Getting help from course management software to teach a large-enrollment introductory geology class

Journal of Geoscience Education, Mar 2003 by Cervato, Cinzia

ABSTRACT

Course management software allows instructors to introduce an Internet-based component to their classroom teaching even without any prior knowledge of HTML language. I used one of the most widely available software, WebCT, for two introductory geology classes of approximately 250 students each at Iowa State University in fall 2001. The software is easy to use and I established a variety of content and communication tools in less than a day, using the procedure described in the paper. Student responses to the use of WebCT were in general positive and they especially liked the opportunity to communicate with me, to keep track of their assignments with the "Calendar" tool, and to view their grades online. Students who earned good grades in the class are also the ones that made more extensive use of WebCT, especially with the "Discussion" tool. However, it cannot yet be demonstrated that the use of WebCT helps learning in a measurable way.

Keywords: Education - Computer assisted; Education - Undergraduate; Geology (general)

INTRODUCTION

Much is being written about the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool (e.g., Mantei, 2000; Durbin, 2002). However, most of the focus is on distance learning, computer simulations, and the use of the WWW as a communication tool. This article deals with utilizing the Internet as a medium for empowering learning and course management of on-campus classes using the enterprise-wide software system WebCT, which has proven to be very useful in managing a large introductory geology class. The article also gives a simple tutorial on how to create an Internet-enhanced course in less than a day using WebCT and with no prior knowledge of HTML language or FTP procedures.

Software companies and educators have been exploring ways to use technology to exploit distance learning or in the classroom. Packages vary from more or less sophisticated gradebooks (e.g., Gradebook 2, www.gradebook.com), to powerful tools for merging curriculum and instruction (e.g., 4Mation, www.aboutlearning.com), to online assessment programs (e.g., Test Pilot, www.clearlearning.com). However, most of these packages are designed to do one specific job and do not provides an integrated classroom experience. Class management software such as experience. Class management sottware such as Blackboard (www. blackboard.com), TopCIass(R) (www.wbtsystem.com), and WebCT(TM) (www.webct.com) were conceived to transform the Internet into a powerful environment for teaching and learning, providing easy-to-use software to faculty.

Achieving good communication between teacher and students is one of the fundamental goals of 'good teaching' and it has been shown to improve learning (Shymansky and Penick, 1981). However, to establish two-way communication with all the students in a large lecture setting is practically impossible using only traditional methods. Computer technology and course management tools provide the students and the instructor with a practical means to communicate and exchange information (e.g., McKeachie, 2002).

In 1998 Iowa State University (ISU) acquired licenses for WebCT and TopClass (P.L. Spike, internal communication). During the first year, the response of instructors who used these systems indicated that they found WebCT easier to administer. ISU has now a site license for WebCT together with 1570 other institutions in the U.S. and nearly 1000 institutions in 80 countries (WebCT is available in 10 languages) (www.webct.com, data as of January 18, 2002). In addition, ISU supports a locally developed class management system, ClassNet (http:/ / classnet.cc.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/ main-menu,Van Gorp and Boysen, 1996). Blackboard is the commercial alternative to WebCT that covers an equally large share of the market. Since ISU has a site license for WebCT, this is the course management software that I am describing in this paper and that I have used for this study. However, the results of the impact of WebCT use on course teaching and student learning can be extended to any course management tool.

In the rapidly evolving world of electronic learning, posting a syllabus and a course schedule online is no longer sufficient (Harmon and Jones,1999) and students often expect that at least some part of their courses utilize the Internet. On the other hand, it is unrealistic to expect that at east some a e1ruc urs and scientists be proficient in HTML. In the fall 2001 I taught two sections of Geology 100 - The Earth - at Iowa State University, with a total enrollment of 483 students. My goal for this class was to design a learner-oriented environment (e.g., McManus, 2001). However, I quickly realized that using the Internet to administer grades and assignments was an unavoidable requirement, so I enrolled in a crash course on WebCT offered by ISU's Instructional Technology Center that in three hours gave me sufficient hands-on experience to set up the class page.In this article I share my learning experience, guide potential users through the steps required to set up a course in WebCT (Friesen, 2001), present the results of my students' learning experience, and discuss the results I have obtained.