Summary
This demonstration illustrates one model developed in the UK for developing,
producing and disseminating web-based courseware to enhance the teaching and
learning experience of history students in higher education.
The demonstration covers the five key areas that the Consortium sought to
address in overcoming the under utilisation of computers in history
teaching: a pedagogical framework, quality, accessibility, flexibility and
support. Examples of the courseware's use in UK Higher Education history
teaching are also provided and the demonstration concludes with an
assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the courseware.
Outline
Pedagogical Framework: Bridging the gap between
'traditional' and computer based methods of teaching meant that the History
Courseware Consortium required a conceptual framework that provided both a
familiar pedagogical context and incorporated the benefits of computer-based
teaching. The metaphor adopted by the Consortium to achieve this was the
'Enriched Lecture'.
Academic Quality: To ensure the courseware matched
accepted standards of academic scholarship the Consortium adopted a unique
commissioning system. Editorial panels were established and subject
specialists targeted. A key to this was the divorce of authorship from
technical production.
Accessibility: Another barrier to the widespread use
of computers was the technical skills required to operate software. One of
the key requirements for the Consortium was that the material should be
accessible. Writing the courseware in Hyper-Text Mark-up Language (HTML)
permitted the materials to be viewed through a web browser. This minimised
the amount of time spent learning 'computing' and maximises the amount of
time spent learning 'history'. The consortium format, involving over 80 UK
HE institutions, also proved a valuable format for creating a sense of
ownership, community and acceptability.
Flexibility: In part this was provided by the
technical features of HTML, but other aspects of the courseware design had
to maximise this feature to help overcome the 'not written here' syndrome.
An open-ended system, rich resources and multiple pathways were adopted as
key design features. A facility for customisation was also adopted so local
lecturers were able to add their own material, sources and evidence.
Support: To prevent the courseware 'withering on the
vine' on-line, paper-based and staffed support systems were adopted. A
particularly distinctive feature was a programme of on-going technical and
academic support and training channelled through a 'Users Club'.
Use in Teaching: There was a widespread and rapid
uptake in UK HE, but the courseware's use was not based on the 'Enriched
Lecture' metaphor. This was not unexpected but perhaps an 'Enriched
Tutorial' metaphor would have been more appropriate for dissemination.
Examples of the courseware's use in teaching, including customisation, are
provided from the Universities of Glasgow, Teeside and Sheffield.
Assessment: The model adopted by the Consortium was
largely successful in UK HE, but the practical limitations of customisation
and more recent technical advances must be acknowledged.