A Strategic Plan for Developing Web-Enhanced Courses: A Faculty Proposal*

Dennis Cogswell, School of Social Work
Bruce Mahin, Department of Music
George Santopietro, Department of Economics
Robert Sheehy, Department of Biology
James Unnever, Department of Sociology/Anthropology
Susan Woodward, Department of Geography

* The content of this document reflects the deliberations of the ad hoc CyberUniversity Instructional Design Committee. Committee members include William Cobb, Dr. Karma Castleberry, Dr. Dennis Cogswell, Lorraine Durrill, Steve Helms, Dr. Bruce Mahin, Dr. George Santopietro, Dr. Robert Sheehy, Dr. Lee Stewart, Dr. James Unnever, and Dr. Susan Woodward. Drs. James Unnever and Susan Woodward are committee co-chairs.

In 1997, the Faculty Professional and Instructional Development Program awarded five members of the Radford University faculty a grant to collaboratively develop online technologies and assess their appropriateness and effectiveness in a variety of learning environments. The grant supported a student in Computer Science who produced a variety of web-related technologies including such programs as on-line quizzes, bulletin boards, guestbooks, an online survey generator, etc. The grantees strove to involve a larger cross-section of the RU faculty in the use and design of web-based instructional materials and grew into an ad hoc CybeRUniversity Instructional Design Committee. It currently includes members from all of the Colleges. We continue to explore ways of seamlessly integrating the use of the World Wide Web into our courses and administrative work.

One can hardly question that the World Wide Web is fast becoming a pervasive force in education. Ten years ago, children were introduced to the computer by playing games of skill and imagination. Today, children are introduced to the computer through the World Wide Web. Young people don't expect to have information at their fingertips; they demand it. In 1989, young people wanted their Sega; now they want "Disney.com."

Students surf the web when choosing a university. Upon arrival, they expect to find course materials on the web. Access to course materials, then, purports an image of being technologically literate and therefore capable of providing a relevant education. Universities failing to demonstrate facility in this regard will fail to attract and keep the best students.

Radford University like others is experiencing this change in students' expectations. In the Fall of 1998, over 1,700 students have requested an ethernet connection to Radford University's network. This large number indicates that students are increasingly coming to Radford University with the expectation that they will engage in computer related course work.

In the field of education, three categories of web-based instruction are generally recognized. In increasing levels of web-based support these are:

Research indicates that web-enhanced courses augment the learning process (Kearsley et al., 1995; Ehrmann, 1995; Gilbert, 1995; Brooks, 1997; Schutte, 1997). Kozma and Johnson (1991) identify multiple ways, summarized below, that web-enhanced courses transform teaching, learning, and the curriculum.

Web-enhanced courses move students away from being the passive recipient of knowledge to becoming more actively engaged in the construction of knowledge.

1. Information technology breaks down the walls between the classroom and the real world.
2. Technology is expanding our ability to express, understand, and use ideas in other symbols.
3. Computers can teach and drill students on a variety of rules and concepts essential to performance in a disciplinary area.
4. Technology has helped us move from a view of learning as an individual act done in isolation toward learning as a collaborative activity. It also has moved us from the consideration of ideas in isolation to an examination of their meaning in the context of other ideas and events.
5. Information technology empowers students to use tools that facilitate the process of scholarship.

Other research demonstrates that, when compared to traditional classes, courses that are web-enhanced report higher levels of student satisfaction; the same or better GPA and other measures of student achievement; higher levels of critical thinking and problem solving; and often more discussion between students and instructors (Kearsley et al., 1995; Schutte, 1997). Web-enhancing a course provides the additional benefit of providing the student the opportunity to "develop and enhance information technology skills as part of the undergraduate experience" (Green and Gilbert, 1995).

In addition, web-based instruction provides the opportunity for faculty and students to engage, passively or actively, in collaborative learning. Passive collaborative learning experiences could include faculty integrating into their courses web-related resources posted on the Web by other faculty members within or outside of their discipline. Active forms of collaborative learning could include faculty inviting other professors to give guest lectures in chat rooms or bulletin boards. Students could also engage in collaborative learning experiences with other students located throughout the world with similar academic interests. Another example of collaborative learning enabled by the Web is inviting authors to visit the class virtually online and engage in asynchronous or synchronous discussions.

In summary, researchers indicate that web-enhanced courses improve the learning process when individual faculty members use them as "tools" to support instruction and learning (Green and Gilbert, 1995).

Faculty in many departments at Radford University have already taken the initiative to integrate some of the aforementioned web-related technologies into their courses. Having taken this step, many faculty now feel the need to know how these initiatives might fit into a larger institutional strategy, particularly where funding priorities may have to be altered to accommodate needs in this area. The CyberUniversity Instructional Design Committee therefore proposes the following plan for encouraging and supporting web-based instruction.

Essential Objectives:

1. Integrate the web-related technologies that the CyberUniversity Instructional Design Committee has already developed and employed into a comprehensive web-based package.
2. Purchase prepackaged web-related programs that complement and expand upon the technologies developed by the CyberUniversity Instructional Design Committee.
3. Dedicate a server for web-enhanced courses.
4. Organize support staff familiar with web-related technologies and instructional design to assist faculty develop web-enhanced courses.

It is our assumption that the number of faculty willing to integrate web-related technologies into their courses would increase if these technologies were more readily available and if technical support for their design and implementation were also provided.

Radford University could seamlessly integrate these development tools into a comprehensive web-based package comparable to those already on the market, such as WebCt or Web in a Box, with a limited investment. This limited investment could result in a future revenue stream if Radford University marketed in its own software.

In addition, we suggest that Radford University purchase web-based course development software to complement and diversify the technologies already developed by the CyberUniversity Instructional Design Committee. A variety of course-related software exists, including comprehensive packages such as WebCT and Web in a Box, as well as more limited programs such Mallard, Whiz Quiz or Motet. Comprehensive packages, such as WebCT, include asynchronous and synchronous web-based enhancements. Examples of these tools include a conferencing system, on-line chat, student progress tracking, group project organization, student self-evaluation, grade maintenance and distribution. Other tools such as access control, navigation tools, auto-marked quizzes, electronic mail, automatic index generation, course calendar, student homepages, and course content searches are also included. Administration features of web-based course development software allow creating (or import) of student accounts, archiving e-mail messages student discussion groups and graded assessment. In general, these web-based software packages allow for three-way interaction: 1) student with content, 2) student with instructor, 3) student with other student(s). More limited programs such as Mallard, Whiz Quiz, or Motet, offer faculty members programs designed for specific web-based functions such as online quiz generators (Mallard and Whiz Quiz) or web-based conferencing (Motet). Costs associated with either a comprehensive package or the more limited packages are not prohibitive. Radford University could purchase WebCt to run on its server with unlimited faculty and student use for approximately $3,000 for a year.

Radford University could also support faculty efforts to use web-related technologies by dedicating a web server to house all web-enhanced courses. Having a server dedicated to web-enhanced courses would be important for many reasons. Having all web-enhanced courses centrally located on one server would allow a system administrator to centrally install the software rather than installing it separately in each individual faculty member's directory. It would also decrease maintenance costs by allowing a system administrator to maintain the technology from a centrally located position. Having a dedicated server would additionally increase the data transmission speed, allowing for faster asynchronous and synchronous communication and data exchange.

It is essential that Radford University create, coordinate, and support a collaborative group of staff and faculty with web related skills. There is an increasing number of faculty and staff at Radford University who have developed a level of expertise with web-related technologies. Additionally, with the funding of the Title III grant, "Creating Accessible and Responsive Educational Environments at Radford," Radford University will have on staff two experts in instructional design. Faculty considering enhancing their courses and those who have already web-enhanced their courses need continuous technical and instructional design support. It is our belief that an increasing number of faculty will consider using leading edge technologies if they have access to an organized, coordinated, and supported group of faculty and staff with technological and instructional design skills.

Essential Objectives:

1. Create a pilot program that involves marketing a limited number of professionally oriented online courses.
2. Create a pilot program to market to Radford University students online courses that they can take while they live and work at home during the summer. We envision this pilot program to consist of approximately five online courses primarily drawn from general education courses.

Radford University's marketing strength is that it offers prospective students a comprehensive education in an attractive residential setting. Similar Virginia universities, such as Mary Washington College, recognize that in today's competitive market it is also necessary for universities to complement their strengths with the development and use of web-based instructional technologies.

Web-based instruction is increasingly becoming market driven. Universities are facing competition from other campuses that are marketing online courses similar to their own (e.g., Virginia Tech) and from publishers and other for-profit organizations. Currently, students living in Virginia can take accredited online courses from such universities as the University of Southern California or Virginia Tech and transfer these credits into Radford University. If this trend continues and grows, Radford University will lose a significant share of its market, resulting in lost revenues.

Online courses offer distinct advantages to students who cannot enroll in the traditional classroom-based course because of geographical limitations or scheduling conflicts. Other Virginia universities, particularly Virginia Tech, have taken a two-prong market approach to using web enhancements in instructional design and delivery. Virginia Tech and its CyberSchool have marketed courses that are oriented to the older student who may wish to upgrade their technical skills. This is the original market for web-based instruction. It also has marketed "summer school" courses to students who may want to take these courses while they work and live at home during the summer.

Essential Objective:

1. Radford University should join with other universities to form alliances that encourage sharing expertise and instructional materials stored on the web.

The World Wide Web has created the possibility for educational institutions to develop partnerships in offering online courses. Two such partnerships already in place that directly impact Radford University are the Southern Regional Electronic Campus and Virginia's Commonwealth Electronic Campus. The later is a voluntary consortium of public and private colleges and universities who have come together to develop a virtual campus for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Consortia such as the above can share the development costs and efforts of producing web-enhanced courses. They can also manage the sections offered, review courses against a common standard, and administer the issues surrounding transfer credits. It is our position that Radford University could benefit in a multitude of ways if we establish a web presence by offering online courses with both of the above consortia.

Radford University's contribution to online partnerships would be consistent with its Vision Statement, which states: