WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A WEB SITE (FOR PHYSICS)?
(Talk for the Jan. 1996 AAPT meeting in Reno - I'd welcome any feedback:
Forinash)
And how did we get into this mess, anyway?
An example of using a web page as a comprehensive syllabus/online text book.
What resistance and other difficulties did we encounter?
Wasn't the internet suppose to be a resource for collaboration?!?! We are looking for some help on this stuff!
WHO ARE WE AND HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS:
Kyle Forinash - Physics
Ray Wisman - Computer Science
Bill Rumsey - Philosophy
Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN.
How did we get into this?
Well it was mostly by accident! Ray asked me to test a Mac version of some Web server software (he couldn't get the dos version to work and I work on a Mac). I liked it and passed it on to Bill.
Top.
PROBLEMS:
Maintenance.
This does take more work than a printed syllabus. But not a whole lot more and it delivers a lot more information - almost an interactive textbook. Computer requirements are minimal. Really! The hard part is learning to think about and plan material that takes advantage of the non-linear style of a web page.
Why do it?
Students seem to love it. Half our students are over 25, 3/4 of them work and about half of them have a family. They like being able to access grades and course material from home or whenever they get a chance to come to campus. It opens an additional channel of communication between student and teacher. They can work more at their own pace.
Administrative resistance.
Administrators (including our computer service people!) weren't sure this wasn't a waste of time at first. They are coming around.
What kind of feedback do we have? (To be honest, not much!)
Top.
SAMPLE OF STUDENT COMMENTS:
- dr. forinash, please email me if you did NOT receive my lab
13. I slipped it under your door after the final on
tuesday. Thanks. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
- I had never used the internet before I enrolled in this
class, and now I agree with almost everybody. It is a very
neat thing. I had heard a lot about the internet but never
actually used it. And I was quite fascinated by it. It is
pretty amazing how the whole world can be linked through a
computer program. Without any doubt, with the increased use
of computers, in the coming years internet will become a
household name and more and more people will be using it.
- Hello!
I found the internet quite interesting. I had no idea of
how much information was at the touch of my fingers. For
ever