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WBI or not WBI?
Teachers considering Web-based instruction (WBI) are strongly encouraged to consider choice of pedagogy over choice of available technology, particularly when some research suggests that the use of technology to enable instruction conveys no significant difference in student achievement (Russell, 1997).
Reeves (1997) takes the view that the Web has particular affordances that make it an appropriate instructional tool in some instances and has developed a model that looks at those dimensions of learning that are affected by the medium of the Web. The instrument (shown below) invites evaluation of Web-based instruction along a continuum in each of ten dimensions described in the model. The resulting profile can help to direct the design of potential Web material, evaluate existing Web-based instruction or provide a means of comparing versions of Web-based and other instruction.
One way of using the model is to identify which dimensions of interactive learning provided by the Web are to be included in WBI. Later the same model could be used to evaluate the degree that the objective of each dimension was accomplished. Finally, the dimensions identified in the model could help to inform ones own classroom teaching.
A Model of the Effective Dimensions of Interactive Learning on the World-Wide Web
Instructivism
Knowledge as the possession of the instructor |
Pedagogical Philosophy
12345 |
Constructivism
Knowledge as a construct in the mind of the learner |
Behavioural
Emphasise observable behaviour |
Learning Theory
12345 |
Cognitive
Emphasise internal mental states |
Sharply Focussed
Direct instruction with focus on a terminal behaviour |
Goal Orientation
12345 |
General
Simulation with more than one solution to a problem |
Academic
Emphasis on traditional academic exercises |
Task Orientation
12345 |
Authentic
Emphasis on out of reach exercises in authentic settings |
Extrinsic
Motivation from outside the learner/learning environment |
Source of Motivation
12345 |
Intrinsic
Motivation from inside the learner/learning environment |
Didactic
Teacher is repository of knowledge |
Teacher Role
12345 |
Facilitative
Teacher is facilitator of instruction, guiding students |
Unsupported
No support for monitoring progress and adjusting to individual learner's needs |
Metacognitive Support
12345 |
Integrated
Scaffolds students and aids with recapitulations of troubleshooting strategies |
Unsupported
Learners work individually to accomplish goals |
Collaborative Learning Strategies
12345 |
Integral
Learners work in pairs/small groups to accomplish goals |
Insensitive
Cultural sensitivities are not designed into the site |
Cultural Sensitivity
12345 |
Respectful
Site designed to adapt to cultural norms |
Fixed
Site limited to specific times and/or places |
Structural Flexibility
12345 |
Open
Site not limited to specific times and/or places |
- Graphic used with permission from Fischer, G. (1996). Making Learning a Part of Life: Beyond the "Gift Wrapping" Approach to Technology. Available: <http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~l3d/presentations/gf-wlf>. Center for Lifelong Learning and Design, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
- Reeves, T. (1997). A Model of the Effective Dimensions of Interactive Learning on the World Wide Web. Available: <http://itech1.coe.uga.edu/Faculty/treeves/WebPaper.pdf>. Department of Instructional Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
- Russell, T. (Ed.) (1997). The No Significant Difference Phenomenon (4th ed.) Available: <http://tenb.mta.ca/phenom/>. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
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