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Technology
The software being developed for this project is based on 6 years of experience and student feedback in Introductory Oceanography (Prothero, 1995; Prothero, 2000). Online technology enables access to data and communication modalities that are impossible without it. Criteria for successful application of technology are (from both learner and instructor viewpoints): 1) it works, 2) it is easy to learn and use, 3) strong support for teacher assessments,
Figure 1. Writing screen, showing graphics editing and linking panel. Images are created or captured and uploaded to the student’s personal mailbox area. They can then be hyperlinked to words or phrases in the text. Writing is handed in, graded, and returned online.
4) assignments and grading are easily configurable, 5) common user interface for the required suite of software tools, 6) addresses privacy issues, 7) effective online help, and 8) above all: its use contributes to the learning goals of the course. Meeting these criteria requires careful design and generous contact with students during the course, to identify misconceptions, software bugs, and student personal computer and network limitations and oddities These findings inform sometimes immediate bug fixes and future improvements in the user interface.
Figure 2. Screen capture of earthquake cross-section plot of “Our Dynamic Planet” CDROM. This image is uploaded to student grqaphics space and linked to writing assignment text.
The functional elements of the online software are: 1) collaboration, 2) writing, 3) earth data access, 4) course online assignments, 5) course progress and grade, 6) assessment by instructors. The functionality of commercial class management software (e.g. WebCT, Blackboard) forces unacceptable limitations on pedagogy, and imposes unnecessary burdens on the instructor when reviewing student work. Colleagues who have used these and similar systems complain of a deluge of email and bulletin board postings that must be sorted through to evaluate student learning. Our approach is to present student work to the instructor in the most efficient and compact form possible, to maximize the time spent assessing, rather than accessing. All network software routines are isolated so that future integration with commercial course management programs will be facilitated.
The software is created using Macromedia Director and Shockwave. Director is a powerful multi-media authoring tool that supports Macintosh and PC platforms in both stand alone application and web browser environments. Browsers require the Shockwave plug-in, which students have no trouble downloading from the Macromedia web site. Director/Shockwave also has an advantage over Java and other solutions in programmer productivity, because of its long history of development and a design targeted specifically toward multi-media and networking.
The server side cgi is written in Perl. It has been tested on Unix and Macintosh servers. The portability of Perl will allow it to run on PC servers with little modification. The use of Perl means that the software will be adoptable by other institutions at no cost.
Figures 1 and 2 show the “Writer” screen, and a screen from the "Our Dynamic Planet" CDROM. A more extensive collection of screen shots and a more in-depth discussion of the technology can be found at the Oceanography web site.