Course Web site enhances classroom

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Winter 2003 by Zirkle, Chris

Electronic Classroom

Looking for a way to integrate technology into the traditional classroom? Interested in putting a class online, but don't want to leap fully into cyberspace without some practice? Consider using a course Web site as an accessory to in-class instruction. This "Web-enhanced" approach can have tremendous advantages for both teachers and students at all grade levels, and is an excellent way to incorporate the Internet into the learning process.

Terminology

While Web-based courses are offered entirely on the Internet, Web-enhanced courses provide Web-based information or testing as a supplement to learning activities in the classroom. Students attend their traditional classrooms and log on to the Internet outside of regular class times. Also described as "hybrid" classes (Ko and Rossen 2001), this approach combines online and face-to-face activities in varying degrees, dependent on teacher preference and expertise.

Using a Web-Enhanced Course: Advantages for Teachers

Standards for teachers, such as those posited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), detail the need for appropriate use of technology in the instructional process. However, a lack of time for learning techniques and strategies related to the use of technology is a common concern for teachers (Norton, McRobbie, and Cooper 2000; Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek 2000; Smerdon, Cronen, Lanahan, Anderson, Iannotti, and Angles 2000). Utilizing a Web-enhanced course can help teachers ease into the technology, developing expertise and technical skills at their own pace. The types of skills learned-such as simple file uploading, creating a LISTSERVE, and developing online tests-can be a function of the teacher's own goals and objectives for the course and can also be an appropriate professional development activity.

Course software templates, such as Blackboard (http:// blackboard.com) or WebCT (http.// Webct.com) can help teachers with organization. These tools provide areas for course documents, assignments, and other information that can be readily categorized. The creation of a "virtual notebook" can make locating documents easier for both teacher and student, and can provide a quick method for updating and revising content. The course Web site also is handy for alternative lessons, which might be used perhaps when teachers are absent. In addition, assignments and lecture notes can be posted in advance, and students can have continual access to them.

Using a Web-Enhanced Course: Advantages for Students

A Web-enhanced course also provides benefits for students. By using the course site, students commit to learning how the course delivery tools work and taking more responsibility for their own learning (Simonson, et al. 2000).

Completing a Web-enhanced course can serve to develop a student's technical skills, such as those described by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). By interacting with a course site, students can develop many different skills, from simple keyboarding to research skills. Activities that require software and hardware utilization, and the integration of technology into the learning process will help make students technologically competent.

Aside from skill development, a Web-enhanced course that requires students to access the course site provides a way for them to stay "connected" to the course, even when absent from class. In addition, depending on what is placed on a site, the course might allow students to work at their own pace.

What to Place on a Site

With a Web-enhanced course, the teacher has latitude with respect to the types of documents and information placed on the site. Course documents, such as a class syllabus, are certainly appropriate. Contact information for the teacher is also helpful, including e-mail and Web-page addresses. Many course software templates have sections for "external resources," which can include URLs for other Web sites relative to the class, or links to research tools, such as local libraries or online encyclopedias. Assignment descriptions and scoring rubrics are other documents that are ideal for placement, giving students access to that information at all times. Having an online grade book as part of a Web-enhanced course is a welcome addition, allowing students (and possibly parents) to obtain a current progress report.

Issues for Teachers Using Web Enhancements

With any course that has a Web-based component, certain issues of importance to teachers arise. The time constraint associated with migrating portions of a course to the Internet can be significant, because teachers are essentially preparing for two delivery contexts (Dabbagh 2002).

Technical expertise is directly related to the issue of time. Many teachers may lack basic computer skills (Galusha 1998; Ndahi 1999), and, along with requirements for teaching and other professional responsibilities, finding time for faculty professional development can be difficult. Funding for these opportunities may also be scarce.