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WebDAV Jim demonstrated the WebDav drag and drop functionality in use by faculty at Phoenix College that allows you to bypass the file management in WebCT. It can also be used for "traditional" HTML web sites or within the context of programs such as DreamWeaver. The main advantage is removing the need for using FTP for transferring files from the desktop to a web server-- WebDAV provides a system where a course web site is merely an icon on the desktop and files are manipulated like any other desktop file. In WebCT, files can be uploaded, but it is done singly or if user is able to compile all of the content to a ZIP archive (which confounds many users). A PowerPoint presentation converted to HTML may create hundreds of files which would be a monumental task to move to a web server via WebCT. On the technical side, WebDAV uses the user authentication provided by the HTTP protocol. It can be added to many flavors of web servers, Jim has compiled an Apache module for the server at Phoenix College. WebDAV is open source and is being improved by many programmers here and there. In Windows 98, WebDAV is accessed via Web Folders (in Windows 2000 is My Network Places) where the user provides the URL to their web course storage area. Macintosh users can get a free program called Goliath that will mount a webDAV server space as a desktop icon (like connecting to a file server). Moving content to the server is done in the same manner as moving files around the desktop. Jim also noted that WebDAV was built into the Site Manager features of Macromedia DreamWeaver. There may also be WebDAV tools for Blackboard (not sure at this time). We thought it unlikely since Blackboard 5 hides its file structure, but Tom noted that Blackboard 6 will offer file management and likely thus be WebDAV compatible. See some of these Google-d resources. New! June 2002: AOI Systems has a DAV for Blackboard solution. WebCT in a Hybrid Environmental Biology Course 2:50-3:30 PM For John, he is shifting from the Rio template web platform to WebCT and is liking it even more than he expected. He admits that he is not a techie. His Environmental Biology courses (BIO 105) are not advertised as "hybrids" but actually are- Phoenix College is coining the notion of "unseated time" for course work done out of class, in lieu of scheduled class time. The components of John's course are Lecture, Lab, and independent work done online. This is the first tome BIO 105 has been offered as a general course at Phoenix College, and thus has attracted some "challenged students", yet a few weeks into the semester, John regularly communicates with most of his students through WebCT. His rule is to respond to email withing 24 hours during the 5 days of the week. He said a critical key to success was an in-person WebCT training session held in the computer lab (students that could email him in advance and explain that they could use the system were excused). John says his vision is to restructure the class (currently a MWF 1 hour section and a TR 1.5 hour section, plus lab time) so that it will be scheduled MWF in the same space, but schedule sections so that one section has lecture twice a week on alternating weeks, and the other time using technology to complete the other work and time requirements. In his current class, he is having much more communication via WebCT that he has in standard courses via telephone or office hour visits. In his WebCT course, John showed how one WebCT area serves both of his sections, and his linked calendar indicates lecture and lab assignments as well as "reassign" time- schedule class time where there are no class meetings (it is time for students to do individual work via WebCT). He share a lesson he learned at Rio Salado. When developing course content, do not label them "Chapter 1" "Unit 3" that are tied to textbooks-- these change often, and you end up having to re-code all of the titles in the web content. In his course content area, john showed his structure of objectives, information, assignments, etc. He created something he thought sounded worthwhile- "Independent Learning Module", but learned that the name confused his students. He renamed this section "Homework"- less flashy but students know what it means. John uses the WebCT quiz features for simple self tests so students can check their skills. He found the quizzes "painful" to create in WebCT, since every piece of info for a question was entered in a different web screen. He tried Respondus, the utility licensed by 9 Maricopa colleges and what might have taken "days" to create in WebCT took John 30 minutes. John's course also stresses writing skills, so he has students respond to "Express Your Learning" (EYL) questions sent via WebCT's email. He reviews the writing efforts and replies with comments and suggestions. He makes all of his assignments due midnight the Saturday after the week assigned. John states that low technology is important as well- if he receives no contact from a student in 2 weeks, "I just pick up the phone and check in." Another neat review tool John uses online are the Cogix Java applets that allow him to add a terminology crossword puzzle to his course (optional for students). This was shareware John found and licensed for $35 and have used extensively over the years. (Note- it looks like Cogix has moved on to other products, but try a Google'd link to similar applets.) Rather than posting his PowerPoint lecture slides as web pages (resulting in major downloads), John recommends exporting just the outline and posting that to a course site. "It is more efficient for the student on the slow end of a modem if the content is mainly text." His future plans are to develop a completely online Biology course, but will continue to teach in this hybrid format. Next Meeting
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Note: This is an archive of web pages Alan Levine built for the MCLI from 1994-2006. Links will break and errors may occur.
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