MERLOT MAKES HISTORY

1. MERLOT MAKES HISTORY TWO YEARS, TWO COLLEGES, AND THREE COURSES William A. Paquette, Ph.D. Professor of History, TCC & Merlot History Co-Editor

2. Merlot replaces Extra Credit • Open to all students. • Merlot assignments must be done in sequence. • One Merlot assignment per course unit. • Four Merlot assignments per semester. • Each assignment worth 25 points. • Total Merlot points equals 100. • Merlot grade replaces lowest test grade of four.

3. Unit One: The Ancient World Tutankhamun Death and Burial in Egypt Virtual Mummy Unit Two: Greece & Rome Cultural Map of Hellas Ancient City of Athens Roman Empire Unit Three: Middle Ages Virtual Pilgrimage Royal Abbey of Fontevraud The Middle Ages The Walled Town of Carcassonne Unit Four: Renaissance European Voyages of Exploration (Spain) European Voyages of Exploration (Portugal) Tudor History Medicis Godfathers of the Renaissance Western Civilization: History 101Sample Merlot Exercises

4. Unit One: Absolutism Chateau Versailles The Glorious Revolution of 1688 The Age of Exploration (Spain) The Age of Exploration (Portugal) Unit Two: Revolution Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution Napoleon Unit Three: Victorian Age The Victorian Web Karl Marx Interview Queen Victoria’s Empire The Empire that was Russia Unit Four: Modern Era The British Empire Holocaust Survivors D-Day: Penetrating the Atlantic Wall For European Recovery: The Marshall Plan Western Civilization: History 102Sample Merlot Exercises

5. Unit One: India The Indus Civilization The Sikhism Homepage Unit Two: China The Song Dynasty The Mongols in World History Marco Polo and China Unit Three: Japan Edo, Japan, A Virtual Tour Treasure House of Japanese History The Art of the Samurai Ancient Japan Unit Four: Islam The Islamic Calendar Muslims King Abdullah of Jordan (descendant of the Prophet) World Civilization: History 111Sample Merlot Exercises

6. Unit One: Europe Chateau Versailles The Glorious Revolution of 1688 The Age of Exploration (Spain) The Age of Exploration (Portugal) Unit Two: Africa West African Instruments African Music and Dance African Art at University of Central Oklahoma Imperial Ethiopia Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu Unit Three: Imperialism Black Ship and Samurai: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan Queen Victoria’s Empire Women Hold up Half the Sky: Women in China Rising Sun: A Cultural Portrait of Japan Unit Four: 20th Century The British Empire Afghanistan Kwame Nkrumah King Abdullah of Jordan China in the Red WORLD CIVILIZATION: HISTORY 112SAMPLE MERLOT EXERCISES

7. Unit One: Exploration MesoAmerican Ballgame The Vikings European Voyages of Exploration (Spain) European Voyages of Exploration (Portugal) The Plymouth Colony Archive Project Salem Witch Trials Virtual Jamestown Jamestown Rediscovery Unit Two: Revolution The Raid on Deerfield Revolutionary War Battles: Lexington and Concord The Martha Ballard Case Study Unit Three: Republic Jefferson’s Blood Star Spangled Banner Hancock Shaker Village The Papers of Stanton and Anthony The Lowell National Historic Park Unit Four: Civil War The Valley of the Shadow Crisis at Fort Sumter Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture Africans in America U.S. History: History 121Sample Merlot Exercises

8. Unit One: The Gilded Age Finding Precedent: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson The Old West The Dramas of Haymarket Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World Lizzie Borden Murder Case Unit Two: Progressive Era Theodore Roosevelt The Triangle Factory Fire Great 1906 Earthquake Fire Unit Three: Depression/War On the Homefront FDR Library Holocaust Survivors D-Day: Penetrating the Atlantic Wall Voices from the Dust Bowl North by South: The African American Great Migration Unit Four: Modern Era The Cold War For European Recovery: The Marshall Plan Teaching Brown Cuban Missile Crisis U.S. History: History 122Sample Merlot Exercises

9. PAPERS 5-10 pages based on Site Topic Use of primary sources Bibliography creation Use of footnotes Critical Thinking Skills Paper format: intro, content, conclusions Evaluation of site content reliability Develop writing skills Develop skills in determining what constitutes a good website Content used in testing INFORMATION BASED Expands content beyond the text Use of primary sources Provides visual to supplement text Develops critical thinking skills Develops writing skills Evaluation of site content reliability Develop skills in determining what constitutes a good website Information collection incorporated into testing developing better essay content and multiple choice testing skills Offers supplemental resources MERLOT ASSIGNMENTS

10. Tidewater Community College Portsmouth Campus Western Civilization, History 101/102 World Civilization, History 111/112 U.S. History, History 121/122 Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus Western Civilization, History 101/102 World Civilization, History 111/112 U.S. History, History 122 COLLEGES/COURSES

11. NOVA – MANASASS2004 – 2005

12. NOVA – MANASASS2005 – 2006

13. TCC – PORTSMOUTH2004 – 2005

14. TCC – PORTSMOUTH2005 – 2006

15. Student Withdrawal from Merlot • Students withdraw within the first two weeks of the course because the work/course load was too great. • Merlot was too much work. • Students determined exam grades were consistent and they did not continue after one or two Merlot assignments. • During the six-week summer session, the amount of time to do Merlot was considered too short by students. • Students withdrew from the course after the first two weeks because of illness. • Students withdrew from the course after the first two weeks because of work related issues. • Students withdrew midway through the course because of family issues.

16. SUCCESS WITH MERLOTNOVA – MANASASS 2004 – 2006

17. SUCCESS WITH MERLOTTCC – PORTSMOUTH 2004 – 2006

18. NOVA-MANASASS (% of total class increasing grade by ONE grade level) Fall 2004 46% Spring 2005 10% Summer 2005 10% Fall 2005 41% Spring 2006 44% Summer 2006 23% TCC-PORTSMOUTH (% of total class increasing grade by ONE grade level) Fall 2004 20% Spring 2005 13% Summer 2005 39% Fall 2005 42% Spring 2006 23% SUCCESS WITH VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN MERLOT 2004-2006

19. MERLOT RESULTS • All students who completed all four MERLOT assignments achieved a final grade ONE level higher than without Merlot. • Student writing improved on essay and identification components of examinations. • Student critical thinking skills improved on multiple choice, essay, and identification exam sections. • Students gained discriminatory skills in determining good HISTORY content websites. • Students learned research paper skills. • Students could distinguished between primary and secondary sources. • Merlot history content transferred to exams and class discussions.

20. STUDENT COMMENTS • Merlot is a wonderful place full of fascinating information. • Merlot continued became a resource in my other history classes. • Merlot became a resource in my nursing curriculum. • I learned and understand how the past connected. • I acquired a better understanding and knowledge of Western Civilization. • I learned how civilization began and why our ancient historian ancestors believed all the things in which they believed. • I enjoyed the Meso-American Ballgame. • Merlot is a lot of work. • I like the challenges that you placed on me to use my learning abilities and to research other cultures which I never forced myself to do not even my own culture. Thank you for the pleasure of a new experience. • I am forced to do more thinking. • What I am learning in history connects to my other courses (i.e. Philosophy, Humanities).