Ken R. Strutin asked about authoring software to create
tutorials and instructional guides to:
1. Teach students how to use a research tool.
2. Introduce them to the library collection.
3. Help them use computer applications.
Unless the answer is too simple, what about HTML? The book I can lay my
hands on is HTML Sourcebook: A complete guide to HTML. But there must be
tons of them. I think Genie Tyburski's Web page has a guide to creating
a Web page.
http://www.hslc.org/~tyburski/home.html.
There must be a lot more at the bookstore, and on the Web.
While I have found Toolbook to be slow and cumbersome, you can contact
Professor Richard Warner at Chicago Kent Law School
(rwarner@chicagokent@kentlaw.edu), who has actually used it for real
projects. Its pricing is attractive for the use you intend.
Here are 2 article summaries that may interest you (Citations at end):
ACADEMIC SYSTEMS HITS A HOMER WITH MEDIATED LEARNING
Feedback from some 40 campuses now using Academic Systems' three
mediated-learning algebra courses indicates the software company's
approach to instructional technology is a winner -- with company
officials saying their research shows higher passing rates for students
using the computer-based course than those using the traditional lecture
approach. In addition, students who have taken the mediated-learning
courses have done better in subsequent math courses. The courseware
works best with the full involvement of a teacher present, says a Cal
Poly professor. One experimental course that used the software only
resulted in lower student grades and many dropouts. "It's an
exquisitely fine tool to allow the instructor to intervene just at the
right time and just at the right place," says Cal State-Hayward's
provost and VP for academic affairs. "It's the best example of what
instructional technology is supposed to do, which is to make the
instructor a better instructor." In addition to the algebra
courses, Academic Systems is now developing a mediated-learning writing
course. (Chronicle of Higher Education 25 Oct 96 A27)
"EDUCATORS WANT MORE LEARNING, LESS FUN FROM ED SOFTWARE
Educational software is useful in the classroom, but "the business of
education is not entertainment, and teachers are keenly aware of this,"
says a research analyst at Simba Information Inc. "In schools - where
educators take their job descriptions extremely seriously - the novelty
of bells-and-whistles multimedia is wearing off rapidly." Educational
software sales, much of it purchased by parents for their children's use
at home, are booming, with numbers up 56% from last year, says the
Software Publishers Association. And much of the rise is attributable
to already established products such as Davidson & Associate's Math
Blaster, which has enjoyed 12 years of popularity. "You would never be
able to find an entertainment title like that," says a Davidson VP,
noting that educational products enjoy a longevity unheard of in the
video game industry. Entertainment software sales grew by only 6% last
year, according to the SPA. (Investor's Business
Daily 27 August 96 A8)."
CALI at Chicago-Kent Law School uses IOLIS, which is British and has a
Web site (sorry, I don't have the address.) I think it is dated and
limited, but it is cost-effective. I think the big challenge of
tutorials on screen is developing a writing/display style that enables
people to grasp things from the screen,and that the biggest sin of all
is writing "legalese" on-screen. It's an order of magnitude worse than
on the printed page. If you want to find out more about IOLIS, contact
John Mayer at Chicago Kent (jmayer@kentlaw.edu) He's executive director
of CALI.
I have used Folio, which is much more expensive, and also dated and
limited. It's extremely hard to learn (as a developer and a user), and I
don't think it's very easy to use. The advantage of HTML is that the Web
is non-linear; IOLIS and Folio are basically linear, and you really have
to map out the "geography."
This is an area of interest for me, so let me know if I can help more
specifically.
Ellen
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Ellen M. Poler 2008 Harrison St.
Attorney at Law Evanston IL 60201
Publishing Consultant 847-869-2139 (Phone)
epoler@interaccess.com 847-869-2137 (Fax)
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