Met with Marie Breheny to figure out my evaluation instrument and through our discussion gained some new ideas and sharper focus to this project. One thing is that I will be testing simply for accessibility, usability and interactivity. We can predict that the interactivity measure will go up as the web sites improve. However, we need to document this. Another thing is that I will also be using the CO department as another survey group (besides the web experienced faculty group). This survey will be to access how well the site supports the content of the course. I will be writing up these surveys and posting them here for the record. We also determined that I will use the initial survey results to build the following surveys and that the feedback from each of the separate web sites will be used to improve the next site. Finally for another twist, the first site will be built with WebCT, the second with Front Page and the final one with Dreamweaver and Coldfusion. Isn't that wild?

 
Capstone Proposal as of this date: need to discuss workplace situation and potential barriers

Geoffrey Burgess
MAT
Models of Course Web Sites for Student with Learning Disabilities
Landmark College

Summary

This is a proposal to generate design recommendations and standards of practices for web based course materials that will support and advance the effective instruction of Landmark students. The physical final product will be three versions of a course web site (CO101) that move from simple, straightforward technology to increasing complexity. I intend to draw explicitly from the "teaching with technology," web design and LD fields. Most important will be the three guiding principles of accessibility, usability and interactivity for developing the design recommendations. My audience is my Landmark colleagues and the models are intended to be practical and transferable. Web-experienced colleagues will evaluate each of the three web sites for accessibility, usability and interactivity with a standardized survey. Finally LD students (recent Landmark graduates) will be observed using the sites with following interviews.


Project

The Internet is changing the way that information is presented, exchanged, and managed. In addition, the rapid development of this technology continues unabated and it is hard to predict and anticipate its full implications. A web-based medium could be an important new tool for educators – one that may invite innovative instruction. The Internet has a significant visual component and includes the potential for networking to support lateral, holistic thinking. Internet technology opens avenues of individualization and can command different combinations of passive and active responses. As Chris Dede at George Mason University, notes "Emerging information technologies enable a shift from the transfer and assimilation of information to the creation, sharing and mastery of knowledge" (Dede, 2000, p.1). He goes further to describe his experiences with using online course support: "Because the vast majority of class participants find their voice in at least one of the media provided, each student is able to make a full contribution, thus increasing the overall learning experience for everyone" (Dede, 2000, p.14).

It’s not enough to provide the technology; one has to teach how to use it. It’s the simple but powerful idea of thinking from the learner point of view in developing technologically based curriculum. Of course this concept is not revolutionary for Landmark, being that diagnostic teaching is at the core of our program. However, technology creates new challenges and opportunities to realize this effectively. As Dr. Anderson-Inman documented we can use "technology to: empower students as learners; make materials more supportive; bridge the communication gap" (Anderson-Inman, in-service PowerPoint presentation, 2001). The goal of my study is to determine the design features of course web materials for effective instruction, especially for the Landmark population.

I have created course web sites for the past 6 semesters and have become familiar (mostly self-taught) with a number of web editors, course management and other technology tools. With my first web sites it was striking how my efforts to create them wasn’t matched by student use. Student’s tutors would tell me the site was helpful for their work, but the students used them irregularly and minimally. It was not a case of “if you build it they will come.” Although students display high interest in computer use, it is clear that more was needed for effective educational usage.

From my ongoing web building experiences and my current coursework I have come to conclusion that there are 3 guiding principles that are essential for educational web sites, especially for Landmark students.
 Accessibility – can all individuals gain the all of information presented on the site?
 Usability – is the site easy and simple to navigate; is the user oriented at all times?
 Interactivity – does the site engage and draw the user to make choices and by these decisions become an active participant?


Objectives

 To study the current research about effective educational web design practices focusing upon the 3 principles of accessibility, usability and interactivity and ways to incorporate them

 To study the current research about computer technology materials for LD students to ensure the effectiveness of the design features

 To develop a cohesive list of course web site design recommendations based on the principles of accessibility, usability and interactivity, and grounded in what is currently know about the educational effectiveness of this technology

 To develop 3 models of effective course web sites (CO101) of increasing technological sophistication that exhibit the design recommendations

 To assess the effectiveness of these materials with feedback from Landmark faculty and LD students

Process

Although there is a growing body of literature on computer assisted learning of specific skills or tasks for learning disabled students, there is little research information of comprehensive computer embedded courses for LD students. To compensate for this, I will be looking toward other sources for ideas and insights. There is significant available literature discussing effective web design (educational and otherwise) and burgeoning literature about effective practices for teaching online courses for a more general population.

In this vein there are also some good resources on the Landmark campus for educational web work. Sarah Glennon and Chris Arieta have recently conducted online courses and, although these were not targeted directly toward LD individuals, these were instances of reconceptualizing and representing aspects of the Landmark curriculum through a computer medium. We are also fortunate to have on campus two pioneers in the field of technological educational design and practice with LD students: Abigail Littlefield and Frank Klucken, also serving as instructors at the Marlboro GradCenter. I intend to consult and study their own web work and draw on their input for my Title 3 models.

Building from the foundation of my coursework at Marlboro and my previous efforts of using web materials, I imagine that I will likely move back and forth between research and design rather quickly. The research focal points and web sites construction will roughly follow the same set of deadlines. My initial reading and research will center on accessibility and by March 1st I will have developed the first model CO101 course site. Usability will be the topic of second stage of my research and along with the second CO101 web site will be completed by April 1st. Finally the study and application of interactivity will lead into the last CO101 site to be completed by the May 1st. Each site will be saved and posted separately along with an explanatory list of the design recommendations. During June LD students will test the sites.