Designing Web-based learning environments for correspondence students
has been a challenging and delightful project for the Distance Education
Design Center, the production group for Independent Learning at The University
of Texas at Austin. While extrapolating Web sites from the mail-based courses
provided to all students, we have learned how to construct "pyramidal"
Web sites which entirely parallel print-based courses delivered through
the mail, sites constructed from essential elements found in text files
plus value-added elements accessible to students with a wide range of computer
capabilities. Our dual task has been to assure that all students enjoy the
same basic educational opportunities and that students with greater computer
capabilities wind up with dynamic learning tools rather than ornamental
"bells and whistles." Focusing on the educational, evolutionary,
and technical challenges of our work putting courses on the Web, we will
demonstrate how these challenges informed two of our upper-division college-level
courses - "American
Science
Fiction" and "United
States History Since 1865."
It is often a difficult balancing act designing a Web course that is
easy to use and accessible to the greatest number of students on-line. Many
technical concerns - from download time to network security - must be addressed
before a Web course can be unveiled to the public.
Many issues should be considered when designing a new Web course. Will
every student with Web access be able to meaningfully experience the full
design? How about download time? Will anyone wait more than a minute or
two before quitting the site? These are essential issues related to the
browser. If you believe what you read, everyone has access to lightning-quick
modems, the best resolution color monitors, and a stack of available memory
the size of the Death Star. We constantly remind ourselves not to believe
the hype. It is always helpful to have a test subject to keep the project
grounded. For this, we use Michael Daecher's father.
Satisfying his demands for a pleasing Web experience is a constant struggle-a
computer nerd he is not. Using a Mac Performa with about 12 MB of RAM, a
14.4 modem, and Netscape 1.0, he is curious about the Web but not necessarily
converted. He is also a middle school principal, perhaps not familiar with
the college level courses we offer, but certainly qualified to be a judge
of their effectiveness. He tells me when the graphics are slow to download,
when the design is confusing, or if the background color gives him a headache.
And I always go back to the drawing board.
There does come a point, however, when a decision must be made. We use
Netscape as the foundation for our Web courses. Our server statistics have
shown that more than 90% of recorded hits are from the Netscape browsers
and Netscape controls 75% of the market, so it is reasonable to assume that
most people are using that browser and plan accordingly. Microsoft Explorer
still represents a small, though growing, number of users, and supports
many Netscape features, such as frames and tables. However, to be sure to
accommodate everyone, even those who have text-only browsers, we make sure
to use "ALT= " tags in our HTML script. When we err, it is on
the side of Netscape. It is difficult to experience the full range of browsers
on one computer.
The single biggest concern to us has been download time. Since we have
decided against putting as much text on the Web as can be found in the paper
version of the course, graphics play a large role. Creating the graphics
for online use has often been a tortuous ordeal. (We are convinced that
Adobe Illustrator was not designed for the Web, and it should say that on
the box in BIG RED LETTERS.) Most of our images are now created in Photoshop,
and saved as GIF files as indexed color. This keeps the file size to a minimum.
We are always trying to improve the resolution and size of graphics files,
with the largest at about 50k. There are several plug-ins available for
Adobe Photoshop that can compress files, offer transparency, and improve
screen color. Once we obtain these plug-ins (currently on order) we will
probably go back and redo most of our larger images to make the sites even
quicker to access.
Instead of using background files, which often take time to download and
obscure the onscreen text, we use the hexadecimal color chart to vary the
background color. This takes no extra time to download, as it only changes
the color of the background from default gray to another color of choice.
Once we start using the compression plug-ins we will experiment with background
files as the design dictates.
Creating universally accessible Web sites is only the first technical stage
in the creation of learning environments, or virtual classrooms, on the
Web. Such creation often involves the bandying about of assorted conferencing
software with little end-user consideration. But as much consideration should
be taken for the end-user here as with any other design elements.
Initially we wanted to use the Pacer Forum conferencing software as an
adjunct to our Web-enhanced courses. This required that separate software
be sent to students, who would be responsible for installing it on their
systems and solving any compatibility problems. It also required that any
student who wished to use both the Web and conferencing resources would
have to play hopscotch between Netscape and Pacer Forum, since they do not
interlink. For this reason, we opted against using Pacer Forum even though
it enabled professor/student interaction we were searching for.
On all of our courses we use Interaction
Web-conferencing software on a
Webstar server. Interaction is shareware developed by a graduate student.
It requires no additional software or hidden costs, and runs on a dedicated
Webstar server, which is essential to insure course security. The Webstar
server allows us to assign passwords to students when they enroll in the
course. The course's homepage includes a gateway for enrolled students;
our network administrator keeps track of the growing number of passwords
and names. Once the students are inside the Webstar server, the course and
conferencing experience begins.
Security and practicality were primary concerns as we tested Interaction
on our first course, "American Science Fiction." Interaction uses
the World Wide Web, requiring no additional software for the student. This
not only saves money, but also circumvents any technical gadgetry or know-how
on the student's part.
Again, to use any aspect of the Web course, we assume that students simply
know how to navigate the Web. Interaction brings the classroom experience
online. It offers real time chat groups (something few professors are interested
in, but raises interesting possibilities nonetheless) as well as discussion
groups that can be designed according to the professor's desires. Discussion
can be directed towards a single topic chosen by the professor or opened
up to include any subject related to the course. We have found that students
enjoy stretching the course discussion, just as in any good classroom discussion,
to include current events, films, etc. This has been the most gratifying
aspect of our work, something that reminds us of the possibilities with
which we are working. If done right, classrooms can be extended into cyberspace
where real people can discuss real issues.
Of course there are technical problems that are beyond even the techies
that make the Internet work. We use two servers for our work, the main UTS
server on the main campus here at UT and a local server, Webstar, located
in our office for our conferencing needs. Servers can be cantankerous, affected
by sunspots, whims of minor gods, or even a change in wind direction. And
sometimes there is little we can do other than wait for a good connection
to the backbone. Bandwidth is a recurring problem. There is simply not enough
room on the road for all of the traffic. At these times, we must remind
ourselves that the Internet is still developing. Bandwidth may remain a
problem for another 5-10 years. But we have identified some ways to
shore up our system to make it more robust and user friendly. We are currently
in the process of installing an Ethernet connection that will make our network
more stable. The fewer times we have to change the domain names for the
Webstar server, the better. If students can't get onto Netscape, or if the
connection is slow, they will be frustrated, and the whole point of our
work will be lost in a series of expletives.
We are constantly trying to avoid the temptation to add more "bells
and whistles" to our sites, such as javascripts or VRML. Instead, we
are concentrating on developing stable and challenging environments where
students can learn. The question should not be, "How can we put up
a Web course?" but "Why should we offer a Web course?" Once
that question is answered, the design should follow. The Web should be more
than just advertising, and it is. For the future we must concentrate on
creating value for our students, not just a cumbersome and elitist approximation
of "cool." It is impossible to satisfy everyone. However, every
effort should be made to design courses that can be used first, and admired
second. (MD)
Michael Daecher
University of Texas at Austin
Suite 1.114
3001 Lake Austin Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78703
(512) 471-9260
lantern@mail.utexas.edu
Thomas Hofheinz and Michael Daecher © 1996. The authors assign to the University of New Brunswick and other educational and non-profit institutions a non exclusive license to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. The authors also grant a non-exclusive license to the University of New Brunswick to publish this document in full on the World Wide Web and on CD-ROM and in printed form with the conference papers, and for the document to be published on mirrors on the World Wide Web. Any other usage is prohibited without the express permission of the authors.
N.A.WEB 96 - The Second International North America World Wide Web Conference http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/ University of New Brunswick.