Outline+&+Summary

Using class websites to monitor and improve learning outcomes - **Outline & Summary**
====**Introduction:** The following presentation is intended to provide you with a theoretical foundation and a rationale for using technology in the classroom. It also includes a demonstration of how a technology tool can be used to make a specific educational problem less problematic.====

====**Presentation summary**: The first part of the presentation discusses the use of technology in education. It starts off with a description of learning theories that support the use of technology in education, continues with benefits and criticism of technology in the classroom, lists the most common technology tools currently used in education, and concludes with a rationale for using technology tools in instruction, i.e., the use of a class website in order to monitor and improve learning outcomes.==== ====The second part of the presentation consists of demonstrating how a class website can be used to complement traditional classroom instruction at a fairly basic level, but also points out that there is the potential to provide more complexity via hypermedia (audio and video files, chat application, simulation software, etc.).====

Through a mock up course (Architecture class: Southern German Baroque), the presentation illustrates basic uses (asynchronous) of a class website which include:

 * ====**a content page** with course description as well as====
 * ====**i****nstructor pages** with biographical information, office hours, and contact info====
 * ====**class pages** with learning goals and outcomes, syllabus, classroom policies, lecture notes, assignments, rubrics, assessment, resources, and a "virtual classroom" (DISCUSSIONS) page====
 * ====**student pages** where students can upload presentations, projects, and papers for grades.====

====By using a class website instructors can provide to students easy and round the clock access to course content, communicate with students (office hours, student/instructor feedback, conveniently monitor student performance and learning outcomes, allow for interactivity (e.g., via the discussion tab on individual pages, students can post responses to essential questions on a specific topic/lesson, read and respond to lecture notes, or conduct peer to peer discussions which could be used as graded assessments to measure learning outcomes, allow for student feedback via polls such as surveymonkey), and complement an existing, traditional classroom (e.g., allow students who are not able to attend a particular class or are away for a longer period of time to be part of the "classroom" without losing out on learning opportunities).====