Web Authoring Training via the World Wide Web
by
Molly Immendorf
Technology Training Specialist, Cooperative Extension Technology Services
University of Wisconsin-Extension

Abstract
Since 1999, Cooperative Extension Technology Services (CETS) has been offering its
popular classes via the web using course management systems, WebCT and Blackboard.
This has saved travel time and expenses and has enabled participants to pace themselves
through the material and activities.

Introduction
Cooperative Extension Technology Services (CETS), formerly Wisplan Computer
Services, began offering face-to-face computer skills training classes to Cooperative
Extension employees and their support staff in 1997. These classes were taught in
many different locations around the state of Wisconsin to fulfill the computer training
needs of state-wide staff. The computer training classes were very popular, but required
travel often both by instructors and the participants. Some county-based employees
were unable to attend classes because of restrictions on the time they could spend
outside of their county. In addition, in less densely populated areas of the state, the
numbers of potential participants would not support a full class.

In September 1999, the first web-based online training class, Web Essentials, was
offered as a pilot class to 32 participants located throughout the state. We used the
course management tool, WebCT, to provide this class.

Since January 2000, another course management tool, Blackboard, has been available
for online course delivery. Blackboard has been the course management tool used by
CETS. We have found it meets our needs and is more intuitive to use than WebCT
for both the instructor and participants. In addition, the University of Wisconsin
System has provided support for Blackboard users, both instructors and participants,
via a 24-hour helpdesk and server support since September 2001.

Since September 1999, CETS has taught 25 online classes with 383 participants
covering eight different topics, mainly web authoring/publishing and Microsoft Office
productivity. These classes, three to eight weeks in duration, cover topics typically
taught in a face-to-face classroom for a total of six to twelve hours of instruction.

Creating an online course
Criteria for a CETS online class included that the class would be self-paced and
instructor-supported. Each lesson or activity should not take more than 10-20
minutes to complete. The objectives for the online class would be the same as
for the face-to-face class.

I did an analysis of who a typical participant was likely to be. From my assessment,
I concluded that a participant of a CETS online course would likely access that class
in small chunks of time, because there are many distractions when in the office.
Also, participants wouldn't always access the class from the office, they may be
"on the road" or participating from home during non-typical business hours.

I then looked at my training materials that I had created for my face-to-face classes.
I realized that there were many holes that needed filling in, if I was going to use those
materials for online instruction. In the course of a typical face-to-face class there is
a lot said and demonstrated that may not be in the written materials. Those "extras"
would have to be included in the materials for the online class.

In redesigning the materials for an online audience, I also needed to reorganize some
of the sequencing of lessons and activities. For example, since this was teaching web
authoring and publishing, I needed to provide a way for the participants to show me
their completed activities. To accomplish this, I created a web server and had the
participants publish their activities (web pages) to the web server. Typically in a
face-to-face class, participants would learn this skill as one of the last web publishing
skills - only after they had learned quite a bit about web authoring. For the online
class, the web publishing skills were taught much earlier and were utilized more often
because this was a logical way for participants to show me their work. I could give
them feedback after I looked at their published activities.

Another part of redesigning the materials was to make lessons and activities that
could be completed within 10-20 minutes each. This was often shorter time segments
than was allotted for a face-to-face class. Some lessons and activities had to be totally
redesigned into much smaller "chunks." For example, a more complicated, lengthy
lesson from the face-to-face class would be broken down into an introductory lesson,
skill lessons and an activity following each skill lesson, culminating in a final activity for
the lesson that produced the final result.

For some of the more traditional "lecture" lessons, I developed quizzes to test
knowledge and understanding of the material of the participants. In the face-to-face
class, I had given learning objectives for the whole class, which would be reviewed
at the beginning of each class. For the online version of the CETS classes, I included
learning objectives for each lesson. To help participants navigate through the course
each lesson and activity would begin and end with a reminder of the next lesson or
activity to complete. In addition, the activities include highlighted reminders of what
files the participant should have on their computer, once an activity is completed.

I used the Discussion Board for the main interactive communication between the instructor
and the participants. I added four forums to each class: Introductions, Technical Problems,
Activities Done, and Lesson Questions and Discussion. Participants were encouraged to
look at each other's completed activities.

Delivering an online class
A few work days before a CETS online class is to begin, participants receive a reminder
that they have agreed to participate in the class. The day before the class begins, they
receive another reminder that outlines what they should expect from the instructor the first
day of the online class. The morning of the online class, the participants receive an email
with instructions on where and how to access the online class. This email also includes
support information including how to contact the 24-hour helpdesk if they have trouble
accessing the class.

Once a participant is logged into the Blackboard server, they choose the class and they
are at the Announcements screen. The first announcement is usually an introduction to
using the course management system, i.e., where to find course materials, activities and
the discussion board.

Another announcement includes a link to an Adobe Acrobat version of the class content
and activities which the participant can download and print out for use during the class
and as a reference for the future. This has been cited by participants as a very useful
feature of the online class.

A CETS online class typically is from three to eight weeks in length. All of the course
material is available from the first day and each participant is expected to set his/her
own pace to complete the work. As activities are completed, the participant will post
a message in the discussion board announcing that he/she is ready for the instructor to
check his/her work. As the instructor, I then check the work and post a reply message
to the participant. Once the participant has successfully completed all of the activities,
they have completed the class.

Lessons learned
Many false assumptions were dispelled by my experiences as an online instructor.

1. Online courses are less work for the instructor than a face-to-face session. In a
face-to-face class, all of the participants are moving along at the same pace. In the
online class, I never knew each day how many questions or work to which I would
need to respond. Some days, especially on Mondays, I would face 30-40 posts to
which I needed to respond. Other days, there would be no postings at all.

2. No development time is needed if the course was already developed as a face-to-
face class. I found that I needed to rework and redesign my class materials to fit in an
online environment. This took many hours and testing to make sure that the class still
flowed from one lesson to the next.

3. Everything will run smoothly. The course management server would sometimes
"crash" and not be available. Of course this would happen over the weekend, when
there wasn't a support person available. Thankfully, this didn't happen once we
started using the UW System Blackboard server.

4. All the participants will have the appropriate software loaded on their computer.
It can be very frustrating for the participant and the instructor if the materials aren't
matching what is on the participant's computer. CETS has tried to address this by
creating an online class user's guide which states that the user must have the
appropriate software to be successful in the online class.

5. Students will manage their time effectively. Because I made all of the materials
available to the user over an extended period of time, usually four to eight weeks,
some users would procrastinate and start the course the last day and try to complete
it or ask for an extension from the instructor. This time management issue is also
addressed in the CETS online class user's guide. We encourage users to pace
themselves over the duration of the class.

Participant feedback
For many participants, the online class was a great experience. Here are just a few
of many positive responses to the online classes I've received:

"Having the learning experience at a 'home' setting, where you could work and save
things to review later. No rush!"

"I feel being able to work on the class at your own speed was a great advantage. It
was nice to be able to do a few lessons and take a break and then come back to it."

"I like the flexibility and the ability to move at my own pace. I found myself
experimenting during exercises which would not have been possible were I taking the
course in a classroom setting."

"It's nearly impossible for me to travel to another site for in-person classes or to have
an entire day free. Also, I think that at least for me, as this was entirely new material,
the online class probably allowed me to work at a slower pace than to try to absorb
all this new material in one day. For me, I think this means that by the end of the final
activity, I retained more and have more solid skills available to go out and 'do it' at my
own pace"

(This article was first published in Using Distance Education Technology: Effective
Practices (2002) Madison, WI: Instructional Communications Systems, and is reprinted
with permission. The book site is at: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/training/effect)