Enriching Classroom Courses with the Internet
Gary D. Morrison, MEd, RT(R)
*Associate Professor, Department of Radiologic Sciences, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas.
Address correspondence to: Gary D. Morrison, MEd, RT(R), Associate Professor, Department of Radiologic Sciences, Midwestern State University, 3410 Taft Boulevard, Wichita Falls, TX 76308. E-mail: gary.morrison@mwsu.edu.
Introduction
A common challenge many instructors in the radiologic sciences face is the influx of new course material, which they are expected to teach in addition to the old curriculum. One example is the recent addition of digital radiography technology to the course content, which instructors must teach while continuing to include film/screen and chemical processing. This places a strain on the faculty who are trying to cover all of the necessary material within the allotted time and the students who are struggling to absorb all the material. Also, as programs increase class size to meet the increasing demand of the marketplace, faculty must ascertain how to continue delivering quality instruction to the growing number of students.1-4
As a result of these challenges, faculty must develop more efficient methods to enrich their course content and provide additional assistance to those students struggling to succeed. One solution is to incorporate the Web-enhanced or Web-assisted class concept into the radiologic sciences academia.
The Web-assisted class concept uses the Internet to draw on the strengths of several different teaching strategies used in delivering the course content.5 This article will explore various methods of course enrichment, from simply posting the course syllabus on a Web site to performing online student assessments.6 The information presented will assist faculty in identifying areas for course enrichment, and explain how to apply the Internet to those areas. In addition to freeing valuable class time for instruction, Web-assisted teaching has the potential to make a difference in whether a student fails or succeeds.
Methods of Course Enrichment
Course Syllabus
Most often, the first day of class is spent reviewing the course syllabus and introducing the course. Posting the course syllabus on the Internet permits students to access it prior to the first class day so that they can arrive to class prepared, having already read the material for the first lecture.
Lecture Notes/Handouts
Numerous advantages can result from publishing lecture notes on the Internet. First, it enables students to better understand the reading assignments because they will know what the professor considers to be the key points, and they can access the information whenever they would like to review. Second, discussion questions can be included so that students are better prepared for class, avoiding that awkward pause that typically follows the asking of a question in the classroom. Finally, it allows students to work ahead, which can be helpful for those students who have a faster learning pace than others.
Some might argue that posting the key lecture points could negate the need for students to attend class. This can be avoided by only providing an outline online, similar to what would be done in PowerPoint, rather than a complete transcript of the lecture. Therefore, students would still have to attend class to fill in the bullet points.
Supplementing Your Lecture Notes
There is a great deal of information available on the Internet on a variety of areas within the radiologic sciences. Most of this information is from reliable sources, although some is not; therefore, instructors must take time to preview this information to verify its validity. Faculty can then provide the students with a bibliography of Web sites, sometimes referred to as a Webliography, that contains valid information pertinent to the course. See the Sidebar to find a list of links to Web sites that have content related to the radiologic sciences.
In areas where there may be no existing material available on the Internet, the instructor might wish to create his own material and publish it on the Internet. This could include tutorials, self-study modules, additional graphics, or animations (click here to see examples of 3-dimensional Flash animations created with Swift 3D v4 by Electric Rain software).
Review Exercises & Remediation
When a course has more material than time to cover it, instructors are frequently forced to reduce or eliminate review time and help sessions for those students who are having trouble grasping difficult concepts. At the present time, there is not much material designed to help students review these concepts on the Internet. It may be necessary for the instructor to create his own resources, and the Internet has made this much easier. There are a variety of Web-based interactive games using Flash that students find extremely beneficial. The software to produce these activities is relatively inexpensive and requires no programming knowledge.
StudyMate, by Respondus, is an example of such a program. The cost is approximately $80, and it is capable of producing 10 different activities from material that can be entered manually or imported from a variety of other sources, including test banks. Activities that can be created include fact cards, flash cards, fill in the blank, matching, quizzes, crosswords, and a glossary.
Free software, such as EclipseCrossword, is available for producing Web-based crossword puzzles. Students often find these helpful when learning vocabulary words, medical terminology, or pathology.
Online Testing
A great deal of valuable instructional time can be lost to quizzes, tests, and exams. Faculty can free much of this time by administering quizzes, tests, and exams online. Not only will this save the time required to complete the exam but also the time spent grading and reviewing. Online testing has the advantage of immediate grading by the computer and also provides feedback for those questions missed. It can also help the student become comfortable with online testing prior to attempting The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists certification exams.
A course management system or learning management system, such as WebCT or Blackboard, may be used, taking advantage of their robust test tools or online testing software, such as Question Mark, Exam Builder, or Hosted Test. The Table shows the features available in many of these online test tools.
Conclusions
Valuable class time can be recovered by incorporating Web-assisted learning into classroom instruction. By investing some additional time during preparation, more time is available for actual instruction rather than being expended on other functions, such as distributing the course syllabus and lecture handouts, or administering and reviewing tests. With some relatively inexpensive software, faculty can create their own Internet-based applications to help ensure their student's academic success.
Sidebar. Links to Radiology-Related Sites
- All About Circuits
- Aunt Minnie
- Chemistry: WebElements Periodic Table
- free-ed.net
- GE Healthcare
- Medical Radiography Home Page
- Medscape Radiology Homepage
- NetAnatomy
- Radiology Education
- Radiology Education Gateway
- Radiology-RSNA
Table 1: Features Available in Online Testing Software | ||||||
Available question formats | Randomization | Delivery method | Timed tests | Controlled availability | Password protected | Grade & feedback |
| Multiple choice – 1 correct answer or multiple correct answers | Questions can be randomly selected from the question database | Display all questions at once | Limit the time permitted to take the test, reducing the opportunity to look up answers | Date & time – instructor can set when the exam will open and close | Instructor can require tests be protected and for the proctor to enter a password, preventing the students from accessing the test on their own | Available on submission for multiple choice, matching, calculation, and short-answer/fill-in-the-blank questions |
| Matching – balanced or unbalanced | Distracters within a multiple choice question | Display questions 1 at a time with the option to revisit questions or no revisiting permitted | May be set to accept answers after time has expired or not | Grade on previous test or assignment — instructor can indicate that the students must have a minimum grade on quiz 1 before attempting quiz 2 | Essay/paragraph questions will require hand grading | |
| Short-answer or fill-in-the-blank | Individualized tests – can be selectively released to 1 student and not another so each student can have an individualized test | |||||
| Essay or paragraph | Location/Internet Protocol (IP) address – if for security reasons, the instructor requires the tests to be completed in the campus computer labs, the tests can be set to release only to specific IP addresses | |||||
| Calculation – permits use of an equation with variables in the body of question and a random number generator so that each student will perform the same calculations but with different numbers. | ||||||
References
1. Freeman M. The role of the Internet in teaching large undergraduate classes. Innovations in Teaching and Learning Discussion Paper no 2. University of Technology Faculty of Business; 1996; Sydney, Australia.
2. Broad M, McDonald A, Matthews M. Acceptability of accounting learning and teaching through the World Wide Web. Discussion Papers in Accounting and Manage Sciences, Number 00-159. University of Southampton; 2000; United Kingdom.
3. Nunan T, George R, McCausland H. Rethinking the ways in which teaching and learning are supported: the flexible centre at the University of South Australia. J High Educ Pol Manage. 2000;22:85-98.
4. Dowling C, Godfrey J, Gyles N. Do hybrid flexible delivery teaching methods improve accounting students' learning outcomes? Accounting Educ. 2003;12:373-391.
5. The new look of e-learning and blended learning strategies [In the Know]. Knowledge Manage Rev. 2004;7:4.
6. Russell A, Donahue C, McCarron C. Hybrid writing: from pilot to program. Fall 2002. Available at: http://neasc.umf.maine.edu/data/tutorial/Tiane/RussellHybrid6.pdf. Accessed February 9, 2006.
