Cardinal Stritch University 599 – Culminating Experience Project Summary Rebecca Hall [email protected] Department of Instructional Technology CEd 599 – Culminating Experience Project Summary Summer 2008 Abstract As the web evolves, the new resources and technologies that emerge are providing new and valuable opportunities for students. Having a clear understanding of the core concepts, practices and current trends of emerging Internet tools and technologies can empower students to become more productive learners. This project is a re‐design of the curriculum of an undergraduate elective course that provides an overview and evaluation of information resources and services on the Internet. The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive and updated curriculum the accurately reflects current trends and resources on the Internet. Project Details L&I SCI 150: Introduction to Information Resources on the Internet is an elective undergraduate course in the Bachelor of Science in Information Resources (BSIR) program at the University of Wisconsin‐ Milwaukee (UWM). This course was designed to provide an overview of the Internet and its resources and services. This course has not been updated in years and is very outdated. This project has allowed me to update and enhance the curriculum of this course to incorporate new web 2.0 tools and technologies and to add content to the course that effectively demonstrates the current resources available online. In addition to updating the course curriculum, developing a comprehensive list of resources, and developing projects and assignments that can be used to assess a students understanding of the course content, I’ve also prepared the course for online delivery using UWM’s Desire2Learn course management system. Summary of Objectives Below is a list of the detailed objectives of the project, a summary of outcomes and a timeline of the project. • Week 1: (approx. 3.5 hrs) Assessment and evaluation of current course content During the assessment and evaluation process, I compared and evaluated course syllabi from previous semesters. (Examples of these syllabi are attached). I was given access to and reviewed the course content used in previous semesters by Catherine Hansen, Chad Zahrt and William Kopycki. Rebecca Hall MSIT – Summer 08 Cardinal Stritch University Culminating Experience Project Summary Page 2 of 6 The content of this course had previously focused heavily on teaching effective information retrieval techniques and methods for utilizing Internet resources for university research. Many of these same topics are currently covered in other classes offered within the School of Information Studies (SOIS). For example, L&I SCI ‐101: Information Literacy & L&I SCI 210: Information Resources for Research duplicate many of these same topics. It was fairly easy to determine that this course could easily be updated to include new trends in Internet tools and technologies. • Week 2 (approx. 1.5 hrs) Determine course objectives and outcomes The course description and objectives were updated to reflect the updated content and changes to the curriculum. The new course description now includes an emphasis on an introduction to core concepts, practices and current trends of emerging Internet technologies. It also emphasizes the hands‐on nature of the course which will give students the opportunity to experiment with new technologies and build their confidence and knowledge of 21st century technology skills. The course objectives have been updated and include the following: Upon completion of the course, students will: 1. Understand the substructure of the Internet 2. Understand how to contribute to and manage content on the Internet 3. Learn effective techniques for selecting and using appropriate Internet resources for academic research and to obtain information 4. Identify and analyze common Internet tools and technologies 5. Learn basic search strategies and evaluate information as to its suitability for use 6. Cite resources correctly 7. Be aware of ethical issues concerning the use of resources on the Internet 8. Understand concepts and techniques for developing web pages using the most current standards • Week 3 & 4 (approx. 25 hrs) Research and evaluate course materials Rebecca Hall MSIT – Summer 08 Cardinal Stritch University Culminating Experience Project Summary Page 3 of 6 The research and evaluation of course material was obviously the most time consuming and yet the most interesting and exciting. The wealth of resources and new technologies available online is overwhelming. Because of the nature of the Internet and the nature of this course, the research and evaluation process and the updating of the course content must be a constant process. Because of this, I’ve tried to structure the course into more general topics that can be easily updated to reflect the most current trends and emerging technologies. These topics include: 1) Introduction & History of the Internet. 2) Finding, Evaluating & Managing Content on the Web. 3) Information Resources Online. 4) Internet Trends & New Developments. 5) Managing Web Content (RSS, Aggregators, Tagging, Bookmarking). 6) Collaboration Online (blogs & wikis). 7) Rich Internet Application & Software As A Service. 8) Communication Online (VOIP, IM, Chat, conferencing). 9) Social Networks. 10) Virtual Environments. 11) Contributing Content (web publishing, podcasting). For each of these topics, I’ve developed a list of resources including readings, products, tools and technologies to be used to enhance the student learning experience. Units on finding and evaluating information resources online and search techniques have been carried over from the previous curriculum but condensed to be more of an overview rather than the entire focus of the class. The course is designed to cover a new set of tools/ technologies each week. The effectiveness of this will have to be assessed after the first few times the course is taught to determine if the extensive list of topic are effectively being covered. The fast paced nature of the course is the one concern that I do have with the course. • Week 5 & 6: (approx. 20 hrs) Develop course materials I have developed a variety of projects, exercises, and assignments that I feel are relevant and that can be used to assess the students understanding of the course content. The course now consists of the