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Web Teaching Guide: A Practical Approach to Creating Course Web Sites
Prompted by student enthusiasm and by the opportunity to enhance college courses, more and more faculty members in higher education are incorporating the Web into their teaching. This helpful book is designed to answer the questions an educator who lacks extensive technical experience asks about creating a Web site: Why should I use the Web? How can the Web enhance my teaching? How do I make a Web site? How can I make it effective?
Multimedia specialist Sarah Horton draws on extensive experience as a faculty Web consultant to explain the entire process of creating a site, from initial planning through site assessment. She examines the strengths of the Web and its many possible uses. More than just a way to distribute course handouts, a Web site can provide richer content, multiple expressions of an idea, interactivity, opportunities for collaboration and customization, and flexibility for updates. Horton urges teachers to consider the ever-growing possibilities that information technology presents. Her focus is on practical matters related to creating Web-based instructional materials. With case studies throughout, she discusses the planning process, content creation, site development, and finally site implementation in the curriculum.
Multimedia specialist Sarah Horton draws on extensive experience as a faculty Web consultant to explain the entire process of creating a site, from initial planning through site assessment. She examines the strengths of the Web and its many possible uses. More than just a way to distribute course handouts, a Web site can provide richer content, multiple expressions of an idea, interactivity, opportunities for collaboration and customization, and flexibility for updates. Horton urges teachers to consider the ever-growing possibilities that information technology presents. Her focus is on practical matters related to creating Web-based instructional materials. With case studies throughout, she discusses the planning process, content creation, site development, and finally site implementation in the curriculum.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2000
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October 27, 2008For new CWRL instructors who created web sites amidst the flurry of orientation activities, Web Teaching Guide offers an opportunity—and a mechanism—for reflecting on and revising your site as you head into the next semester. Although the author addresses some issues that are irrelevant at this point in our careers (e.g., getting institutional support for your web site), there is still plenty of useful stuff here. In particular, interspersed throughout the book are *question-based summary sections that provide helpful, specific prompts for reflecting on your site and how it operates within your classroom.
A brief overview of the contents: the first chapter tackles planning your site and defining your objectives. The second chapter focuses on developing content and especially thinking through how you want to use your site (e.g., for information, for interactivity, for paper submission).
Chapter 3 is devoted to creating the site; Horton notes that the two functions of page design are (1) capturing the reader’s interest and (2) helping the reader navigate the content. The chapter also delves into using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). If you have a pre-selected theme and don’t want to fool with this stuff, most of these style decisions have been made for you automatically; however, some of the advice for packaging content into discrete chunks and considering the overall structure of your site might be of interest.
Chapter 4 addresses actually using the site, including suggested “promotion” strategies to integrate the site into your course. It also addresses restricting access to certain types of course content.
The book concludes with advice on site assessment, noting that two criteria for measuring your site are (1) usability and (2) effectiveness as a teaching tool.
A brief overview of the contents: the first chapter tackles planning your site and defining your objectives. The second chapter focuses on developing content and especially thinking through how you want to use your site (e.g., for information, for interactivity, for paper submission).
Chapter 3 is devoted to creating the site; Horton notes that the two functions of page design are (1) capturing the reader’s interest and (2) helping the reader navigate the content. The chapter also delves into using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). If you have a pre-selected theme and don’t want to fool with this stuff, most of these style decisions have been made for you automatically; however, some of the advice for packaging content into discrete chunks and considering the overall structure of your site might be of interest.
Chapter 4 addresses actually using the site, including suggested “promotion” strategies to integrate the site into your course. It also addresses restricting access to certain types of course content.
The book concludes with advice on site assessment, noting that two criteria for measuring your site are (1) usability and (2) effectiveness as a teaching tool.
Displaying 1 of 1 review