings this hybrid or blended course was born.

3 Organization

At the initial meeting, seeing the tremendous discrepancies in language levels and cultural backgrounds, it was agreed that the text of Don Quixote could be read in Spanish (Don Quijote), English (Don Quixote), or French (Don Quichotte), according to the language abilities and preference of the students. A specific translation was not recommended. Students were allowed to choose a translation. The online annotated text of Don Quixote, as it on the website of Cervantes Visual was the virtual text for the course. This was an interesting experiment in itself, for, as students became aware of the discrepancies in their translations, so the referral back to the original text, in Spanish, became more and more necessary.

Videos of Part I of Don Quixote (1605) were shown and the text was commentated two days a week. Students were to attend at least one of these sessions. One student in fact attended both sessions all term and was amused to find that, since this was not a lecture course but a discussion group, the information offered by the instructor varied in each session according to student questions. As a result, different information was available to both groups. This showed up in the essays and online discussions.

Students are empowered by being asked to discuss the course structure and marking scheme. Multiple possibilities for course outlines are presented, and students agree upon the one that will be used. This act of empowerment enables the students to take part ownership in a course. It also encourages them to commit to something they themselves have helped design.