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Interactivity in Web-based Courses. WebCT Asia Pacific Conference 2001. Adelaide, Australia 9-11 April 2001. by Dr Adams Bodomo Department of Linguistics University of Hong Kong <abbodomo@hkusua.hku.hk>. Introduction.
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Interactivity in Web-based Courses WebCT Asia Pacific Conference 2001 Adelaide, Australia 9-11 April 2001 by Dr Adams Bodomo Department of Linguistics University of Hong Kong <abbodomo@hkusua.hku.hk>
Introduction • Enhanced interactivity is a very important reason why university teachers should practise web-based teaching. • The pervasive use of Information Communications Technology (ICT) • Features of ICT are Multimedia, Flexibility of use, Connectivity, and Interactivity • Focus:? INTERACTIVITY
Outline • Interactivity and its role in constructive/active learning theories • Features of a web-based course and how interaction was achieved • Evaluation: opportunities and challenges in future • Links to visit
What is INTERACTIVITY? • Instructional Interactivity: active communication in a conversational learning community between instructor(s), learners, course materials, and links to remote experts and resources • 3 major types: Instructor-learner interaction, Learner-learner interaction, Learner- resource interaction
The role of interaction in constructive learningtheories • Constructivist education theory emphasises critical thinking, problem solving, “authentic”learning experiences, social negotiation of knowledge, and collaboration (Blurton,1999). • Four major constructive learning theories which are relevant to Interactivity: • Bruner: Constructivist theory • Pask: Conversation theory • Vygotsky: Social Development theory • Moore: Transactional Distance theory
Conversation Learning theory Conversational Learning Community &Conversation learning theory • Bruner, Pask, Vygotsky, and Moore’s theories can be seen as forming a foundation for- • Conversational Learning Community • Terms like ‘active dialogue’, ‘conversations about subject matter’ and ‘social interaction’ form the core of …?
Choosing a tool in the design of a web-based course • Develop one’s own tools • Asynchronous web-based software suites such as • Blackboard CourseInfo • Lotus LearningSpace • TopClass • WebCT
WebCT design of a Linguistics course on Language and Literacy • LING2011: Language and Literacy • A one semester six credits course • for second and third year students of Linguistics and related disciplines • a class of 20-30 students • aims at helping students to understand the concept of ‘literacy’, its relationship with language, and its role in socio-economic development • also suitable for distance learners
This course deals with... • Definitions and types of literacy • The relationship between language and literacy • Writing and other symbolic systems • Computer literacy and language educational technology • The origins, history, and acquisition of literacy • Comparative analysis of the language and literacy situations in selected parts of the world, including Hong Kong, Mainland China and South-east Asia • Literacy and socio-economic development
How interaction was achieved in this course on Language and Literacy • The creation of a learning community via exercises such as • Consolidating and Strengthening the learning community via • face to face classroom activities(lectures + student presentations + tutorials) • WebCT course homepage Ling2011: Reading Assignment/ Homework 1) Literacy Information mining on the web: Students should form groups of 2-3 people. Each group should search the world wide web with key words ‘literacy’, ‘language’, (and combinations of these), and choose 10 sites. These sites should be analysed with a view to finding out what literacy is and what common issues are discussed concerning language and literacy courses. Each group of students should spend five minutes in the next lecture explaining how their understanding of literacy has been affected by these 10 websites.
Critical thinking Initiative Low written interaction at the beginning Multimedia integration: graphics and sounds Evaluation:Opportunities and Challenges
Student introducing the topic of biliteracy. • Students raising different topics on bulletin board from time to time • Links are shared in a student’s homepage Examples showing Initiative
From the Horse’s own Mouth:Anonymous open-ended comments about the course: Language and Literacy • What aspects of this course did you find most beneficial? • ‘The web, i.e. bulletin board is very useful in helping students to learn more about the topics by talking about it.’ • ‘It promoted the self-learning technique and the IT-aided teaching method. During the fieldtrip I learned how to research information for my course. The homepage really enhanced communication among classmates and between students and lecturers.’ • ‘The WebCT is a good place for students and lecturer to discuss different things outside class.’ • ‘I know more about WebCT and become more “computer-literate”’ • ‘Handouts and WebCT’ • ‘The use of WebCT’ • ‘WebCT: useful tool forINTERACTION’
Links to Visit Course Homepage of LANGUAGE and LITERACYhttp://ecourse.hku.hk:8900/ Literacy Onlinehttp://litserver.literacy.upenn.edu/ The Literacy Research Group Home Page, Lancaster University http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/groups/literacy/ Project: The Use of Information Technology in the Teaching of Language and Linguistics Courseshttp://www.hku.hk/linguist/staff/TDGBodomo.html
Summary and Conclusion • Interactivity is an essential aspect of student-centred course design endeavours. • Teachers should construe learning environment as a conversation between instructor and learner. • Web-based teaching can enhance interactivity in both distance education and the traditional classroom teaching. • Interactivity has the potential of rendering the gap between traditional face-to-face classroom education and distance education redundant. • Distance would no longer be defined in terms of just space but in terms of the presence andabsence of interactivity.
GRADUATION: The FRUITS of Interaction