Planning for Publishing Lecture Notes on the Web

Deirdre Hetherington

Educational Technology Unit

Why publish lecture notes on the Web?

Accessible at all times

For revision purposes

Adding an extra element

Illustrate a process

To engage the student with the learning material

What will motivate the students to go to your page?

Directly related to coursework

Related to the exam

Pre-class preparation

Once there, what will keep them there?

Content Useful, relevant information

Presentation & layout Navigation

Consistency of style

And what will make them return regularly? Keep content up to date, include new items

Continue to develop the site further

Question and feedback

Adopt a problem-based approach

Include an online experiment

Student contribution

How do I get the students to engage with the material as participants and not just observers?

They check the contents Ensure that a list of contents appears early in the

page Use a table

They scan rather than read Give key information early Use everyday language

How do students behave online?

Considerations for the student

On the plus side:

Access to lecture notes both at home and on campus at convenient times

Will not miss a lecture due to absence

Greater variety in the learning environment thus catering to a variety of learning styles

Increased computer literacy

Considerations for the student

On the minus side:

May be using a slow modem therefore resources take time to download

Access may require the use of plug-ins

Access to audio and video files in open access centres

Will have to bear the cost of printing

Looking at how others structure their lecture notes

The Production Line

Plan State aims and objectives Structure, layout, navigation

Prepare Resources

Produce Using a conversion tool Composing in HTML Using an authoring tool

Publish Using Queen’s Online

Using images in web pages

Gif, jpeg formats Provide alternative text in the <ALT> field Check the download time Reduce loading delays

Reduce file size of image byReducing the physical size (number of pixels)Reducing the number of coloursMaking 'thumbnails'

Example: Bodleian Library www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/imacat/in02.html

Maintaining your pages

Review your overall design; there are some useful do’s and don'ts at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/coursematerials/webdesign/DosNDonts.html which you may find useful.

Evaluate your work

Update the content

Check that links work. Proprietary software such as Site Mill & Front Page will check links.

Get access statistics to find out if your page is being used.

Consider………

Use Spellchecker

Include a “Last updated” date on your page

Include contact details?

Copyright

Data protection Act

http://www.qub.ac.uk/tap/admin_cler/Presentation%20Data%20Protection%20Act%201998.htm

Check your page for browser compatibility

Check for accessibility

Going live

via Queen’s Online at

http://www.qnet.qub.ac.uk

Where next?

Follow-up workshops with the Educational Technology Unit

Training Unit courses

Media Services

See handout

The End