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USU, QuickTime working on interactive course By
Natalie Larson
The 12th Annual Instructional Technology Institute held on August 29 - September 1 will be the first attempt to re-create the convention conference experience online using Apple's streaming technology and WebCT's e-Learning hub for discussion forums. Tom Nickel, a new Instructional Technology Department faculty member,has been working to develop an approach which would allow anyone to participate in this conference through the Internet. It is a joint effort with the Center for the School of the Future. "There have been a lot of convention papers delivered at conferences reports put on the Internet for people to see, but I've never seen anyone capture the participation," Nickel said. Conference presenters included Jeroen van Merrienboer, of the Open University of the Netherlands; Wayne Hodgins, of Autodesk, Inc.; and Gregory J. Brandes, of the Concord University School of Law. The topics addressed included knowledge objects, collaborative filtering techniques, the use of guidebots and special models for complex learning. Speakers from the conference were recorded on video, and the key elements will be presented in 5-6 minute segments on QuickTime to help viewers understand the essence of the speeches presentations]. Audio files will contain the rest of the material. Online discussion forums will also provide an opportunity to ask the presenters questions. The presenters will continue to participate by responding to these questions for the eight weeks this program is available. Immediate interaction will be possible through text and voice chats and live Webcasts. Proceedings will also be put into databased discussion archives. "Anyone can do it for free," Nickel said. "We want people to participate. That's how we'll learn from it." This online convention will also serve as the basis of a three-credit graduate course. The course number will be INST 6900_03. Registration and fee payment can be done through the University Extension program. It will cost $508.22. Students will be required to participate in discussions, instructional chats, online panels and write a paper at the end. "Having events like this conference available for credit opens up many more opportunities for other experiences to also become courses," Nickel said. "This is our first effort at putting something online and making a course," Nickel said. "It's not going to be perfect. Some people will criticize it." "Our goal is to make production simpler so that people can come to us with guest speakers, other conferences or anything else they feel is academically worthy, and we can put it online and also consider making it a course if that is their interest." This type of course benefits students in several ways. The people and resources they will be able to access online they might not be able to at any other time or place. It fits into life more conveniently, because students can do it anytime or anywhere. It could end up being less expensive. "I believe on-line courses can be a richer experience than a class-room experience," Nickel said. "The reach is stronger with on-line classes. People from all over the world come together to interact with each other. They couldn't do that in a regular class. "Sitting in a lecture hall with 300 students is distance education." For more information visit the website at www.webconf.org, call Nickel at 797-9691 or Tim Smith, the technology director of the Center for the School of the Future, at 797-2004, or e-mail webconf@cc.usu.edu.
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