Research Fundamentals Course: Course Website

Artifact

I firmly believe face-to-face instruction benefits from enhanced communication facilitated by Internet technologies. One very important addition to my face-to-face class was a course web site offering links to the class schedule, advance access to PowerPoint slides, homework assignments, and additional resources to help students prepare for class and for their course projects. These resources were particularly helpful for non-native English speakers because they could review them at their leisure and learn material presented interactively instead of verbally. Because EDF 6481 is a survey course, I knew students preparing their final projects would need information and resources beyond what I had been able to provide in class. Providing Internet resources to extend the classroom seemed the logical way to accomplish this in a convenient and efficient manner.

The main page of the course web site is organized around the class schedule. I chose this organizational scheme because it was familiar to students who had reviewed the course syllabus. I also believed the flat hierarchy afforded by this format would provide students instant access to the web site area of interest. Each date on the main page is a link to a more detailed look at a specific class (see example). Those pages contain links to PowerPoint slides used in class, descriptions of in-class activities, details about assigned homework, and links to additional resources on topics covered in class.

When I decided to create a course web site, I did so because I thought it would be a nice addition to the class and I hoped students would find it useful. Their response exceeded my expectations! They turned to the resources on the web site when they had to miss class, when they had questions about homework, as they prepared for class, and as they prepared their final projects. Mid-course surveys indicated that most students referred to the web site several times per week. I also wanted students to experience having access to a well-designed course web site so they might become interested in providing one for their own students. The web site was helpful to use class time efficiently. Posting the links to the resources we used in class saved us from typing lengthy URL's during class.

Based on my experience and that of my students, I now view the course web site as an integral part of future courses. The format I used for this web site served our purposes well and it is likely I will use this as a template for my next course web site.

Comments from students include:

"It is nice that Ms. Fiedler takes time to put up useful information, not only for this class but in general, in the class web site (i.e. EndNote, APA style links, etc.) Also, as someone who loves to have things planned out, it is nice to have the schedule with the lectures divided by topic (quantitative, qualitative, etc.)." - Anonymous mid-course survey

"I think the web site is great! Much better than WebCT. I like being able to access and print the Powerpoint before class. I find all the links and resources very helpful." - Anonymous mid-course survey

"It is nice to have examples accompanying the topics discussed in class (i.e. oral history web links presented in class, normal curve web link used in class to present the curve...)" - Anonymous mid-course survey

"I found more useful and reliable information on the Internet this semester. Most importantly, I can pretty much tell the difference." - From final assignment listing 10 Most Important Words from the course

"I think you (Becky) have put more time and dedication into this class than I have ever seen from any teacher/professor. I really enjoy having the materials online in advance and they are very useful in the classroom. I also enjoy the way you/we use the computers in class. The 3 hours go by pretty fast." - Anonymous mid-course survey