Developing an Educational Intranet

Developing an educational intranet entails using the web as a "backbone" to build "course guides" that distribute both course information as well as instructional tools used for in-class and out of class instruction. Components of a course guide traditionally include links to a course schedule, syllabi, assignments and other course information. In addition, some course guides contain links to web-delivered course content. This content can be seen in the form of text and graphics presentations, hyperlinked exercises, animation and video, testing routines, and links to external resources. In addition to these instructional tools, we propose that the instructional capacity of the web can be greatly expaned by adding dynamic communications tools as well as an interactive learning environment through RealAudio and Shockwave technology.

As a tool to facilitate group learning as well as in-class and out-of-class communications, we have developed a web-based communications tool that provides instructors with private course discussion areas. With an intuitive chat interface, these areas allow instructors to give students a platform-independent ability to communicate in as many groups as is needed by the class. This communications tool opens the door to instructors seeking flexible online collaborative learning environments. Because this tool is web-based and resides on our campus web server as part of our intranet, the instructor has complete access to all group discussions and the ability to control how the groups are maintainted. Examples of these communications areas can be found at St. Eds in courses such as business communications, educational methods, and english writing.

In addition to enhancing classroom communication, an intranet should also provide students with the ability to learn course content by utilizing tools that were once prohibited from being used through the web. Examples of such tools are RealAudio and Shockwave. RealAudio allows for the real-time delivery of audio without waiting for download time. RealAudio also allows an instructor to design an audio track that "triggers" URL events to occur within Netscape frame windows. This allows the web to become more dynamic and "tutorial-like". Shockwave technology allows tutorials created with Macromedia's Authorware to be delivered through the web. As Authorware has long been respected as a tool to build highly interactive learning sequences, the ability to deliver this level of interaction through the web drastically increases the web's potential as an interactive learning tool. An example of both RealAudio and Shockwave tools at St. Eds occur in a first semester organic chemistry course.

Our intranet at St. Edwards is evolving as a multi-disciplinary interactive learning resource. We propose that courses that open their options with web-based learning materials to include dynamic communications and interactive learning tools will, in turn, open up new learning opportunities for students as a whole.