6.2.4 Implications for the Educational Contexts of Future Projects
[Refer to Educational Goals column in Table 6.1.]
Courseware projects in the future will be more justifiable if they are founded
upon goals focused around providing unique contributions to both discipline
representation and broader learner outcomes. This may be a critical variable
upon which computers in the broader educational arena will either thrive or flounder.
To insure appropriate focus, projects should begin with the deliberate reexamination
of traditional content and methods under the leadership of faculty with an
understanding of the opportunities and limitations inherent in computational technologies. The reconsideration should begin with determining the ways in which the computer might serve to do the following :
Enhance existing materials in areas which students traditionally have difficulty
grasping fundamental concepts.
Promote the application of existing material through the development of more
realistic hands-on experiences for the student.
Replace existing material with more modern computer based approaches.
(Murman, LaVin & Ellis, 1988)
Educators should systematically determine which functions of the computer could be
used to enhance, extend or replace the representation of each topic in the traditional
curriculum. The following are the five main functions of computers which relate to
improved representations of particular aspects of disciplines during this study,
although as computers evolve there will be new forms of representation and types
of educational goals to be considered:
- Linking through hypertext functions supported better representations of the
structure and interrelationships of knowledge.
- Powerful database functions allowed for the inclusion and management of
more extensive representations of the knowledge-base of the discipline.
- Multimedia functions allowed for more realistic and powerful representations
of multimodal and experiential content.
- Microworlds were emphasized for their ability to provide students with the
ability to interact with computational representations of dynamic systems and processes.
- Networks were emphasized for their ability to precipitate increased levels of
connectivity and collaboration with both local and geographically dispersed communities
of learners and scholars.
Improving the representations of course content is one role that computers play
during successful projects. Every project in this study also made sure that the
selected use of the computer provided for increased levels of learner involvement.
Future projects should determine ways to use the computer to provide increased
levels of learner involvement resulting in improved motivation and attainment of
higher-order cognitive goals. Increased involvement can be achieved through
particular characteristics of courseware or software as well as carefully
selected implementation strategies:
- Courseware structured to provide opportunities for interaction with representations.
- Implied invitations to participate in courseware construction resulting from sincere formative evaluation practices.
- Courseware structured to allow learners opportunities for modification or construction of representations within the context of a course.
- Carefully crafted assignments requiring learner construction of representations to change the relationship of learners to content.
- Educational opportunities to participate in construction of representations as members of courseware teams outside of the traditional classroom.