Submitted by:
Dr. James M. Jennings
Hendrix College
1600 Washington Avenue
Conway, Arkansas 72032
(504) 450-1283
jennings@mercury.hendrix.edu
The purpose of this project proposal is to design a multimedia syllabus for an education class and a history class at Hendrix College. The course syllabus should serve as a teaching/learning tool, and the use of multimedia technology makes this possible. Multimedia technology elevates the course syllabus from the status of a reference document to a learning tool that plays an integral role in the classroom instruction that occurs each day. For instance, a reference to the Civil War on the course syllabus for an American history class, takes on a new dimension when the syllabus is viewed on a website. This electronic listing can become a hotlink to a video database which features the Massachusetts 54th Infantry. It can also serve as a hotlink to a research database. Furthermore, it can give the student access to maps which represent some of the important battles of the Civil war. In addition, it can help the student prepare for classroom discussions by providing access to websites sponsored by special interest groups related to the Civil War. Finally, the student might choose to examine the study guide prepared by the textbook publisher and/or sample test questions prepared by the instructor for the chapter on the Civil War. Of course, the types of examples of multimedia capabilities for a Civil War hotlink go on and on. The electronic course syllabus now plays an important role in supporting the classroom instruction and facilitating student learning within and outside of the classroom. The multimedia course syllabus, therefore, has the capability of serving as a reference tool and a teaching/learning tool.
In regard to the specific provisions of the fellowship announcement, this applicant proposes the following:
Project Description: A multimedia course syllabus will be developed by March 21, 2000, for the applicant's course titled "Elementary Teaching Methods in Social Studies." The course will be taught during the Spring term of 2000 (March - May, 2000). A multimedia course syllabus will be developed by September 1, 2000, for the applicant's course titled "African American history to 1865." The course will be taught during the Fall term of 2000 (September - December). The first course syllabus will be designed while the applicant is on sabbatical during Winter term (January - March, 2000). The second course syllabus will be designed during the summer of 2000.
Technical Requirements: It will be necessary to acquire an authoring program such as HyperStudio. Also, the applicant will need to have access to a video database such as the PBS Video database. Finally, a laptop computer is needed that is available for full-time use.
Institutional Support: The institution will provide training and/or resources needed for web publishing and/or access to the web. The applicant has access to classrooms at Hendrix that have the audiovisual aids needed to use multimedia technology.
Integration into the Curriculum: See "Project Description".
Enhancement of Applicant's Teaching and Student Learning: The applicant has been involved in constructivist teaching and learning since 1992. Constructivism refers to the use of teaching methods and activities which encourage and allow students to construct meaningful learning experiences for themselves.
The constructivist philosophy is based on the "assumption that learners do not passively absorb knowledge but rather construct it from their experiences" [Asthenia, Journal of Teacher Education (Nov./Dec., 1992), p. 322]. The passive absorption of knowledge refers to the traditional practices of teaching and learning where rote learning is emphasized.
It should be noted that the constructivist approach does not abandon existing knowledge. Knowledge is constructed by the learner based upon personal experiences, beliefs, and pre- existing mental structures. Actually, constructivist learning experiences take into account students' existing knowledge and provide opportunities for students to develop new knowledge by fitting it into, revising, or replacing an existing framework of knowledge. The constructivist approach gives students the opportunity to construct knowledge for themselves, on their terms, so that they can act to form meaningful mental pictures of understanding. Constructivism, therefore, includes "the consolidation and internalization of information, by the learner, in a way that is both personally meaningful and conceptually coherent" [Caine & Caine, Teaching and the Human Brain (1991), p. 147].
Constructivism relies on interactive instructional methods such as teacher questioning and co- operative student learning.
The multimedia technology will require the applicant to expand the opportunities for students to acquire and interpret course-related information for themselves. The multimedia technology will allow the students to discover, and will require the instructor to tolerate, new dimensions of higher level thinking that are difficult to achieve in a traditional classroom lecture format.
Mechanism for Assessment/Evaluation Plan: In addition to the standard course evaluation, students in both courses will be required to complete a midterm and final evaluation of the multimedia syllabus. In addition, the applicant's colleagues in the education department and the history department at Hendrix will be asked to review and evaluate the multimedia syllabus related to that department.
Sharing Results with Colleagues at Other ACS Institutions/A Brief Guide: The ACS institutions will have access to the website. The evaluation results will be added to the web site in January, 2001. An online tutorial for designing multimedia syllabi will be added to the website in March, 2001.
Reduction of Work Load: See "Project Description".
Need for Consultation Assistance: Consultation assistance will be needed in the use of course- related web sites.