by Selia Karsten

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
When creating dynamic web instruction, the idea is to produce learning materials which can be modified by learning and experience. I believe that the development of these complex materials can best be done in a collaborative and dynamic process. The creation of any instruction requires careful deliberation and research as well as active imaginations. For dynamic instructional materials, a certain amount of computer programming is also required. The first step is to establish that certain learner needs exist. The instructional designer(s) then work towards solutions which serve those needs both in the materials to be designed and in the requirements of those available talents to develop those materials. As the first step in designing a MOO tutorial,(@Describe), I prepared the following analysis.
Needs, Goals, Justification, Criteria

DEFINING THE PROJECT
In the MOO tutorial project, it was decided that new users coming to a Multi-user Object Oriented environment could benefit from tutorials. The primary target users were defined as intermediate level students. Taking into consideration the variety of literacy variables, the belief is that these young learners will find visually-oriented materials more appealing than strictly text-based learning. A visually attractive tutorial could serve as an inviting bridge to the text-based virtual world of the MOO. Because of the precision required in communications in the MOO, learners can benefit from practice in reading and writing. It is possible to begin the development of skills which underlie those which are needed in programming.

The challenge was to make this tutorial a dynamic one, and for this, JavaScript was chosen as the vehicle for two main reasons:

The tutorials were divided into three main sections to be carried out by the three designers on the team:
  1. How to use the @describe command for describing a character in the MOO. @Describe This is the tutorial I have designed and built.In taking on the @describe tutorial, I set my goals to develop activities which would lead the learner through steps which, initially graphic, would provide practice in the writing of character descriptions.
  2. How to navigate or move around the MOO by David Progosh. (no longer available)
  3. How to use @build, for constructing objects, i.e. rooms in the MOO by Jason Nolan. (no longer available)


    4. A DYNAMIC PROCESS
    The dynamics of creating a dynamic instruction were aided by the context of the course itself. Having had an overview of CGI, JavaScript and Java gave me a basic understanding of the complexities of programming. Many resources were made available through the course, both in class and on the 1551 course home page and through conferencing, using the Virtual University discussion forums. Examples were to be found in text references and web documents. Accessing the collective expertise of the professor and classmates became an integral part of this dynamic process. Meeting with the other two team members or communicating with them by e-mail, became an important aspect of tutorial development.

    As my tutorial has evolved, the activities have been through numerous revisions, aiming for more refined and dynamic interactivity for the learner. For example, in Activity 3, I went from radio buttons, checkboxes and popup menus to textboxes, discovering in the process how much more this option encouraged writing, which was, in fact, the ultimate goal.

    Now that the @Describe tutorial is completed, it will be passed to the MOO, MOOOISE, through a Java Applet, MOOCA. MOOCA will have to be open in the same window as the @Describe page for the transfer to take place.

    ANOTHER EXAMPLE
    The same idea (a dynamic process for developing a dynamic project) also worked at a distance. In this case, I collaborated with eleven participants on the development of a dynamic web site: Webzotica Odyssey . We communicated through Spectrum Virtual University in a course called Building the Ultimate Web Page as well as via e-mail and IRC. As one of the sub-leaders, I became very active in the development of the various elements of the site, exchanging ideas and resources towards the goals of the project. Initially, figuring out the intricacies of working together at a distance was more like working with a Japanese puzzle box where panels must slide in a proscribed manner in order to reach the secret compartments. Designed as an entertaining and educational site, developers shared the processes by which they worked on various features, thus modeling how to do it for those interested in learning how the page was created.

    I give special credit to the Webzotica leader, Tom Renckly. By e-mail and IRC from Alabama, Tom patiently answered many questions as I learned sufficient JavaScript for creating the tutorial. I found JavaScript a huge challenge and I am very grateful for Tom's encouragement and support.

    SUMMARY
    Although advanced web techniques such as CGI, JavaScript and Java are highly demanding and specialized skills, progressive educators can begin to build dynamic instruction on the world wide web by working in a dynamic environment. Working with others, pooling resources and expertise, sharing strategies and skills - effective, interactive and truly dynamic instruction can be developed using the latest technologies.

    Selia Karsten September 1996 (updated February 2007)