EUNIS 99

TRACK A Abstracts:
Use of Information Technology in Learning and Teaching

USE OF ITC TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AT THE LEVEL OF A B.Sc.: A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE Y. Epelboin Université P.M. Curie, Paris, France
Since 3 years the Web is intensively used for a course on Numerical Methods in Physics. All materials are available to students in advance and no paper is delivered. We report our experience, which is not as successful as it could be expected. Moving from old to new technologies does not seem so appealing to students and the transition may take some time.

IMPLEMENTING MULTIMEDIA METHODS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Antti Keurulainen and Sven-Gustav Häggman Communications laboratory Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

In this paper, we investigate the process of generating modern multimedia-based learning material. The current status of the computer equipment utilised by the students was analysed and multimedia material suitable for the students’ equipment was produced. The material is built on a CBE (Computer Based Education) concept that was developed in an earlier pilot project. The produced material covers the main areas of the course "Signals and Systems", taught in the Department of Electrical and Communications Engineering at the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT). The effort needed for constructing such material was analysed. The quality of the material was evaluated by distributing the implemented software to the students and assessing the benefits of using the material.

Network Education Katri Wikström Institute for Extension Studies University of Tampere Finland
The Institute for Extension Studies at the University of Tampere is coordinating a project called Network Education for Scientific Libraries, Archives and Museums. This three-year project is a part of the national programme Finnish Information Society. The Ministry of Education is funding the professional further education of scientific libraries and archives through the project. The aim of the project is to develop training based on information networks and to promote the production of related distance learning material. The project also aims at improving knowledge of teleinformatics and information networks in libraries, archives and museums. So far 14 courses of varying length have been organised with approximately 300 students from all over Finland participating. The project started in May 1996 and continues until the end of 1999 when the final report will be available.
Tailored Teaching for Students with Diverse Scientific and Linguistic Backgrounds: Potential of the WWW in Plant Pathology Jyri Kankila University of Helsinki, Finland

Pedagogic problems in teaching Plant Pathology at the University of Helsinki are analyzed, and some solutions
based on web-supported courses are suggested. In a wider perspective, web technology offers a tool for
co-operation to the relatively small Plant Pathology departments in Northern European countries. Web-supported
courses within the Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University (NOVA) or larger consortia, present an
opportunity to use the limited resources efficiently. At its best, web-based instruction can help combining
internationally-oriented education with maintaining scientific culture within small language groups.

Using the Web to Deliver and Enhance Classes: Two Case Studies Paul Q. Helford, Director Office for Teaching and Learning Effectiveness Richard M. Lei, Associate Professor, School of Communication Northern Arizona University, USA
This paper discusses two case studies conducted at Northern Arizona University. The studies are from classes that are using the World Wide Web to enhance teaching and learning. One class is the Art of Cinema, a film studies class that has been taught via Instructional Television (ITV) for five years. Various techniques have been used over the years to increase class interaction. This paper will address a step by step procedure for effectively using the Web to enhance the learning environment in large enrollment courses like this one by increasing interaction between student and teacher and among students. The second class, Creative Advertising Strategies was developed as a fully web-based course in the summer and fall of 1997 and taught on the web, concurrently with a traditional classroom section, in Spring 1998. A pilot study was conducted to determine student satisfaction of web-based versus a traditional classroom environment and comparisons are made to each other. Results of the study, along with implications for future web-based courses, are provided in this paper.
The Academic Development Fund at the University of Derby 1994-1998: Origins, Implementation and Lessons Chris O'Hagan and Jennifer Fry, University of Derby, UK
Today the University of Derby is an acknowledged leader in the UK in the integration of technology into teaching and learning and in the development of open and distance learning materials at all levels of post-school education - from outcentres linked to a main campus by videoconferencing, to Masters programmes delivered on CD-ROM supported by computer-mediated communication. Development is ubiquitous, and a key component in creating this ubiquity has been the Academic Development Fund (ADF) which began in 1994 and continues today (and at least to 2001) as the Operational Plan for the Teaching and Learning Strategy. The paper describes the origins and processes of the ADF and how it led to a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches. We also suggest that some of the most significant outcomes of such a major investment in a 'shift from teaching to learning' are the hardest to quantify. Although our strategies were almost unique in 1994, more and more institutions are taking similar measures, and this account of the Derby experience may prove helpful.

A University Model for Integrating Technology into the Curriculum The Academic Architecture Initiative John A. Bielec and Kenneth Blackney Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,USA

A common academic architecture which facilitates the integration of technology into the educational process is critical for institutional success. The architecture must encourage faculty use and enhance learner productivity (i.e. make integration of technology into the curriculum as easy and painless as possible) by demonstrating "added value" to traditional teaching methodologies and course management. Technology must provide clear incentives for use. The Academic Architecture Initiative includes a Course Management Service (CMS) linked to common Instructional Application Tools (IAT).

Virtual Classroom for Business Planning Formulation Osorio, J.; Rubio-Royo, E.; Ocón, A. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
One of the most promising possibilities of the WWW resides in its potential to support the long distance formation. The Web Based Training (WBT) acquires thus a high importance as a learning tool. In 1996, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria developed the "INNOVA Project" in order to promote Web based training and learning. As a result, the Virtual Classroom Interface (IVA) was created, and WebCT (Word Wide Web Course Tools) was chosen as the main development tool. One application developed on this platform contemplates the academic instruction in business from an innovative perspective. The application, named SISTRAT, reinforces the teaching-learning process, guiding the student on a continuous basis through the different stages that conform to a strategic plan. Dynamic WWW Style Processing with SeSAMe Thomas Fischer Universität Gesamthochschule Kassel, Germany

In the process of developing a new design concept for our university’s WWW service we catalogued a list of specific formal and aesthetical requirements and finally worked out a problem oriented software concept. This might be useful for the university online worker as well as of hypertext-theoretical interest.

User Interface Implementation Issues for a Web-based system for Ordered Asynchronous Multimedia Annotations Cleo Sgouropoulou, Anastasios Koutoumanos and Emmanuel Skordalakis Software Engineering Laboratory, National Technical University of Athens, Greece Peter Goodyear Centre for Studies in Advanced Learning Technology, Lancaster University, England
WebOrama is a Web-based system that provides a platform for creating, managing and presenting ordered asynchronous multimedia annotations. This system will be used within the project ‘SHARP’ for the support of coordinated, asynchronous discussions, which will emanate from a video representation of industry’s best practice. These discussions will serve as a medium for the exchange of tacit, experience-based knowledge, among a community of practitioners, and will also facilitate learners in the acquisition of complex skills applicable in real-world working context. WebOrama utilises an innovative algorithm for dynamic filtering of annotations, in order to provide an adaptive and customisable representation of content, personalised for a particular user-group perspective. This paper presents the issues encountered in the design and implementation of the user interface of WebOrama.

The adaptation of the CAL system Ceilidh for teaching the Oberon language Igor Rozanc, Viljan Mahniè University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Computer and Information Science, Slovenia

The Ceilidh CAL system [1,2] was developed at the University of Nottingham in order to support the teaching of programming courses with a special emphasis on the preparation and assessment of practical exercises. We describe the adaptation of Ceilidh for teaching the Oberon language at the University of Ljubljana. In order to minimize the extent of modifications, a careful choice of an appropriate Oberon compiler was necessary, and a compilation procedure that allows the compilation of several modules had to be defined. Major changes were necessary in order to adapt the six tests that compose the Ceilidh marking system, especially the built-in typographic and complexity analyses.