project we had to reconsider the pedagogical base for the computer-based interactive support to ... Let us look at one problem that is general for all educational.
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INTRANET/INTERNET SYNERGY IN COURSE DEVELOPMENT Eva Wigforss Alf Dahlberg, Eva Falk Nilsson, Marcus Filipsson, Viveka Lyberg-Åhlander, Roland Rydell and Ulf Thylander Department of Logopedics and Phoniatrics, Lund University
Abstract The paper presents pedagogical considerations for the project Development of Multimedia in Logopedics and Phoniatrics. The project was initially funded by the University of Lund 1995-1996 and is now (1997-2000) funded by the Swedish Council for the Renewal of Undergraduate Education. The first phase of the project was presented at the WebNet 96 conference in San Francisco. In the second phase of the project we had to reconsider the pedagogical base for the computer-based interactive support to the courses in logopedics. The pedagocical demands from teachers and students to use, reorganize, select and learn from the material/program forced us to leave the educational multimedia environment that was offered by CD-ROMs and Micromind Director and go for a hypermedia-based multimedia setting. The third phase of the project is to create a synergy between direct campus-based learning, university Intranet and other Internet courses in the discipline.
Keywords intranet/internet, teaching and learning, educational multimedia, logopedics and phoniatrics
1. Introduction To learn how to deal with communication disorders puts demands on both teachers and students to integrate a variety of learning material into a reallife clinical situation. The student has to develop theoretical insights into medicine, logopedics, linguistics and psychology, to acquire skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation of a broad range of communication disorders. The pedagogical principle for this is problem-based learning where the teachers offer a variety of information material and settings and the student learn how to use and evaluate this information through topic related case-studies. Let us look at one problem that is general for all educational programmes in logopedics/speech pathology etc. Facts related to voice disorders are presented in several ways by a number of different teachers in the areas described above. Students (and teachers) are facing the problems of integration of all media that are used to teach voice pathology at different levels. Some examples are: for anatomy/physiology of the speech apparatus: pictures, texts, videofilms and observation in pathology; for acoustics of voice: computer-based signal-analysis programmes; for perceptual voice correlates: tape recordings and real patients in the clinic; for phonosurgery: videotapes and observations; for intervention: voice therapeutic models through videotapes, handbooks and clinical observations. For the student and the teacher the issue is to present and to simultaneously integrate all these media (books, pictures, slides, tape recordings, video films, ©Eva Wigforss 1998
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computer programmes, lectures, observations, and group sessions) into the full integrative comprehension of the concept ’voice disorder’ - not to mention the problem of applying this knowledge to the actual human being suffering from the disorder. But with the development of computer-based/assisted learning and especially interactive multimedia programmes totally new pedagogical possibilities open up for teachers and students. The teacher’s ability to present to the student how to correlate the voice apparatus to aspects of the voice disorders and the perception of the voice related to a patient and how to find suitable intervention, can now be developed through educational multimedia either based on hypermedia or stand-alone productions. The project Development of Multimedia in Logopedics and Phoniatrics (in Swedish: Projektet för Utveckling av Multimedial Pedagogik inom logopedi och foniatri (PUMP) was set up in 1995 to • renew the education in Logopedics and Phoniatrics through interactive computer-based learning • improve and strengthen the students’ learning through multimedia programs • develop and evaluate educational multimedia programs as a computerbased support primarily for the course in voice pathology for students in logopedics • evaluate suitable computer programs/tools for the development of a multimedia program with the above mentioned aims The project has been developed so far in three phases: PUMP1 (1995-96), PUMP 2 (1997-2000) and PUMP 3 (1998 - ) 2. Pedagogical Issues ”Learning is applying and modifying one’s own ideas; it is something the student does, rather than something that is done to the student.” (Ramsden, 1992 p 114) In the initial phase of the project ( PUMP 1) we looked into the syllabus for the course in voice pathology and identified several pedagogical issues that we had to address. Those were e g the content of the planned multimedia program, when and how should it be offered to the students and should the programme replace existing elements in the course syllabus etc. We automatically then came into discussions of the overall view of teaching and learning in the syllabus for the voice pathology course. The dominant learning method were problem-based learning and the suggested multimedia courseware was to be considered as an optional support to the course. We all read and were inspired by the excellent book by Paul Ramsden ©Eva Wigforss 1998
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”Learning to teach in Higher Education”(1992). The story-board construction for the programme was thought to promote the teaching and learning - but was built on a soft-ware that gave us a strong teaching approach to the course. The Macromind Director programme ”An interactive support to the course in voice pathology” was run in september 1996 and evaluated by students in voice pathology. A report from this first phase (PUMP 1) ” A Demonstrator for a European Virtual University ” is too be find at URL [http://www.ldc.lu.se/~logopedi/wigforss/webnet.html/] : However we were not satisfied with the pedagogical approach our programme offered the students and teachers. The dominant pedagogical method were problem-based learning where the teaching material is offered the student as case-studies of patients with diffrent voice disorders. We wanted to promote the student to freely seek case-information also through the computer-based interactive support. In the second phase of the project (PUMP 2) we thus changed over to a hypermedia multimedia approach. That meant that we had to solve technical problems with on-line streaming multimedia material for video-and audioclips. We also decided to use the webpage concept for with all the layout problems that followed from that choice. The aim was then to create a genuinly dynamic teacher and student learning environment, where both students and teachers could contribute with their own findings. However with this approach we very soon realized that we could also use coursematerial from other educational sites in the field and in the now started third phase of the project (PUMP 3) we have already opened up our hypermedia-based multimedia program to other university courses. We are thus utilizing Internet to give teachers and students in voice pathology access to a vaste interactive multimedia material in the field.
3. Teamwork Interactive multimedia projects can rarely be carried out by a single individual. Teams must be built and staffed with a large range of skills required - educators, animators, film makers, scriptwriters, programmers etc. (Pearce, Riddle and Nott, 1994). "The volume of work associated with producing multimedia instructional tools can be overhelmimg, especially given the initial investment in learning the technology" .... " The most effective way to achieve greater results will be through teamwork and imaginative new ways to link faculty (and other academic professionals) into a system of shared effort" (Plater 1995 p 29 )
A team was therefore formed to develop multimedia programs in logopedics. But as was stated above:
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4 " Since the success of new technology materials depends largely upon the way they are integrated into courses, the design team must anticipate this, and provide advice to both teachers and students on the kind of briefing students are likely to need. Research and evaluation studies of implementation of programs in classroom show that they are most successful when students are properly prepared, and know what to expect when they encounter a program, what they are to expect to get from it, and what to do with it." (Laurillard 1993, p 216)
The team members were selected according to skills needed - an expert in teaching in higher education, a soft-ware engineer ,a computer education specialist, a multimedia program layout expert, and three content experts (teachers) from the logopedic and phoniatric fiel. 4. Material "Literally, multimedia is the integration of two or more communication media. It is the use of text and sounds, plus still and moving pictures to convey ideas... it is built around the premise that anything words can do, words with sounds and pictures can do better" (Kalmbach 1994 p 29)
There are suggestions that multimedia is fundamentally different from other computer-based learning techniques, and that accordingly design and production must be approached differently. Much of this concentration on the unique character of multimedia is centered around two aspects: first the technological richness of the media, and second the broadness and diversity of the users. In the construction of any instructional material the form and content analysis is an essential aspect in the formation process. We agree with Clark’s (1994) assertion that there is demonstrable proof that media attributes influence learning and that they can ease the path of the learner. Diane Laurillard makes the following statement: "The design of learning materials for any medium should always begin with the definition of objectives and analysis of students learning metods. Objectves will usually be given via some kind of curriculum design process that determines what students need to know or to be able to do for a particular subject area. The objectives are defined in terms of the topic ......In defining objectives for mediabased materials, it will also be necessary to consider targeting areas of the curriculum that will clearly benefit from development." (Laurillard 1993, p 182)
Many designers of interactive multimedia believe their programs should be self-contained resources that include everything the student needs to learn a particular topic. However, unless the program has been carefully designed for the computer to accomplish the role (and there has been some attempts to do this in certain learning situations), this role is still best performed by the teacher, (Young, 1995). Many interactive multimedia packages are designed in a linear instructional format assuming that the learner begins at the start and works through the ©Eva Wigforss 1998
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program to the conclusion. Giving the student a feeling of exploring a complete study material, as is the case with several textbooks, puts demands on the constructors. This approach to multimedia design falls well into the traditional university teaching concept, where the teacher is in control of what the student should be offered and hence learn from the course. The first project (PUMP 1) was built in this way, see text above. In the present phase of the project (PUMP 2) we are working within a hypertext environment. According to Beasley &Waugh (1995) ”an important hypermedia design issue is concerned with how the information in these types of systems should be organized and how that information should be accessed in order to decrease disorientation in the learner. Decreasing disorientation is an important issue because, as disorientation increases, learning is likely to suffer." We have so far worked with very simple tools such as using frames, diffrent coulors and pedagogical advices about best navigation in this web environment. But the interface design for the various computer screens and browsers have posed a complex study in its own for us (Siegel, 1996). However we now all feel that we are working with a multimedia concept that is easy accessible and that teachers and students are familiar with. In the third phase of the project (PUMP 3) we will expand the PUMP 2 web-based multimedia material to the integration of other university course material. 5. User Aspects Many interactive multimedia programs are used alone at the computer. A single student types, selects, points and clicks in silence. Lave and Wenger (1991) point out that being able to speak the vocabulary and tell the stories of a culture of practice is fundamental to learning. This is one of the reasons for the use of problem-based learning in logopedics - were students have plenty of opportunities to discuss their learning. And yet, the use of some interactive multimedia programs allow the knowledge to remain tacit. A computer-based learning environment should therefore ensure that the interactive multimedia resource is used within a social context—with students working in groups, discussing the issues, reporting back, presenting findings, interviewing and debating the issues—to ensure that students have the opportunity to articulate, negotiate and defend their knowledge. In PUMP 2 we have developed a web-based multimedia program that can be used (selectively) by the teacher in the classroom, by students in a group session and by the student (or teacher) alone at the computer at home. We also hope we will be able to build into the programme possibilities for the students to put their own material at the web-site. 6. Furture Implications
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Linda Harasim has published many articles on computer communications and has presented her research at numerous international meetings. She conducts much of her teaching and her project work online and teaches about topics related to design and application of network learning environments. She makes the following statement: "The Internet is not a highway. The Internet is more like a community,"....."Anyway, it's not a road going somewhere. That's why people are having trouble understanding it. It's a place." (Harasim, 1993)
Besides greater access, the new model encourages active rather than passive learning. It encourages group learning, too. Harasim believes that online education through computer networking is creating a paradigm shift in education. According to Harasim, the new technology requires new learning models The Virtual University concept is not a computer tutoring system that replaces teachers. But it uses computer networks to bring teachers and learners independent of space and time together in revolutionary new ways. "Networked multimedia technology appears to offer a solution to some problems which presently face university delivering their current courses to a wider and more varied student audience" ... "Greville Rumble suggests a future in which academic establishments co-operate formally to provide a network of learning materials." (Anderson & Newton, 1997 p 2)
In this aspect we will probably see more and more universities collaborate in creating and maintaining coursemetrial etc through a shared space in Internet . Hopeful this will also enhance the European Socrates promotion of students and teachers mobility. We suggest that the third phase of the project (PUMP 3) will facilitate the collaboration between teachers and students. Acknowledgements The authors are indebted to the the Swedish Council for the Renewal of Undergraduate Education for funding the above reported research on multimedia in logopedics and phoniatrics. We are also indebted to the Center for Information Technology in University Education (CITU), Lund University for offering us initial funding and support. We also want to thank the Clinical Unit of Voice and Speech Pathology at Lund University Hospital for their hospitality and generousity to provide us with clinical educational material. 7. References Anderson F.D. and Newton R. Evaluation of Multimedia in Higher Education [http:// epip.lut.ac.uk/bailer/20-1-new.htm] Seen Aug 7 1997
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Beasley, R.E and Waugh, M.L. (1995) Cognitive Mapping Architectures and Hypermedia Disorientation: An Empirical Study. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 4 (2/3) . Clark, R.E. (1994) Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42 (2), pp. 21-29.. Harasim, L. (Ed.). (1993). Global Networks: Computers and Communication. Cambridge, MA:MIT Press.
Kalmbach, J.A. (1994) Just in time for the 21 century:Multimedia in the classroom. Tech Trends 39(6) p29-32 Laurillard, D. (1993): Rethinking University Teaching - a framework for the effective use of educational technology. Routledge: London Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press McFarland, D. (1996) Multimedia in Higher Education. The Katharine Sharp Review. No 3. Seen Aug 1997 URL: [http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/review/summer1996/mcfarland.html] Pearce, J.M., Riddle, M.D. and Nott, M.W. (1994) From concept to product: A team approach to multimedia development. APITITE’94 Proceedings, pp. 883-888 Plater, W.M. (1995) Future work: Faculty Time in the 21st century. Change 27 (3) p22-33 Ramsden, P. (1992) Learning to teach in Higher Education. Routledge. Siegel, D. (1996) Creating killer Web sites. The art of third generation site design. Hayden Books. Young, M. F.(1995) Assessment of situated learning using computer environments. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 4 (1), pp. 8996
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