The Resource Reallocation Function of Web Courselets　

Abstract:

A“WebCourselet”isasetofcustomizableonlinecoursematerialsdevelopedandpre-formattedforuseinWebCTorotherCoursewareManagementSystems(CMS).ThesenewlyemerginginstructionalproductshavethepotentialtoredefinetheInstructionalSystemsDesign(ISD)processandtherolesofthoseinvolvedinprovidingDistanceEducationinUniversities.

Thepresentationexaminestheresource-reallocationfunctionof“WebCourselets.”Itsuggestsanewparadigmforonlinecoursecreation–onethatisdesignedfocused,ratherthanthecurrentdevelopment-focusedparadigm.Thepresentationalsoexploreshowthisnewparadigmwillresultintheredefinitionofrolesinfaculty-supportorganizations,andthechangesthatmaytakeplaceintheInstructionalDesignProcess.Onehoped-forconsequencesisanimprovementinthequalityofonlineeducationalcoursesbasedonUniversityadoptionof“WebCourselets”.
Keywords:

WebCourselet–Asetofcustomizableonlinecoursematerialsdevelopedandpre-formattedforuseinWebCTorotherCoursewareManagementSystems(CMS).Alsoreferredtoas“E-Packs”,“ResourcePacks”,or“OnlineLearningCenters(OLC).

Sub-themeC:

Thechangingstatus,structuresandfunctionsofuniversitiesinthenetworkedage:Increasinginterdependencebetweenknowledgeproducersandtheeconomyintheknowledgesociety.
TheResourceReallocationFunctionofWebCourselets
Introduction

Weusetheword'Courselets'torefer,atfirst,totheonlinecoursemodulesnowbeingsuppliedbyeducationalpublishingcompaniesreadyforonlinedeliverythroughmajorCourseManagementSystems(CMS),suchasWebCTorBlackboard.Thesemodulesaregenerallydesignedtoaccompanyatextbook,followingitschapterstructure,andprovidingadditionalresourcesandquizquestions.

Definedthisway,Courseletsarethelatestmanifestationofatrend,whichbeganyearsagointhepublishingindustry--supplementingthetraditionaltextbookwithotherinstructionalmedia,suchasvideo,CD-ROMs,and,morerecently,websites.

Buteventhoughtheyareinonesense,merelythenextstepinanevolutionaryprocess,Courseletsalsorepresentaradicallydifferentcapability.DuetotheemergenceandrapidadoptionofCourseManagementSystemsinpost-secondaryeducation,Courseletshavethepotentialtomovebeyondsupplementationandintooutrightreplacement.OnceitisinstalledinsideaCMS,aCourseletisacompletestand-aloneinstructionalvehicle.StudentscaninteractdirectlywiththeseCourselets-in-a-CMSastheirentirecredit-bearingexperience,withminimal,ifany,facultyinvolvement.

ItisnotinevitablethatCourseletswillleadeducationinthisdirection.Morethaneverbefore,however,thepossibilityexistsforcoursestobeentirelycommoditizedandoutsourced.Profit-makingcorporationswouldbetheproducers,educationalinstitutionswouldbethemiddlemen,andstudentswouldtrulybeconsumers.

CourseletsareHere

Inthelate1980sandearly1990s,publishingcompaniesbecamemultimediaproducers,focusingonCD-ROMsasareadilydistributabletextbooksupplement.GraduallythecontentdevelopmenteffortsshiftedtotheWeb,sothatbythelate1990s,allofthemajoreducationalpublishershadcreatedwebsitesformostofthelargeenrollmentundergraduatecourses.

LiketheCD-ROMsandthevideocassettesbeforethem,publisherwebsiteswere,atbest,acollectionofsupplementalresources.ItwasnotuntiltheproliferationofCourseManagementSystems,suchasWebCTorBlackboard,thatthecrucialsteptowardInstructorirrelevancewasevenconceivable;i.e.,thispotentialhasemergedwithinthepasttwelvemonths.

Let'stakealookatwherethingsstand:

1)TheCMSPerspective:WebCTclaimsthehighestadoptionofitsCMSinpost-secondaryeducation,withover1500collegesanduniversitiesaroundtheworldusingtheproduct.AsofNovember1,2000,twenty-fivepublisherswereofferingatotaloffivehundredandninetyCourseletsfortheWebCTplatform.Thisnumberisexpectedtogrowataphenomenalrate.

Blackboard,WebCT'sprimaryCMScompetitorinthehighereducationmarketplace,issupportedinasimilarmannerbymanyofthesamepublishers.SeveralpublishersalsosupporttheeCollegeand/orTopClassplatforms.

AllCourseManagementSystemsprovidingCourseletsuseproprietarycompressionalgorithms,whichallowanentireonlinecoursetobe"zipped,"andonly"unzipped,"(uncompressed)withinthespecifiedCMSenvironment.ThezippedCourseletcanbesuppliedtothestudentviafile-transferprotocol(FTP)orburnedontoaCD-ROMthatisthenshipped.

2)InsideaCourselet:Courseletsaredesignedaroundtextbooks.Theyfollowthetopicalstructureofthetextbooktheyaremeanttoaccompany,witheachtopicsupportedbyawiderangeofresourcesthatcouldbecharacterizedas"InstructionalObjects."ACourseletisnotmerelyacollectionofobjectsorganizedintochapters,however.

ACourseletcanbeseenasanalmost-completeonlinecourse,immediatelyusablewithverylittlemodification.Publishersarticulatetheirinstructionaldesignconsiderationsbychunkingandpresentingtheresourcestheysupplyintoacoherentsequence.PromptsandsuggestionsarealsoprovidedtohelptheintendedFacultyusersinapplyingthematerialtofulfilleducationalobjectives.

TheresourcescontainedinaCourseletincludegraphics,audioandvideoclips,simulations,self-tests,quizzesandexaminations.Theseinstructionalobjectsarestoredinsearchabledatabases,sothatFacultyuserswhodonotwishtouseaCourselet"asis"caneasilypickandchoseitemstosupplementtheirownmaterial.Thus,aCourseletcanbeseenasaconvenientandextensivesourceofcompletedobjectsforthedevelopmentofcustomizedlearningsupportenvironments.


3)ProducingCourselets:Publisherstendtoselectlarge-enrollment,generalstudiescoursesforbuildingCourselets.However,ifaneditorthinksthatsupplementarymaterialiswarrantedforamorespecializedcourse,andhasthebudgetforit,aCourseletmaybedeveloped.

Productionmodelsvarysomewhat,buttheprocessgenerallyinvolvesaProfessor,actingasSubjectMatterExpert(SME),workinginconjunctionwithmediaspecialists.TheSMEisresponsibleforanoutlineandsummaryofwhatistobecoveredchapterbychapter,aswellastestquestions,suggestedlearningactivitiesandaglossary.SinceacademicSMEsgenerallylackthecomputerskillsorresourcestodevelopdigitalmultimediacontent,thisaspectoftheprocessishandedofftotechnicalspecialists,whomayworkdirectlyforthepublisherorbeindependentcontractors.InputintothecontentofaCourseletisalsoprovidedtoanoveralleditorialteambythepublishers'directsalesforce,whoareindailycontactwithfacultyincollegesanduniversitiesallovertheworld.


4)AcquiringCourselets:ThereareasmanyfinancialmodelsforacquiringandusingCourseletsastherearepublishersofferingthem.Mostmodelsinvolvestudentpayment,eitherdirectlyorindirectly.

First,inwhatmightbecalledthe"StudentCentered"approach,thedecisiontopurchaseaCourseletismadesolelybyregisteredstudentsinagivencourse.Theeconomictransactionisexclusivelybetweenthepublisherandthestudent,withatypicalcostrangingbetween$20-$30forasemester-basedcourse.

Inothercases,aninstructormightdecidetousetheCourseleteitheronastand-aloneorasupplementalbasisandpasstheassociatedcostalongtothestudentsasanincreasedtextbookfee.Inonesenior-levelmanagementcoursewithapproximately30registeredstudentsatUtahStateUniversity,thecostofusingtheCourseletresultedina$10surchargeforthetextbook.

Finally,insomeinstancesanInstructorisabletoconvincethepublisherthatcourseenrollmentissolargethattheCourseletsurchargeshouldbewaived.Atleastonepublisher,McGraw-Hill,routinelymakesCourseletsavailableatnochargetotheschool,student,orinstructorregardlessofclasssize,aslongasoneoftheirtextbooksisadoptedforthecourse.ByprovidingfreeonlinecontentpreformattedforWebCTandotherCourseManagementSystems,thispublisherhopestogainnewbusinessfrominstructorswhoareteachingonline.Thispolicyis,ofcourse,underconstantreview.


OutoftheCottageandintoWhat?

Educationisstillthelastofthegreatcottageindustries.Ithasnotbeentakenoverbyprivateenterpriseforavarietyofcomplexreasons,butthefundamentalresistancetoprofit-drivenchangeliesinthewaythattheservicehasnecessarilybeendelivered.Educationhasneverbeenagoodcandidateforpuremarketcapitalismbecauseithasbeentoolaborintensiveandmorecharacterizedbyeconomiesofproportionthaneconomiesofscale.

Allofthisischanging.

Thereare,ofcourse,severalprofitable,postsecondaryeducationcompaniesoperatingatthistime--includingtheUniversityofPhoenix,DevryInstitute,andSylvanLearningSystems--withmoreprivateuniversitiesbeinglaunchedonaregularbasis.Commentingonthephenomenonofprivatesectorcompetitionineducation,Marchese(1998)quotesseveralWallStreetreportsdescribingeducationas"anaddressablemarketopportunity,"inefficient,lowtech,"and"lackingprofessionalmanagement."

Apparentlythefinancialcommunitybelievesthatthetimehascometoruneducationlikeabusiness.Budgetpressuresandtaxpayerrevoltsplayintothisequation.Sodoesthenationalmovementforstandardsandstandardizedtesting,whichcreateconsistentandwidespreadoutputmeasuresneededforscalability.

Withoutthetechnologytoenablenewwaysofdevelopinganddeliveringinstruction,however,educationwouldremaininthecottage.ItistheInternetasalow-costdeliveryvehicleandCourseManagementSystemsasaplatformthatfinallygivetheprivatesectorthemeanstotransformthelasthold-outagainstindustrialization.Taylor(2000)describespasttransitionstocapitalism,andclaimsthatinmostcases,"wecanidentifyacriticalpoint--usuallybasedonanewlyavailabletechnology--atwhichthesuccessfulinvasionofcraft-basedproductionbegan."

AlloftheforcesdrivingtheindustrializationofeducationarerepresentedinCourselets.TheyaretheembodimentofInternetpublishing,combinedwithknowledgemanagement,interactivemultimedia,andlearningobjects.Theyalsohavethepotentialtobeexplicitlystandards-driven.Courseletsarethe"criticalpoint."


"SocrateswasnotaContentProvider"

DavidNoble,whomadethewryobservationaboutSocratesquotedabove,hasledtheprotestagainsteverythingthatCourseletsstandfor.Hisfieryrhetoricisalwaysentertainingandsometimesontarget.Alongwithothers,hehasperformedavaluableservicebypointingouttheperilsofpost-Cottageeducation.

Nobleseesafuturecharacterizedby"digitaldiplomamills,"inwhichtechnologyreplacesexpensivehumanbeingswhereverpossibleandturnstherest,inevitably,intowageslaves.Courseletsdo,infact,createjustsuchapossibility.Fromthefacultyperspective,astand-alone,self-gradingcoursewithcontenttailoredtostandardsandaccessibleona24/7basisdefinitelylooksthreatening.JohnHenryneverbeatsthesteamhammer.

Howdoesitlookfromthelearner'spointofview?TheideaofaneducationalsystemdevoidofhumaninteractionandconfinedtoCourseletsonaCRTisprettygrim.Ontheotherhand,aneducationalsystemconsistingprimarilyoflargelecturecoursesandoverworkedGraduateStudentsisn'tallthatdifferent.Besides,withmarketforcesfreelyatworkforthefirsttimeeverinAmericaneducation,ineffectiveCourseletsmightbeweededout,allowingthesuperioronestoprevail.


Theupsideforstudentsisobviouslyconvenience,andtosomeextent,quality.Industrially-producedlearningresourcescanbemorecostlyandsophisticatedthancottageindustrymaterialsbecausethedevelopmentexpensecanbeamortizedoveramuchgreaternumberofstudents.TypicalCourseletsavailabletoday,forexample,containasignificantnumberofitemsthatarecostlytoproduce,suchasanimations,oraudioandvideoclips,whicharebeyondthemeansofasinglefacultymemberorevenmostacademicdepartments.

However,criticsofdistanceeducation,suchasJohnSeelyBrownandPaulDuguid,MichaelMargolis,andNoblewouldneverequatehigherproductionvalueswithquality.Distanceandanyformofmediationmeanslesshumaninteraction.Learning,inthisview,isinherentlyasocialexperience,whichdependsuponimmediatecollaborationandinteraction.ToDavidNoble,Socratesistheperfectexemplificationoflearningasanactiveinterchangebetweenmentorandstudent.

TheactualinformationexchangedisnotthepointofaSocraticdialogue.Itisthelivingexperiencethatmatters.Courseletsaretheopposite.Theyarecontent-drivenandfocusexclusivelyonthedeliveryofinformation.


Awareness

Publishers,facultyandinstructionaldesignersallhaveacrucialroletoplayifCouseletsaretoleadtomoreeffectiveinstruction.Thepitfallsanddangersareclear.Butwhatisthepaththatwilldirectusalltowardmoreengaginglearningexperiencesforstudents?

Asanemergingphenomenon,CourseletsneedtobeproperlyintroducedtoUniversityfaculty.Ratherthanheraldingthemasawaytocreateanonlinecourseinamatterofminutes,theyshouldberepresentedasaresourcetobedrawnuponinsupportofadesignalreadydevelopedbytheinstructor,perhapsincooperationwithaninstructionaldesigner.Furthermore,facultymembersneedtobemadeawareofthestructuresthatexistwithintheUniversitytoassisttheminmakingthemostoutoftheCourseletsavailableintheirsubjectarea,bothforonlineandtraditionalface-to-facecourses.

Publishersandtheirrepresentativesalsohavearoletoplayincreatingawareness.ThesecompaniesmaintainrecordsoftextbooksinuseateachUniversity,recordsthatcanbecross-referencedtocoursessupportedbyCourselets.Withthisinformation,thereisnoreasonforinstructorstobeunawareofsuchadditionalresources.UniversitiesmightevenmakethisprocessmoreefficientbyinvitingmultiplepublisherstoshowtheirCourseletstotheentirefacultyatannualorsemi-annualTechnologyExpositions.
AneventofthisnaturerecentlyconductedatUtahStateUniversityhadrepresentativesofsevenmajorpublishingcompaniesinattendancefortheexpresspurposeofexposingCourseletstofacultymembers.

Finally,mostcollegesandUniversitieshavecreatedimpressiveFacultyDevelopmentCenters,meanttoempowerteachersbytrainingthemintheuseoftechnology.Asapartoftheireducationalmission,theseCenterstypicallyconductworkshopsandseminarsintheCourseManagementSoftwareadoptedbytheirUniversity.ByaddingCourseletsasacomponentoftheoveralltrainingprocess,availabilityandbenefitsofpublisher-suppliedmaterialscanbeefficientlytransmittedtoaself-selectingaudiencethatispresumablyreadytohearthemessage.


FromDevelopmenttoDesign

TheroleofFacultyDevelopmentCentersinensuringtheappropriateutilizationofCourseletsgoeswellbeyondcreatingawareness.Originallylaunchedinmanycasestohelpfacultybecomedigitalproducers,theyhaveoftenhadtheoppositeeffectofshiftingthelocusofcontrolforonlinedevelopmentfromthefacultytothecenter.Nowtheyareexpectedtokeepthecottageindustryspiritalive,whenitisintheprocessofbeingoverwhelmedbywell-fundedhigh-techprivatecompetitors.Asdevelopers,bothfacultyandtheircenterscannotpossiblykeepupandshouldnotwastetheirpreciousresourcesattemptingtodosoanylonger.

Gettingoutofthecottage-scaledevelopmentbusinessisnotatragicloss--itisawonderfulopportunity.ItmeansthatFacultyDevelopmentCentersandthefacultyitselfcanfocusondesignandteaching.Itmeansthatinsteadofbecoming"instantcourses,"Courseletsbeseenasarepositoryoflearningobjectsfortheinstructortouseselectively,withintheframeworkofanoverallinstructionaldesign.

Courseletsinandofthemselvesarenothingmorethaninformationpresentedinavarietyofmedia.AndinthefrequentlyquotedwordsofDr.DavidMerrill:

Informationisnotinstruction

ThemeaningofthisphraseisidenticaltoNoble'spointaboutSocrates.Clearly,instructionhassomethingtowithinformation.Butforlearningtotakeplace,itisbestfortheinformationtobeembeddedinanengagingexperience.Furthermore,theexperienceneedscertaincharacteristicstoensuremaximumeffectiveness--itshouldbeanactiveexperience,withproblemstosolveandskillstoapply,aswellasahumanexperience,withcoachinganddemonstrations.

ASystematicProcess

Creatingsuchexperiencesiswhatinstructionaldesignersandfacultymembersshouldbeworkingtoward,inpartnership.Despitetheprotestationsofthosewhobelievethatdistanceandtechnologymustcomeattheexpenseofinteraction,itmaybethattheshiftfromdevelopmenttodesignwillallowustocreatehumanconnectionsamongmorelearnersthaneverbefore.


However,partnershipsbetweenfacultyandinstructionaldesignersneedtobeguidedbyproceduresandsupportedbypreparationbybothsidesorthesebenefitswillnotoccur.Totheextentthatfacultyareseekingtoenrichcoursestheyhavealreadytaughtmanytimes,theirobjectivesandcontentbreakdownmayalreadybeknown,atleastimplicitly.Theyneedtomakethiscurriculumanalysisexplicitandthenbringittothepartnership,alongwithclearindicationsofthelevelofinteractiontheyfeelisrequiredateachimportantpointinthematerial.

Fortheirpart,instructionaldesignersneedtobeequallywellpreparedregardinginstructionalstrategies,aswellaselementswithinavailableCourseletsthatcansupportthosestrategies.Itisthedesigner'sresponsibilitytoevaluateCourseletsandtoframethisanalysiswithinaconsistenttemplate,whichcanthenserveotherswithintheUniversity.ArmedwithaworkingknowledgeofCourseletresourcesandpedagogicaltechniquesforcreatingstudentinteraction,designerscanmatchtheirtoolsupwithwell-articulatedfacultyobjectives.

Thisprocessoflinkingfacultyneedstosophisticateddesignsatthemicrolevelcanproceedonastep-by-stepbasisthroughanentirecourse.Suchanapproachcanhelpensurethatdistributedlearningmeansmorethanmerelyabsorbingcontent.Panels,discussions,debates,roleplayingsimulations--theseandmanyotherlearningactivitiescanbeusedtobreathelifeintoonlinecourses.


QualityInstructiononaGlobalScale

Attractiveamodelasitmaybe,Plato'sidyllicacademymodelcouldneverserveasignificantnumberoftheresidentsofplanetearth.Internet-basedcollaborativetools,usedinconjunctionwithcontentdeliveryvehiclessuchasCourselets,maypreservethedialogueandtheteacher-studentrelationship,whilemakingtheexperienceavailabletomorepeoplethanSocratesspokewithinhislife.

Criticswillpointoutthatthissortofengaging,involvinginstructionisnotthenormatthistimebyanymeans.Asisgenerallythecasewithanewmedium,wearelookingfirstatitspredecessorsandattemptingtocopytheoldontothenew.Inspecific,thismeansshovelinglecturenotesontoHTMLpagesasrapidlyaspossibleandpretendingthattheseboringpage-turnersaretherealthing.

Courseletsarethelogicalextensionofthisapproach.Theymaygobeyondmeretextonapage,buttheyaremostfrequentlynotinteractiveandtheymissthesocialdimensionoflearningentirely.However,weshouldnotextrapolatefromthisearlyphaseandassumethattheonlinelearningfuturehastobedevoidofeverythingthatmakesinstructionmeaningful.

Weneedtostoplookingatthepastforourmodels.Whatweusedtocallacoursewithintheconfinesofaclassroommaynotbewhatcourseswilllooklikeatallinthedistributedlearningenvironmentsofthenot-too-distantfuture.TherewillbeanimportantroleforCourseletsinthenewonlineformatswedevelop--infacttheymightleadthewaytoonlineAcademiesthatSocrateswouldbeproudtoteachin,Academiesinwhichdevelopersdevelop,designersdesign,andteachersteach.

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