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Preparing a Courseware Development Project

Preparing a Courseware Development Project. Lukito E. Nugroho Master Program in Information Technology Faculty of Engineering Gadjah Mada University. Outline of the Presentation. Introduction Knowing the type of your courseware application Knowing and preparing your target audience

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Preparing a Courseware Development Project

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  1. Preparing a CoursewareDevelopment Project Lukito E. Nugroho Master Program in Information Technology Faculty of Engineering Gadjah Mada University

  2. Outline of the Presentation • Introduction • Knowing the type of your courseware application • Knowing and preparing your target audience • Getting the requirements • Choosing an appropriate technology • Managing the project • Preparing the contents • Conclusions

  3. Introduction • The purpose of this lecture … to give the idea of an IT-enhanced courseware development project, covering both technical and management aspects • Target … audience will have sufficient knowledge on initiating a courseware development project • Basic ideas and “how to” on preparing a courseware development project • Problems and constraints commonly found in running a development project

  4. Introduction • Scope • IT-enhanced courseware • Course materials delivered using computer-based techniques and tools • Includes lecture notes, test and exercise modules, virtual experiments, external resources, communication facilities, etc. • Courseware development project • Conducted by a team of academic staff members • Based on an existing (non-electronic) course delivery system  a transforming project

  5. Introduction • An IT-enhanced courseware development project consists of several activities • Assessment • Planning • Preparation • The objects ... • The courseware package (software) • The contents (materials) • The users

  6. Types of (Electronic) Courseware Applications • Different names for similar systems • Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI) • Computer-Based Training (CBT) • Computer-Based Education (CBE) • … and many more

  7. Types of (Electronic) Courseware Applications • Platform-wise, there are only two types of courseware applications • Platform-specific: a package is developed for a specific computer platform (e.g., Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Unix/Linux) • Platform-neutral: a package is developed to run on any computer platform • The Web is the globally accepted platform for this purpose, hence the term Web-Based Courseware Application

  8. Which One to Choose ?

  9. Which One to Choose ?

  10. Which One to Choose ?

  11. Understanding the Target Users • Factors need to be identified • Who are the users ? • Students or lecturers? • How fluent are they with computers ? • Computers for typing only (and playing games ), or “I can’t live without computers !” ? • Do they have experiences or sufficient knowledge on the subject of the courseware ? • Completely new to the subject, or very familiar ?

  12. Understanding the Target Users • Factors need to be identified (cont.) • What is their attitude towards e-learning ? • Ready and eager to learn independently, or “I hate using computers !” ? • Have a definite goal, or “I do this just for fun !” ? • Knowledge of the target users will improve the effectiveness of the courseware, because the courseware can be accurately tailored to suit the needs and characteristics of the users

  13. Preparing the Target Users • E-learning requires a paradigm shift  the users must be prepared to accept it • Preparing the users involves more psychological and management than technical work • The best option is to convince them that the new way of teaching/learning is advantageous to them • Continuous socialization • Workshops and training • System demonstration • Real-life use as examples

  14. Getting the Requirements • Before development begins, we have to have a precise specification of the courseware • The specification acts as a guide/framework for the development • Basic principle: a courseware package cannot replace an instructor • Human factor is an important factor to the success of course delivery • Personal and emotional aspects • Human intervention and assistance • “Reasoning” activities: analyzing and synthesizing

  15. Getting the Requirements • Use of the courseware • Main delivery method of lecture materials or complement of the classrom method ? • Role of instructors • Instructor-led or learner-led ? • User characteristics • Control of learning pace • Synchronous (everybody at the same point in the course) or asynchronous (each learner at a different point in the course) ?

  16. Getting the Requirements • Class size • Big class size or small class size ? • User environment • Offices, home, or road ? • Technology • Platforms ? • Browsers ? • File formats ?

  17. Choosing an Appropriate Technology • An IT-enhanced courseware can be built and operated using inexpensive computer technology • The most important thing is to find the most appropriate technology to develop and run it • Development station (machine) • Development machines should be more powerful than target machines, but backward compatibility must always be preserved • Computers with multimedia capabilities, as well as Internet and LAN connections, are strongly recommended

  18. Choosing an Appropriate Technology • Platform (operating system) • If the courseware or its development tools is platform-specific, get the required operating system • Development tools • Software produced by a development tool must be runnable on target machines • If possible, use a development suite (e.g., MS Office or Adobe Suite), otherwise use individual tools as alternatives • Additional system components • Additional components (e.g., Web server or DBMS) must fit into the infrastructure

  19. Choosing an Appropriate Technology • Technology support • Use technology which is supported adequately • Checklist

  20. Managing the Project • The development team • Three kinds of expertise • Content (materials) expert • IT expert • Paedagogical expert • Project management • Scheduling • Resource allocation • Human resources • Infrastructure and development resources • Budget

  21. Managing the Project • The development process • Adopt software development paradigm: linear or iterative model • Iterative development through prototyping is encouraged • Design - Implement - Test - User feedback • Close interaction with users, release fast and often

  22. Preparing the Contents • Do we need a metaphor ? • A consistent design that models the structure and appearance of the course on something familiar to the audience. It can be an extended analogy, scenario, etc. • A metaphor is useful to help learners quickly relate their knowledge to the courseware domain • Example: a school metaphor for a virtual classroom

  23. Preparing the Contents • Course framework • Structure that defines the courseware • Serves as a template for courseware components

  24. Preparing the Contents • Organizing learning sequences • Put the pieces together • Different models of sequence structure • Activity-centered • Classic • Learner-customized

  25. Preparing the Contents

  26. Conclusion • IT-enhanced development project is a multidisciplinary activity • Subject-related discipline • Education • Computer science and engineering • Project management • Need a multidisciplinary approach

  27. Thank you

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