Augmenting WebCT courses using Podcasting, Screencasting, Blogs and Games Jean-Claude Bradley E-Learning Coordinator College of Arts and Sciences Drexel University October 12, 2005 Villanova WebCT Conference

Content Assessment Interaction Discussion Board Components of E-Learning Chat Surveys Tests Quizzes Multimedia Images Text WebCT Lecture Recording MetricsPeer review

Content Assessment Interaction Blogs WebCT Games E-Learning is multi-dimensional

Podcasting: the automatic distribution of audio files to computers or portable audio devices through a subscription system Screencasting: the delivery of audio and screen capture recordings via download or streaming media links Platform: blog Component: Content Channel: podcasting Platform: WebCT/ blog Component: Content Channel: screencasting

Lecture Recording Process Start Camtasia Recording Teach on laptop or tablet PC as usual Stop Camtasia Recording Convert avi to Flash or Real Media Upload to Server (screencast) ModularizePodcast CORE OPTIONAL

Podcasting MP3s and PDFs through iTunes

CHEM students CHEM students Natural migration from F2F to screencast/podcast channels

CHEM students this term CHEM students this term Long term trends for Open Courseware RSS feeds In World Lecture Hall

The Game Platform: The EduFrag Project Assessment Content Interaction Quizzes in a 3- D world The Study Room Student-Student Collaboration or Competition Instructor Guided Tours First Person Shooter Modding (Unreal Tournament)

Platform: game (Unreal Tournament) Component: content, assessment Channel: quiz questions on walls Platform: game (Unreal Tournament) Channel: chat, body gestures Component: interaction

Take-home message Think in terms of multiple channels and platforms to meet your teaching objectives Bottom-up open courseware strategies have an important role to play in global education

Issues Open/Closed Content Student/Teacher Privacy Appropriate Content Time requirement Spam Should you host your blogging system?

Risk Minimization in An E-Learning Migration Strategy chalkboard overheads laptop Tablet PC recording Voluntary Online quizzes Tests/exams Student feedbackStudent behavior procrastination OFFLINE laptop HYBRIDFULLY ONLINE Paper quizzes/tests No quizzes screencast archive podcast archive CONTENT ASSESSMENT or survey

Barriers to Open Courseware in Higher Education Time Risk Failure Risk Intellectual Property Risk Institutional Recognition Approaches to Open Courseware in Higher Education Top-Down (CMS, formal peer-review, institutional oversight) Bottom-Up (blogs, wikis, podcasts and other RSS technologies)

Does a Podcast Make a Sound if it Lives Behind a Firewall? Anyone Can do it so Someone Will do it Either be First or be Forgotten High Quality Open Courseware is Inevitable

Platform: blog Component: content Channel: screencast, podcast, lecture notes Platform: blog Component: interaction Channel: comments

Using Blogger and Feedburner to create podcasts

Replication of the Bottom-Up Model: Michelle Francl at Bryn Mawr

CHEM students CHEM students Midterm Feedburner stats

Archived Lectures change the role of the teacher

Platform: blog Component: interaction Channel: FAQ, comments

Platform: blog Component: assessment Channel: post assignments

Platform: blog Component: assessment Channel: peer-reviewed reference citation

Platform: blog Component: interaction (student-student) Channel: advice in blog post

Feedback-Intensive Teaching Strategy using WebCT Voluntary Quizzes Test Automatic Make-up In-class review based on histograms of test results Platform: WebCT Component: Assessment Channel: Quiz

Correlation of procrastination with performance One day procrastinated = 5% drop in score Platform: WebCT Component: Assessment Channel: Quiz

EduFrag Design Modularity Simplicity Quiz-Based – Not Simulation Portability of textures Flexible gameplay modes: non-competitive maze, race, deathmatch, capture the flag, king of the hill, etc. Even in competitive play gore level can be adjusted for each player

The EduFrag Wiki and Blog: Open Source Collaboration

Platform: game (Wheel of Orgo), blog Component: interaction, content, assessment Channel: Tablet PC, F2F

MakeGames: The Class that Didn’t Run

Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Open Courseware and RSS