Students think critically about the use of digital media in a variety of educational settings and identify properties, strengths and weaknesses of multimedia in different learning contexts. The course introduces the students to basic psychological processes of perception, understanding, and learning. Multimedia and instructional design for online learning systems, such as Web-based training, are a special focus of the course. Hands-on experiences with multimedia and online learning and information systems are provided. Additional topics covered include groupware and collaborative learning technologies, intelligent systems, instructional simulations, and virtual reality systems.
The course material consists of the Web-Based Training (WBT) "Learning in Electronic Media" and additional mandatory or optional readings. All course materials are provided online within the WebTycho system except of the basic text book (see Required Textbook). The self tests are optional but will provide helpful information to the students. All assignments are mandatory in order to earn the credit points.
The goals of the course are to provide students with a sound foundation of knowledge, skills and hands-on experiences which is needed to indentify and sucessfully apply psychological factors in online and multimedia learning. Students explore the psychological factors, concepts and findings identified in the multimedia and distance education literature. They critically examine models, theories and oberservations of the field.
Students will
T. M. Harrison & T. Stephen (1996). Computer networking and scholarly communication in the twenty-first-century university. Albany (NY): State University of New York Press (Parts I, II, IV, and VI).
This course is only offered in the online mode. Students must be prepared to:
The 150 hours workload during the course consists of:
The course will be completed by three essay-type assignments. The first assignment contributes 15 %, the second 35 % and the third 50 % to the final grade.
Grades are assigned according to the following:
A for 90 - 100% - Excellent
B for 80 - 89% - Good, meets Standard
C for 70 - 79% - Below Standard
F for 0 - 69% - Failure
The grade of "B" represents the benchmark for the Graduate School. It indicates that the student has demonstrated competency in the subject matter of the course, i.e., the student has fulfilled all course requirements on time, has a clear grasp of the full range of course materials and concepts, and is able to present and apply these materials and concepts in clear, reasoned, well organized and grammatically correct responses whether written or oral.
Only students who fully meet this standard and, in addition, who demonstrate exceptional comprehension and application of the course subject matter, merit an "A".
Students who do not meet the benchmark standard of competency fall within the "C" range or lower. They, in effect, have not met graduate level standards. Where this failure is substantial, they earn an "F".
The Grade Of "I" (Incomplete): The grade of "I" is exceptional and given only to students whose completed coursework has been qualitatively satisfactory but who have been unable to complete all course requirements because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control. The grade of "I" may be considered only for students who have completed at least fifty percent (50%) of the total coursework requirements and who have received a passing grade on all the coursework which they have completed. The instructor retains the right to make the final decision on granting a student's request for an "I", even though the student may meet the eligibility requirements for this grade.
Effective managers and leaders are also effective communicators. Written communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Graduate School recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. To this end, all papers, individual and group, must demonstrate graduate level writing ability and comply with the format requirements of the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (latest ed.). Careful attention should be given to source citations, proper listing of references, representation of numbers, and the presentation of tables and figures.
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person's idea or product as one's own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all or part of another's written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source; and using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score, or other artistic product without attributing the work to its creator. Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by carefully accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources of material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and papers should acknowledge these sources in footnotes.
The penalties for plagiarism include a zero or a grade of F" on the work in question, a grade of F" in the course, suspension with a file letter, suspension with a transcript notation, or expulsion.
Note: Work submitted for this class must be your own, and it must be original to this course. If you have questions regarding this stipulator, please consult instructor.
In accordance with the UMUC policy, any student who has a disability and is in need of classroom accommodations must inform the instructor of this need and, if he or she has not already done so, contact UMUC's office of Veteran and Disabled Student Services at (301) 985-7258.
Each Master's student will work towards the development of a personal portfolio. The portfolio contains required and voluntary documents. Required documents are mandatory assignments and other mandatory contributions to the final grades in each course. Voluntary documents may show any other kind of active participation in the courses of the Master's program. These voluntary contributions allow students to show their proficiency and skills as a professional distance educator. This portfolio is a requirement for successful completion of the final Distance Education Project course.
Objectives:
Students will:
Topics:
Hasebrook, J. (2000). Learning with
multimedia and hypermedia: Promises and Pitfalls.
Hasebrook, J. (1999). Apptitude-Treatment-Interaction (ATI). Course paper.
Optional Reading:
Weeler, S. (2000). The Traditional
University is Dead: Long Live the Distributed University. Keynote Speech delivered
to the European Universities Continuing Education Conference University of Bergen,
Norway, May 4-7, 2000.
Goldstein, E.B. (1998). Sensation and Perception. 5th Ed. Brooks & Cole.
Objectives:
Students will:
Required Reading:
Hasebrook, J. (1999). Multimedia
"brain tests". Course material.
Lehman, D. (2000). Designing Hypertext Multimedia Educational Software. ALN
Magazine Volume 4, Issue 2 - December.
Optional Reading:
Goldstein, E.B. (1998). Sensation
and Perception. 5th Ed. Brooks & Cole.
Horodezky, S. (2000). Why Pictures are Cognitively 'Better'.
Assignment:
At the end of Module 2 students are to submit an essay with the title: "Multimedia: Worth the effort?". This essay has to cover at least the following topics: Advantages and disadvantages of multimedia learning, basic guidelines for the use of multimedia in Distance Education, general conclusion, and must not exceed 10 pages in print (double spaced). The grade for this essay will contribute 15 % to the final grade.
Objectives:
Students will:
Topics:
Required Reading:
Dillon, A. & Gabbart, R. (1998).
Hypermedia as an Educational Technology. Review of Educational Research, Fall
1998, Vol. 68 No 3, pp. 322-349.
Hasebrook, J., & Gremm, M. (1999). Multimedia for vocational guidance: Effects
of testing, videos, and photography on acceptance and recall. Journal of Educational
Multimedia and Hypermedia, 8(2), 217-240.
Optional Reading:
Cornoldi, C. & McDaniel, M.A. (Ed.)(1991). Imagery and cognition. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Self Test:
Are you a multimedia expert? (Part of the basic Web-Based Training)
Objectives of section A:
Students will:
Topics:
Required Reading:
Hasebrook, J. (1999). Exploring electronic media and the human mind: A Web-based training. Proceedings of the World Conference on Internet, Intranet and World Wide Web (WebNet), Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hasebrook, J. (1998). Tele-Learning for Bankers: Connecting Internet, Intranet, and Digital TV. Newsletter of the European Bank Training Network, June 1998.
Objectives of section B:
Students will:
Topics:
Required Reading:
Hasebrook, J. (1999). Searching the web without losing the mind - traveling the knowledge space. WebNet Journal, 1(2), 24-32.
Optional Reading for both sections:
T. M. Harrison & T. Stephen (1996). Computer networking and scholarly communication in the twenty-first-century university. Albany (NY): State University of New York Press (Parts III and V).
Self Test:
Are you an Internet expert? (Part of the basic Web-Based Training)
Assignment:
At the end of Module 4 students must have joined a learning team which has to submit an essay with the title: "The impact of the Internet on Distance Education". This essay has to cover at least the following topics: Advantages and disadvantages of online learning in Distance Education, individual and organizational requirements for successful online Distance Education, general conclusion, and must not exceed 15 pages in print (double spaced). The grade for this essay will contribute 35 % to the final grade.
Objectives:
Students will:
Topics:
Required Reading:
Hasebrook, J. (1999). Web-based
training, performance, and controlling. Journal of Network and Computer Applications,
22, 51-64.
Hasebrook, J. (2000). Co-operative
and Interactive Distance Learning: Application of Team-Oriented and Selective
Learning Strategies in a European Bank. Course paper.
Optional Reading:
Harasim, L.M., Hiltz, S.R., Teles,
L. & Turoff, M. (Ed.)(1995). Learning Networks : A Field Guide to Teaching
and Learning Online. Boston: MIT Press.
Haythornthwaite, C. (1998). A Social Network Study of the Growth of Community
Among Distance Learners.
Wallace, P. (1999). The psychology of the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Self Test:
Are you an email expert? (Part of the basic Web-Based Training)
The last two weeks of the course are to focus on the final assignment / project that contributes 50 % to the final grade.
Assignment:
At the end of Module 6 students must submit an individual essay with the title: "Project proposal for the introduction of Web-Based Training at the Forinstance Inc.". This essay has to cover at least the following topics: Advantages and disadvantages of Web-Based Training (WBT) in companies, basic requirements for staff and organization, critical evaluation of the Web-Based Training "Learning in Electronic Media" used in the course, suggested improvements of the course WBT, draft for a roll-out plan of the WBT in a company, and must not exceed 20 pages in print. The grade for this essay will contribute 50 % to the final grade. Materials and recomendations for this project will not posted earlier than after having finished modul 2 (delivery of the first graded assignment).