Many faculty are now publishing course material for their students on the World Wide Web (the Web). Among them is George Watson, physics and astronomy.
"This semester's SCEN 103 students are reliant on a combination of the Web pages, lectures, discussion, and problem sets to master the material. It's a different way of teaching physics--it's less static than using a traditional textbook," he said.
Watson indicated that he is still experimenting with delivery and presentation methods as he works to lessen some of the difficulty of teaching freshmen non-science majors a science course. He found that introducing the Web into his courses piques the students' interest.
"They leave my class feeling that they've learned something in addition to the science--they feel they've learned technology skills that can carry over into their other courses."
Watson said the Web lends itself to the subject matter he teaches, and there seem to be resources available in most disciplines. "In fact, there's so much material available that there's another skill we need to make sure our students learn: how to evaluate the worth of the information they find on the Web," he said.
When students find a book in the stacks of the Morris Library, they often assume the book's presence in the Library is an endorsement of the worth of that book. "Students know that material has passed through some kind of a review process if it's published as a book," Watson said. But he urges his students to evaluate the material they find on the Web.
He reminds his students to
- look who's sponsoring the Web site
- look to see how recent the information is
- look at the affiliation of the author of the material
- compare the information with things they already know.
"In just the past year, the advances made in the Internet search tools means that students can find something about just about anything. They can find the latest news on lots of topics; however, they can also find information that may be misleading. We've got to get them to be able to tell the difference," Watson said.
To encourage his students to explore the resources available to them, he challenges them to look for technology news items or information about things discussed in class and invites them to submit what they find. "The students feel they have input into the course Web site, and they are making contributions to the entire class," he said. But he added that they are also learning critical evaluation skills: "They've made a judgment about the worth of the information when they share it with the class."
Watson admits that setting up a class Web area can be time-consuming but has been pleased with the way the Web fits in with problem-based learning and with the way it has motivated students. "Making the Web resources integral to the class has really made this entry-level physics class a gateway to UD's technology. In addition, the students are showing intellectual growth that will help them succeed in other courses and subject areas," he concluded.
