Ian Stewart, Anne Nguyen, Vince Stefanac and Archie Muntz
Web based delivery (WBD) of educational materials is a growing and increasingly important aspect of higher education, both within Australia and overseas. The contemporary model for web delivery used by many institutions unfortunately does not utilise three of the major methodologies available through multimedia - customization, personalization and interactivity. Further, an inherent problem in WBD is that of document creation, preparation and submission.
In this paper, the authors propose a new delivery model, termed the audio visual interactive (AVI) model. In addition to a shorter and enhanced communication channel between content providers and end users, the AVI model fully implements customization, personalization and interactivity from both perspectives.
Additionally, the AVI model does not require sophisticated technical skills to implement.
A discussion of the model and its implementation is offered. The few disadvantages in its adoption identified are mentioned. The full paper submission contains illustration to assist in understanding both the concepts and the implementation of the model.
A fully functional WBT system utilising the AVI model has been built. This server is extensively linked to from within the paper. Restricted access to the server is available to conference attendees. However, to prevent unintended access and possible alterations, the access password tuple will not be available until the conference.
A key implementation issue in web based delivery of educational materials is content update and maintenance. The timeliness of information is crucial, however many WANs deployed in educational environments are not configured to allow easy maintenance of the data and information. This situation arises principally because of security concerns. All updates are handled through a webmaster. Further, access controls, though very necessary, are often implemented at the expense of maintainability.
Further, writing or converting lectures, notes and other course materials using HTML often places an overhead in time upon the principal provider of the information. An additional problem is that many such providers do not wish to become technically adept in the construction of Web pages. Their ideal is a seamless upload of course material achievable quickly and with the minimum of user input.
Dynamic HTML can provide greater interactivity, but again, a sound technical knowledge of the scripting required precludes its use by many. Whilst creating interactive pages may be achievable for the dedicated, a further problem arises with uploads. Even if the institution may allow authorised people to upload, problems arise both within the administrative hierarchy, for political reasons, and more seriously, system security may be compromised.
While there is great pressure from administrative sections upon lecturers to participate in Web based delivery (WBD) and Web based teaching (WBT), recent findings on students' perceptions are ambivalent (Sheard 2000). Despite this ambivalence, it is unlikely that the trend towards WBD and WBT will abate. The task of integrating lecturers preparatory work with the provision of WBT should therefore be made as simple as possible.
In this paper we discuss a format supported by all major browsers that allows, through the use of simple templates, any user to create and maintain exciting interactive Web pages for the delivery of educational materials. An added advantage, provided simple procedures are followed, is that system security is not threatened or compromised.
In addition to issues and problems identified by Hansen et al. (1999), this paper proposes a client-server model that overcomes additional technical problems. These problems, such as access control, copyright infringement generated by older methods of Web delivery of educational materials and IP issues, are becoming increasingly important as WBT becomes more widely implemented.
The pedagogical models have focussed largely on behavioural and cognitive theories, rarely distinguishing between the requirements of the child and the adult. Knowles et al. (1984) modernised much earlier work in the area into what is now referred to as Knowles' andragogical approach to learning.
In summary, andragogy makes the following assumptions about the design of learning:
|
|
Pedagogy |
Andragogy |
|
The learner |
Dependent. Teacher directs what, when, how a subject is learned and tests that it has been learned |
Moves towards independence. Self-directing. Teacher encourages and nurtures this movement |
|
The learner's experience |
Of little worth. Hence teaching methods are didactic |
A rich resource for learning. Hence teaching methods include discussion, problem-solving etc. |
|
Readiness to learn |
People learn what society expects them to. Thus, the curriculum is standardized. |
People learn what they need to know, thus learning programmes are organized around life application. |
|
Orientation to learning |
Acquisition of subject matter. Curriculum organized by subjects. |
Learning experiences should be based around experiences, since people are performance centred in their learning |
Adapted from Knowles (1984) and Jarvis (1985)
Table One Contrasting Pedagogy and Andragogy
Andragogy is the better approach to WBT and WBD for the simple reason that multimedia inherently fits the theory.
There are two principal models used for web based delivery today (Gallego 1997), which themselves incorporate two alternate delivery methods - static and dynamic.
Instructor facilitated, or synchronous, delivery has been the most widely followed model since WBT was first implemented. It often initially simply offered students the option to download lecture notes. Synchronous models are typically first generation implementations.
Self directed or self paced, also termed asynchronous, delivery is gaining wide acceptance. As sites become more sophisticated and greater use of multimedia features is made, this model becomes more applicable.
The CDM typically involves three, high level interface layers that constitute the communication channel.
Figure One below illustrates the contemporary communication channel used in many WBT systems:
Figure One Contemporary Web Based Communication Channel
Additionally, most of the content is static. As observed by Bauer and Scharl (1999), the information flow is uni-directional. This model is often little more than what has been termed a page turner. Updates require intermediation between content providers and web administrators. Often, the content provider is required to submit content in web ready formats.
Whilst applications such as Microsoft FrontPage require little skill for document creation, using advanced features can be frustrating. Further, may providers simply do not wish to become skilled in Web document preparation. The conflict between what users want and what users get is a dilemma faced by all developers and potential systems implementors. Much previous research, for instance that of Darch and Szeto (1999), Homes (1998), and Phipps and Merisotis (2000) has identified this wide dichotomy between users and providers in WBT and WBD.
Figure Two below illustrates the standard delivery model presently used by many educational institutions:
Figure Two Contemporary Web Based Delivery Model
The Audio Visual Interactive (AVI) prototype contains two major advances over the contemporary delivery model:
Automating and simplifying the delivery model involves an element of disintermediation. As is illustrated in Figure Three below, the role of the Web administrator becomes diminished or redundant. Moreover, the communication channel is now asynchronous, allowing true interactivity to be utilised. Thus the model is both more provider and user centric. As identified by Hansen et al. (1999), this is an adopter based model that will gain acceptance that is end user driven.
Figure Three AVI Prototype Communication Channel
In contrast to the contemporary delivery model presented in Figure Two, the AVI Prototype Delivery Model introduces features that have previously been theoretical considerations only. The great strength of multimedia is the ability to personalize and customize content that allows the user both increased choice of delivery method and interactivity. Interactivity is not a feature of WBT in the contemporary model. These topics are discussed in detail in later sections. Conceptually, Figure Four below illustrates the improved delivery model:
Figure Four AVI Prototype Delivery Model
The difference between the conventional model and the AVI model is immediately apparent. The addition of the Dynamic Generator between the Web Server and the end users enables three powerful features that distinguish the AVI model:
The conventional functionality of the contemporary model is not lost in the AVI model. Content providers, should they wish too, may continue to provide their material as static HTML documents. However, providers utilising the AVI model have two choices on how they conduct their authoring - online or offline. Regardless of how the authoring is conducted, the three key features of the AVI model are available.
The Dynamic Generator is simply a software object. Whilst it merits considerable discussion in its own right, it is beyond the scope of this paper. The object is standalone and does not require maintenance or tuning once installed.
Advantages are often difficult to quantify when discussing models. However, the present research has identified several factors that affect delivery and performance. Table One below contrasts these:
|
Conventional HTTP Model |
AVI Prototype Model |
|
|
Editing |
Difficult and complex task for inexperienced |
Online, supports plain text cut and paste, easy for inexperienced |
|
Images |
Complex task, requires rewriting of code with paths |
Point and click upload from library or disk ( dependent on policy ) |
|
Visual Appeal |
Can be very bland |
Intrinsically supports animations and sound |
|
Security |
Basic, susceptible to attack |
Can be extremely robust with compiled options |
|
Page Loading |
Can be very slow, with much time spent waiting for text and images |
Content available as soon as connection established |
|
Customization |
Difficult and complex task |
All providers can easily customise their site |
|
Personalization |
Restricted to basic visuals |
Can include many options provided through user profile |
|
Compactness |
Directory structure can be large and difficult to navigate |
All content can be located in same directory easily |
|
File Sizes* |
Several megabytes |
Couple of hundred thousand kilobytes |
* assuming basically similar content
Table Two Comparison of Features Between Conventional HTTP and AVI
Standard templates must be generated by skilled practitioners. However, once basic templates have been designed and installed, the content is solely under the control of the provider, such as the course convenor, lecturer or tutor. Dependent on the design specifications for the templates, much of the interface can be manipulated simply by either content providers, for customization, and end users, for personalization.
Furthermore, sections within the site template can be restricted to specific persons. For example, the lectures section in Figure Five below, may be solely under the editable control of the lecturer and convenor and the tutorial section, for reasons of interactivity, may be under the editable control of the lecturer and the tutor.
Figure Five Example Blank Template
www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/template/
The example template in Figure Five above shows a template for the Arts Faculty of Acme University. It illustrates the key features available through the AVI model.
Content providers have two methods available. Increasingly, dynamic generation of page content is becoming attractive, particularly within mature web information systems (WISs). For example, a course that has been offered for several years will have a broad and diverse amount of information upon which to draw. The course may also be hierarchical, in that advanced notes may be available.
Many WBT sites lack sufficient utilisation of two of the most compelling features of WBT - interactivity and multimedia enhancement. The web site operates simply as a page turner or a location from which to download course materials. On many sites there is no multimedia content.
This is caused partly through the choice of model used. The conventional model discussed previously is ideally suited to static delivery. Thus, content providers provide material to the web administrator who then processes the material and installs it on the server. Typically, the material consists solely of text documents with some fancy formatting and possibly some links. All in all, not a very exciting delivery method.
Dynamic programming (DP), on the other hand, can be used to customise the information available to a user based on their progress or interests, for example. From an educational perspective, this has considerable attractiveness. However, implementing this through the conventional model is a complex task requiring a multitude of files and is difficult to change and maintain.
The AVI model facilitates the implementation of as much dynamic content as possible through its Dynamic Generator. No longer are complex CGI or SSI, with all their inherent security weaknesses, the only way to provide some modicum of DP. Because the Dynamic Generator bundles the deliverables into compiled objects, security is inherently extremely strong. Methods are beyond the scope of this discussion, however the content for the Dynamic Generator may be further protected through on the fly encryption.
DP can be further utilised to assist in personalization, discussed in a later section. For example, Bauer and Scharl (1999) identify many variables that can be captured during a Web transaction that can be utilised in developing a user profile.
Much has been mentioned of multimedia content, however CBT, typically on CD-ROMs, is still the only area to significantly adopt its use. WBT sites do not generally make extensive use of multimedia. Reasons include complexity of the operations, lack of technical support, bandwidth considerations and lack of suitable material.
The AVI model is multimedia specific. It encourages the inclusion of audio and video. The nature of the communication channel used, via the Dynamic Generator means that these typically large files can be streamed to the user's browser.
In addition to the clear advantages of multimedia to all users, audio and video acts as an enabling technology to make the overall educational program more inclusive of people with disabilities. For instance, providing an audio recording of a lecture online may assist people with hearing disabilities, as they can adjust volume on their browser interface and replay misheard sections at will. As mentioned previously, the streaming nature of the Dynamic Generator overcomes bandwidth problems that plague the contemporary delivery model, particularly through dial-in access.
The cognitive space of end users is maximised and should be used to both maintain interest and promote learning outcomes. The use of DP allows automatic delivery of advanced material or related topics of interest to individual end users.
Customization has been the single largest stumbling block with WBT. Many have discussed the implications of customization from various theoretical perspectives, however little has been done in a practical sense.
The first area of customization is in the basic interface. A series of templates can be made available, in a directory library for instance, for content providers to select from. Identifiers such as the institution's logo, legal information such as disclaimer and copyright notice and first point of contact can be hard coded into the templates to give the websites consistency and a strong institutional identity.
For an example, see www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/exam/
Figure Six Customisable Features on a Default Template
www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/exam/
The myriad customizable features illustrated above in Figure Six are discussed briefly below:
Coupled with customization, the end user perspective is personalization of a site. This allows the end user to configure aspects of the interface according to their personal tastes. Examples of this include choice of backgrounds, colours and themes, the text font attributes, controls and display orientation and even a choice of background audio should they wish.
Aside from the feelings of personal control thus generated, from a HCI perspective, template designers are no longer totally responsible for the interface. By letting the end user choose certain design features that reflect their personality, interest in visiting the site is maximised.
To enable this personalization, a user profile can be built and saved based on the data available from a user's access. Examples of this data already commonly used to track and profile users include environment variables from the user's system and cookies ( Bauer and Scharl 1999).
Several options can be easily configured into the website template to allow online examination, marking and feedback in a sequential and secure manner. Using environment variables which are checked through embedded scripts, clients of the server can be forced to follow a set procedure, which in turn may be rule based.
For example, the Week One Tutorial questions must have been completed and submitted before the solutions can be accessed. Similarly, advanced materials can be withheld from students until the pre-requisite material has been accessed and assessed. Further, access can be restricted to those who have reached a satisfactory level of knowledge or proficiency. This overcomes a growing problem with WBT - often there is no control over the sequence of study, with students attempting advanced work without an adequate grounding in the fundamentals.
Figure Seven Example Examination from End User's Perspective
www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/exam/
Figure Seven above illustrates the salient advantages using the AVI model for, in this case, an online examination. The points illustrated are further discussed below:
Further controls can be implemented - the content provider's imagination is the only real constraint. For example, should the examination be three hours, the end user can be timed from log in, with completion of the time enforcing a save, submit and log out. Access controls can be enforced to limit the physical location of the computer that an end user logs in from.
More sophisticated access controls can be implemented. Although beyond the scope of this paper, biometrics have an ideal application to this scenario. Alternatively, or in conjunction with biometric controls, smartcards can be used to ensure only valid end users access the examination (Stewart and Nguyen 1999).
Placing information on the web site can be done either online or offline. Online updating is performed by the content provider, such as a lecturer or a tutor, logging onto the site ( which, as discussed previously, is independent of the platform used ) and accessing the required page and text box. After completion of modifications, the content provider simply presses the save option, which completes the operation.
Figure Eight Online Editing Screenshot
www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/template/admin/
Offline work can be uploaded automatically and transparently through the use of scripts. The scripts can be either embedded in the document template, or activated at upload time from the Flash executable. The content provider is thus insulated, via a layer of abstraction, from technical details of the technology.
Periodically, content providers find an error or more recent and relevant information that requires the updating of content. As previously discussed, this can be rectified immediately online through the edit facility, or accessed offline. See Figure Eight for clarification.
The Microsoft Office suite is widely used as the de facto information processing package in many universities. Thus, users should be familiar with the processes described herein.
Microsoft Word supports several features which can be utilised to assist content provides transparently. One such feature is macros. For example, a standard document template can be created with the intialization scripts embedded and hidden. The operation of saving and exiting a document results in an automated upload via the Dynamic Generator ( for DP ) or the Web server ( for static or offline update ).
Further, as illustrated in Figure Eight, the edit box supports OLE 2.0. Thus, copying and pasting between an ofline document and the editor is possible. This precludes the use of file transfer to update content.
Interactivity
From the basic documents so created, additional interactivity between content providers and end users can be maintained through automated e-mailing, forums and message boards and on-line chat.
Content providers may choose to provide several different delivery methods to further enhance the interactivity of their subject page.
Intellectual property rights are often a contentious issue, particularly within an academic environment. As observed by Newmarch (2000), IP issues can hinder adoption of new technologies. Methods available within the AVI model to protect IP include watermarking, steganography and encryption.
The principle of watermarking to provide protection against counterfeiting has long been used in the protection of currencies and other important documents. The Dynamic Generator ,through its ability to layer images and then compile them, allows this same form of protection to be applied to its sites. Steganography is another method that can be easily implemented to identify both source and ownership of digital documents. Encryption, of course, has been a security workhorse for many years now. Its purpose, within the AVI model, is to protect documents in both transit and storage.
Increasingly, with the commercialisation of education, institutions are faced with the need to levy surcharges for course materials. Web delivery is no different to paper based systems in this regard. The solutions offered through WBT include students pre-paying for unlimited access, or having costs charged based on access.
It is considered that a micro-payment system, similar to that proposed by Dai and Bruce (1999), would overcome some of the difficulties of ensuring payment. Indeed, the AVI prototype has both micropayments and usage tracking built into the software.
An additional method of ensuring payment is through the use of smartcards. Purdue University in the USA already utilises a smartcard for the student identification. This card is linked to a primary bank account and incorporates access and payment to all university services, such as library borrowing and student administrative fees. There is even a provision to pay for meals at the refectory (Stewart and Nguyen 1999).
A major problem with WBT, particularly that with a large multimedia component, is its bandwidth consumption. Conventional HTTP operates on a stateless model, whereby communication between the server and the client must be maintained for navigation. Further, each component of a page must be downloaded before display.
A page utilising extensive graphics can be frustrating to access. For example, the text in a page downloads, then the images download. This may require the establishment and re-establishment of many connections before the page is visible in its entirety. On a busy or inadequate network this process can be slow and ultimately frustrating for end users. In many countries around the world, the telephony infrastructure is inadequate and likely to remain so for several years to come - end users accessing through dial-in accounts may be surprised to find that their bandwidth is limited to that available through the copper twisted pair entering their house!
The Dynamic Generator within the AVI model, despite its capability for intensive use of multimedia, overcomes bandwidth problems through streaming. Careful design of the template ensures that the user has content immediately. Further, streaming means that the constant negotiation of connections required by conventional HTTP is not necessary.
The AVI model utilises built-in compression for its executables and implements streaming for all its multimedia components. These technologies make state of the art use of technology to minimise bandwidth usage
Closely allied with the previous discussion, the end user is concerned with the time taken to deliver information to the desktop. One of the greatest criticisms of WBT is download, and thus access, time. End users become frustrated.
Using the streaming technology inherent in the Dynamic Generator, incorporating multimedia in materials is not as bandwidth critical as in standard HTML or DHTML delivery. Careful design ensures that end users have some usable content almost immediately. The entire site continues to download and buffer transparently to the user. Whilst there is the same bandwidth constraint as in the conventional model, it is careful design that improves delivery time by giving the illusion of completeness, when in fact downloading is still occurring. A walk through the prototype site at www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/ and the additional information site at easian.virtualave.net should clearly show the effectiveness to the reader.
End users benefit primarily from exciting interfaces that load and display quickly. Further, personalization of the interface encourages users to adapt the site, and thus its content, to themselves. The conventional model forces the user to adapt to the site, which may have negative effects on the desire to access the site, for example.
The authors identify several major issues in adopting and implementing the AVI model and its associated technology:
Limiting web based delivery to inhouse systems is becoming anachronistic. As in other e-commerce applications, outsourcing has enabled even the most technically challenged or resource scarce institutions the opportunity to utilise WBT. For example, the Blackboard website ( www.blackboard.com) is a portal for WBT offering several tiers of support.
Similarly, organisations that provide the security of Flash implementations are undoubtedly about to emerge. Further examples of the AVI model implementations discussed within this paper are available from Queensland based ( www.toughmedia.com ).
Major WBT and WBD providers include Blackboard (www.blackboard.com), WebCT (www.webct.com/wyw ) and HarvestRoad ( www.harvestroad.com).
Whilst these sites offer a generally comprehensive functionality, the complexity of navigation and the technical skills required to manipulate content can be daunting to the inexperienced. For that matter, even the experienced can find the task daunting. Further, most content is static. Additionally, download times of the static materials are usually longer, involving significant "dead time" where no usable information is available.
The contemporary model, as implemented by Blackboard for instance, involves complex site organization and file transfers. The online editing is not user friendly, and often involves extensive correction after update. Each correction requires a re-negotiation of state for the browser, and can take considerable time. In contrast, the AVI model allows real time correction in WYSIWYG mode, and a re-negotiation of state is only required after saving and re-displaying.
As a comparison, readers are invited to contrast the Blackboard editor in Figure Nine below (www.blackboard.com/courses/INT1004) with the AVI model editor in Figure Eight above (www.guru.au.com/ausweb01/template/admin ). It should be clear that the complexity of the Blackboard interface far exceeds that of the AVI prototype. For instance, the Blackboard interface requires separate navigation, with its consequent traffic and time overheads, to each of the pages that are intrinsically a part of the AVI interface.
Figure Nine Example of Editing Complexity in Conventional Model
Implementing this prototype model in a real world environment would offer the opportunity to quantify its effectiveness from several perspectives. The authors are presently negotiating a phased introduction of the AVI model into a real world educational environment. It is hoped that the data gathered will provide interesting insights into both the behavioural and educational aspects of the model, and its technical performance.
The prototype model has shown that the AVI model is superior in many aspects to existing delivery methods. Further work on integration and security issues, to allow seamless deployment within complex legacy systems such as those used by many educational institutions, is required.
The AVI model and its associated technology offers a fast and user friendly means of creating and updating both static and dynamic web pages. The technology overcomes many of the myriad problems, such as those identified by Hansen et al. (1999), that plague WBD and WBT using the contemporary model. The principal advantages of the new model are its shorter, interactive communication channel and its truly multimedia capable delivery system.
Interactivity that is easily implementable is finally introduced to WBD and WBT through the AVI model. The extent of the interactivity available is limited in scope solely by the imagination of content providers. For early adopters and innovators to drive acceptance, the technology must be user friendly and easy to use. The use of customizable and personalizable templates in the AVI model satisfy both criteria.
Further, the AVI model offers alternative delivery methods for many subjects and topics that have previously been restricted to on campus delivery. The model also has excellent application for distance education and multi-campus delivery of real time lectures, for example, using its broadcast quality streaming technology.
Security issues, such as authentication and site navigation restriction, can be readily addressed in the design of the site using either the conventional .htacess directory access, or use of an embedded script to integrate the application with existing password files on the system. This can be achieved through various scripting and query languages. An embedded script implements stronger security, as it is compiled into the application.
Finally, the AVI model is adaptable. Applications yet to be invented will fit seamlessly into the technology.
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Ian Stewart, Anne Nguyen, Vince Stefanac and Archie Muntz © 2001. The authors assign to Southern Cross University and other educational and non-profit institutions a non-exclusive licence to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. The authors also grant a non-exclusive licence to Southern Cross University to publish this document in full on the World Wide Web and on CD-ROM and in printed form with the conference papers and for the document to be published on mirrors on the World Wide Web.