Levels of Interactivity in WBI

The following instructional framework will be used in the course to guide the design and the development of the projects. Levels 4, 5, & 6 will be either discussed, demonstrated, or applied as in-class activities contingent upon the progress of the students in other areas.

Instructional Framework for Web-based Instruction (Milheim, W.D., Bannan B., Harvey, D.M., 1997):

The model is based on a continuum of WWW instructional activities in which lower levels are subsumed in higher levels.

Level 1: Information Delivery:

• simple delivery of information to students;
• syllabus, class notes, assignments, etc.
• allows for material delivery locally or at a distance;
• all web courses implemented at this level.

Level 2: Information Delivery with Pre-Defined Resources:

• provision of pre-defined links for students to explore;
• outside resources related to current topic;
• simple exploration of outside sites;
• required instructional activities at specified sites.

Level 3: Information Delivery with On-Line Interaction:

• involves computer mediated communication;
• primarily text-based interaction;
• on-line interaction between students and instructor;
• asynchronous communication:
• use of listservs and newsgroups;
• synchronous communication:
• Internet Relay Chat (IRC).

Level 4: Pre-Designed Instructional Delivery:

• self-contained instructional modules available on WWW;
• web-based course management tools;
• available for individual access or downloading;
• use of authoring systems with WWW.

Level 5: Information Synthesis and Creation of Resources:

• student synthesis and creation of WWW resources;
• instructor provides some instruction on HTML tools;
• student creation options:
• individual representation of course information;
• location of external course-related resources.

Level 6: Immersive Collaborative Environments:

• text-based and visual instructional environments;
• accesible simultaneously by multiple users;
• expands the level of potential interaction;
• allows for manipulation of instructional variables;
• simulations on the web;
• virtual reality.

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