Using Web Based Technologies to Achieve Effectiveness Gains in Education
A Primer for Accounting educators Part 3 Appendix C
| Educational Task | Activity | Tools | Example products |
| Information Distribution: | |||
| Distribution | See efficiency discussions | ||
| Conversion | See efficiency discussions | ||
| Value Added | A further extension of the level of specialized web features included makes well designed course pages and assignment activities more effective. By introducing audio and video capabilities to your web site it allows students access to previously covered materials (tutorial) or access to new supplementary materials. Many external web sites are beginning to provide audio and video attachments to their web content in order to capture the attention of the viewer. | A whole host of various pluggins exist for today’s most common browsers Netscape and Internet Explorer. The challenge to the developer is to best utilize those features, which can support their pedagogy. Two useful and reasonable examples are adding narration to a slide presentation and using screen capture tools with voice overlay. Cautions: While simple to create there is a big difference between taking to a class in a live lecture and recording a good quality audio narration to accompany slides and screen capture sessions. Video still presents serious speed and space concerns however compression is getting better. | Realaudio pluggins for PowerPoint slide
presentations
StreamWorks Lotus ScreenCam http://www.lotus.com/screencam/ Microsoft’s Camcorder97 http://www.microsoft.com/office/office97/camcorder/ Adobe Acrobat plug-in Video players Quicktime player http://www.quicktime.apple.com/ AVI player mpeg player http://www.powerweb.de/mpeg/ Video conferencing CU-seeMe (free) CU-seeMe (commercial) |
| Providing rapid access to useful resources can be done through downloading and mirroring other sites on a local server. This of course must only be done after appropriate copyright permission has been granted. | Several products have been designed to capture entire websites and provide local relative links so that they can be run locally with quicker response times without having to change any file location information. Many can be automated to download after dark (early morning) so as to avoid internet traffic. | Webbudy http://www.dataviz.com/webbuddy WebWhacker http://www.ffg.com/whacker/. Guidelines on copyright issues |
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| Creation | Developing unique teaching materials that exits only because of the recent convergence of web based technologies and multi-media technologies is the area which offers the greatest real potential for changing the learning environment butt it also comes with the greatest technological risks and highest costs. Consequently, this area has been very slow to develop. Case simulations, market simulations, unstructured problem solving activities with online guidance both software and access to human expertise when and where needed. | What we are talking about is the creation of educational products which only exist on the Internet (or CD-ROM combination) Most of these educational products are proprietary in nature due to the large investment in development. | No one product to create these but rather the integration of many of the products seen above. |
| Communications: | |||
| 1 : 1 | This provides direct access to the tutor/instructor, which should provide comfort, and support, to students. (Fosters a mentoring relationship) This concept can also be extended to include an external mentor for student study groups. A great way to bring in alumni if they are willing to participate. | This can be done informally via as need email
requests or more explicitly through the use of regularly submitted learning journals. In addition tutorial times with online chat facilities connecting student to tutor or instructor can prove to be quite effective in provide learning support. |
Email packages in efficiency section Chat functions see below |
| 1 : M | This provides peer to peer learning to take place as students can work in groups. This facilitates a learning environment which is unstructured and open to discussion on insights and issues which arise from the course In addition the instructor through other monitoring techniques can provide additional guidance and instruction to class activities to avoid minor problems before they turn into major problems. | Groupware software, mailing lists, conferencing and chat capabilities are necessary to allow for interactive dialogue. | Listserv: MajorDomo http://www.greatcircle.com/majordomo/ ListServ Lite http://www.lsoft.com/listserv-lite.html Web bulletin boards WWWBoard http://worldwidemart.com/scripts/wwwboard.shtml WebBoard Chat programs Chat http://www.cabinessence.com/cgi/chatpro.shtml mIRC http://www.mirc.co.uk/get.html Conferencing FirstClass http://www.softarc.com/ Conference Room http://www.webmaster.com/products/conferenceroom/index.htm Many other programs have chat capability Netscape, Firstclass |
| M : 1 | Provides opportunities for more timely and effective evaluation and feedback on course activities. | Replies to email or completion of evaluation form and subsequent submission. Assignments can also be submitted. (see efficiency) | E-Mail programs FTP programs |
| M : M | Opportunities for students to participate in open dialogue with other students, faculty and outside experts allow them to experience the power of knowledge networking. This can draw on a much richer pool of knowledge then may be available in the traditional classroom environment. | Interactive dialogue with the opportunity for students to participate in the discussion from different physical locations comes quite close to replicating the classroom. | Mailing lists, List servs, newsgroups. Pointcast www.pointcast.com NetMeeting http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/ Netscape CoolTalk http://www.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/cooltalk/download_cooltalk.html I-Link Video conferencing CU-seeMe (free) CU-seeMe (commercial) |
| Assessment Management | Online testing with immediate feedback is not only efficient from a consumption to resources perspective but is also very effective in facilitating effective learning on the part of the student. It is difficult to have effective learning without feedback. These technologies provide additional opportunities for feedback to be provided. This feedback can be many different natures from hints to providing the correct answers. | Course/class management software with the inclusion of student tracking capability. | Webct (www.homebrew.cs.ubc.ca/webct/) Topclass (www.wbtsystems.com) Lotus Notes learning space http://lnnemeapin1.lnn.com Firstclass Collaborative classroom (www.education.softarc.com/product/fccc/index.html) CyberProf http://cyber.ccsr.uiuc.edu/cyberprof/general/homepage/Newpage/first.html Virtual-University |
| Class Management | Closely linked to the assessment management tools of student tracking these technologies allow instructors to monitor student activities and progress and assess not only the student’s performance but also the effectiveness of the resources provide and the learning environment | Course/class management software with the inclusion of student tracking capability | As per above |
Why should we (academics) care about the internet anyway?
A Survey of Accounting Department Websites at Canadian Universities
Implications for Canadian Accounting Education
Summary: Study of the Internet Presence of University Accounting Programs in Canada
Appendix A: Transformation of Educational Delivery Systems
Appendix C: Effectiveness Gains