Albert Ip, Multimedia Education Unit, The University of Melbourne

Workshop Title:
Component-based WWW courseware development: Why and How

Time: 9.30 am Ð 12.30

Outline
Multimedia courseware development is a time-consuming, complex, expensive and collaborative activity. The fact that most of the courseware development today is "project" based is an indication that we need a robust approach to the problem.
This tutorial will present:

• an argument to the need of a methodical approach to courseware development,
• a methodology which can be scaled up to meet the current need,
• the tutor's Virtual Apparatus Framework which can be used to build pedagogical components that run on the web browser
• the tutor's OXYGEN engine which supports server side pedagogical components,and demonstrate
• how to build components using the VA framework,
• how to use the OXYGEN-based components, and
• how such components can be used in web-based courses.

This approach acknowledges the contribution of each member of the development team, provides a mechanism for communication between team members and emphasis on the "engineering approach" in order to develop a course. The components, both under the VA framework as well as those supported by OXYGEN, created are cross-platform, cross-browser and integrate the major technologies for web content creation.

ObjectivesAfter the tutorial, participants will

• have a better understanding of the limitation of most of the current course delivery software, the component-based approach to the multimedia courseware development, and the currently available OXYGEN-based components
• be able to provide directions for creating pedagogical components, using the components in web-based courses,
• receive a CD (or equivalent) which provides further information in adapting the component-based approach in creating web-base courses.

Audience
This tutorial is for educators planning for web-based course delivery.

Back to Workshops...