maximizing teaching & learning for the short course
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Maximizing Teaching & Maximizing Teaching & LearningLearning
Maximizing Teaching & Maximizing Teaching & LearningLearning
For the Short CourseFor the Short Course
Short Course Problem Overview
Inherently have problems getting students to learn required material due to their limited duration
Compounded when there are clear distinctions in the skill levels of the students taking the class
Two main questions arise: How can course content delivery be
maximized? How can you keep more advanced
students interested while still maintaining an appropriate course content level?
Class Information CST 135, Introduction to the Internet &
World Wide Web Five-week course taught at Broome
Community College Content includes
How to use email & search the Web Discussion of ethical issues Creation of basic Web sites
More Class Information Skill levels range from those with no
computer skills to those with a programming background & have created some Web content already
Class meets 3 hours per week in a laboratory classroom equipped with a projection unit
Immersion:Key to the 1st Question
Created Web site http://www.sunybroome.edu/~hinton_r/CST135Home.html
Aside from the textbook, no paper is used Assignments are exchanged via email Quizzes are form-based Web pages submitted
to the instructor & returned via email Forces students to work in a Web environment
for all phases of the course even though they’re in same room
Available outside of class
Web Site Content:Addresses the 1st
Question Designed (for the most part) to teach
good design principles Navigation methods Page dating Layout Screen resolution Displaying information in the browser title bar etc
Web Site Content:Addresses the 1st
Question My Web pages contain these elements &
serves two purposes: Site is easier for the students to use while learning
the course material Access to standard course documents, such as Course
Policy & Class Outline Current assignments with instructions are also available Study Guides serve as lecture tools as well as reference
documents for assignments As students repeatedly use the site, they realize why
the design principles are important, making them more likely to include them in their own projects
Pedagogy Dictates I Break the Rules!
While consistency is an important feature in good Web site design, this rule wasn’t strictly enforced
Students are told up front that this was done to provide as many online examples as possible
Pedagogy Dictates I Break the Rules!
Consistency is illustrated in my design of the menu system for the Study Guides pages All menus associated with the Study Guides use the same
screen layout While the backgrounds for each individual study guide are
different, each provides a similar format After the heading, most pages provide a topic overview
followed by the details, which are organized by subtopic Most pages not only provide sample code that can be copied
and pasted to a student’s file, they also present the material using that method See Lists screen shot
Aside from links (for navigability), each page builds on the previous topics, reinforcing their concepts
Web Site Content:Web Site Content:Web Site Content:Web Site Content:
Addresses the 2Addresses the 2ndnd Question Question
Why is keeping the interest of more advanced students
considered difficult? Common approach is to write the
information for two different audiences A better solution lies in subtlety,
enhancing the way the information is presented On the surface, Web pages look very
straightforward
The Home page is menu-based providing access to all other areas of the Web site & a link to the textbook’s Web site
Study Guides teach students how to use email, create a basic Web page, create a template, utilize basic HTML elements, & Tips & Tricks
Piquing Their Curiosity Advanced techniques are embedded in most of
the pages Usually not apparent to novice students
Students are encouraged to review the source code for all the pages on the site In fact, the first HTML lesson teaches the students how
to look at a Web page’s source code Since these screen shots are static, the more
obvious advanced techniques aren’t apparent here Play with the Web site & see what interests you http://www.sunybroome.edu/~hinton_r/CST135Home.html
Page Loading Effects Home page contains a JavaScript forcing the
window to open in a 800 x 600 window or smaller depending on the available screen space JavaScript isn’t taught in this class
Opening Web pages Links to Web pages I created open in the current
browser window Links to Web pages at remote Web sites open in a
new window
Text Effects Way of capturing the user’s attention
Implemented on both sample pages Internet Explorer & Netscape provide
different effects These Web pages contain the code for both
types: In Internet Explorer the title scrolls across the
screen In Netscape the title blinks
Displaying Different Fonts Need to know the font’s name
Default Web page font is Times New Roman These pages are designed to support a
range of fonts that might be installed on a user’s machine Student can download a self-extracting Zip
file containing a set of fonts designed work with the site
Instructions for installing them are provided
Displaying Special Characters
Need to know the special character’s HTML code or its numeric Unicode value
Each guide provides sample code that a student can copy & paste into a file they are creating The advanced student will wonder how the
tag brackets (<>) were displayed
Pushing Them Forward Links are provided to more advanced
resources As I learn new techniques, they are
incorporated into the Web site’s design When I have time, I plan to add guides for
creating forms & advanced use of color & links