Online Art History: Design, Development, and Review of an Interactive Course

Carnegie Mellon Online has been used to deliver several university courses to thousands of students at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) over the last 2 years. This paper describes the experiences gained from redesigning an introductory art history course using Carnegie Mellon Online to deliver supplemental course content. The technology, course content and structure, assessment tools, and course management capabilities are discussed, as well as lessons learned from creating this course. Plans for the next version are also highlighted. (Author/AEF) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Online Art History: Design, Development, and Review of an Interactive Course M. Schmidt, School of Art, College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; ms0c @andrew.cmu.edu W. H. Blackmon, Carnegie Mellon Online, Carnegie Mellon University; wb23@andrew.cmu.edu D. R. Rehak Carnegie Mellon Online, Carnegie Mellon University; rehak@cmu.edu D. Bajzek Technology Enhanced Learning Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, db33@andrew.cmu.edu U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement Abstract: Carnegie Mellon Online has been used to deliver several university courses to EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIO CENTER (ERIC) thousands of students at Carnegie Mellon University over the last two years. This paper o This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization describes the experiences gained from redesigning an introductory art history course using originating it. D Minor changes have been made to Carnegie Mellon Online to deliver supplemental course content. The technology, course improve reproduction quality. content, and structure, assessment tools, and course management capabilities are discussed, Points of view or opinions stated in this as well as lessons learned from creating this course, and plans for the next version. document do not necessarily represent official OER1 position or policy. This paper describes the experiences gained from redesigning an introductory art history course using Carnegie Mellon Online to deliver supplemental course content. Carnegie Mellon Online is a database driven, web-based educational tool that has been used to deliver several university courses to thousands of students at Carnegie Mellon University. The technology, course content, and structure, assessment tools, and course management capabilities are discussed, as well as lessons learned from creating this course, and plans for the next version. Descriptions of Carnegie Mellon Online courses are available at http://online.web.cmu.edu/. The Technology: Carnegie Mellon Online Carnegie Mellon Online is a unique, database driven, educational tool taking advantage of the World Wide Web to provide student-centered instruction. The system generates customized content, such as assessments and feedback for each student and tracks the student through a course while maintaining coursespecific rules and policies. Using this system, the instructor sets guidelines and prerequisites for student advancement through the course material, allowing the progress of each student to be individualized and paced for his or her learning style. It also provides students with more control over their learning experience by permitting them to access their class at any time they choose and as often as they choose, as best suits their needs. Carnegie Mellon Online is not limited to a specific discipline or type of course. Courses in all university disciplines can make use of its unique, student-centered approach to education in a variety of ways. It can be used to offer completely online courses that never meet in a classroom, can act as an online management and learning tool to complement classroom-based courses, or it can act solely as an assessment tool. One of Carnegie Mellon Online's strengths is it's ability to handle assessments. Like the rest of the system, assessments are data-driven; a standard set of code generates individualized assessment descriptions, generates the HTML forms, delivers the assessments, accepts the assessments, automatically grades certain types of assessments, and delivers feedback to the students. Security is always a concern when delivering classes via the web. A student must use a password to access any course learning material, assessments, or feedback. Students use their university password to access Carnegie Mellon Online. This same password is used to access their email, grades, course registration "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY