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lL has been my experlence Lhrough Leachlng 8lology 12 LhaL sLudenLs Lend Lo sLruggle wlLh Lhe absLracL
naLure of Lhe Mlcroblology componenL of Lhe course. lL ls wlLh Lhls ln mlnd LhaL l chose Lo focus my
deslgn pro[ecL on blochemlsLry and Lhe cell, ln order Lo asslsL my sLudenLs ln becomlng more successful
wlLh a falrly lnLanglble and dlfflculL porLlon of Lhe course. My goal has been Lo creaLe an lnLeracLlve and
lnformaLlve web space LhaL wlll allow sLudenLs Lo consLrucL a deeper undersLandlng aL Lhelr own
learnlng pace. 1hls slLe ls supplemenLal Lo Lhelr course work and allows Lhem Lo soclally consLrucL an
undersLandlng of Lhe Loplcs uslng bralnsLormlng, debaLes, self-check qulzzes, slmulaLlons and
anlmaLlons. 8ecause 8lology 12 ls a provlnclally examlnable course LhaL covers a very large amounL of
maLerlal, Lhe LradlLlonal meLhod of dellvery for Lhls course has been more of a Leacher cenLered, sLand
and dellver Lype of model. Powever, accordlng Lo 8elgeluLh and oLher LheorlsLs, Lhls sLandardlzed
meLhod of Leachlng ls becomlng lncreaslngly ouLdaLed ln a socleLy where employers value people who
Lake lnlLlaLlve and brlng dlverse perspecLlves Lo Lhe workplace (1999). lL was wlLh a soclal
consLrucLlvlsL model LhaL l approached Lhe creaLlon of Lhe pro[ecLs wlLhln Lhe 1hlnkCuesL webspace.
coosttoctlvlst tbeoty tests oo tbe ossomptloo tbot koowleJqe ls coosttocteJ by leotoets os tbey ottempt
to moke seose of tbelt expetleoces. leotoets tbetefote ote oot empty vessels woltloq to be fllleJ, bot
totbet octlve otqoolsms seekloq meooloq (urlscoll, 2003). lnsLead of a Leacher cenLered model, Lhe
focus needs Lo shlfL Lowards a learnlng focused sysLem where Lhe currlculum ls cusLomlzed Lo Lhe
lndlvldual learner. lL needs Lo creaLe lndlvlduals who are capable of Laklng lnlLlaLlve, Lhlnklng crlLlcally
and solvlng problems and Lhls ls noL posslble lf lnsLrucLors conLlnue Lo separaLe knowlng from dolng
(urlscoll, 2003). lnsLead of memorlzlng concepLs and rouLlnes LhaL lle lnerL and unused, sLudenLs musL
learn ln Lhe conLexL of meanlngful acLlvlLy, LhaL ls, by dolng whaL experLs ln LhaL sub[ecL area do
(urlscoll, 2003). Whlle l wlll sLlll plan Lo cover requlred concepLs ln class wlLh Lhe sLudenLs, Lhls
webspace has been creaLed wlLh a sLudenL focused deslgn ln mlnd. Lach of Lhe four pro[ecLs beglns
wlLh lnformaLlon, anlmaLlons or slmulaLlons LhaL sLudenLs can work Lhrough aL Lhelr own pace ln order
Lo consLrucL Lhelr own knowledge for LhaL parLlcular sub[ecL maLLer. l have Lhen creaLed quesLlons and
acLlvlLles LhaL are sufflclenLly open-ended Lo allow for sLudenLs Lo lnfluence Lhe dlrecLlon of Lhe
dlscusslons, Lhereby allowlng Lhem Lo cusLomlze Lhelr learnlng on Lhls sub[ecL. SLudenLs are glven a
number of chances Lo work Lhrough problem seLs and hypoLheslze abouL scenarlos LhaL would Lyplcally
be encounLered by a sclenLlsL worklng ln Lhls fleld, glvlng Lhem Lhe auLhenLlc learnlng experlences
suggesLed by urlscoll.
A number of soclal LheorlsLs lncludlng vygoLsky clalm LhaL knowledge ls soclally consLrucLed and LhaL lL
ls medlaLed by Lools. eers and adulLs asslsL ln Lhls self-shaplng process by helplng sLudenLs learn how
Lo use Lhelr culLure's psychologlcal and Lechnlcal Lools (Mlller, 2002). uurlng my lnsLrucLlonal deslgn l
Lrled Lo Lake lnLo conslderaLlon how Lhese Lools shape and Lransform LhoughL. l have lncorporaLed
anlmaLlons, slmulaLlons and gulded quesLlons wlLh Lhe goal of asslsLlng sLudenLs Lo undersLand Lhe
psychologlcal Lools, such as convenLlonal slgns, used Lo represenL absLracL sLrucLures or processes LhaL
occur aL Lhe cellular level. 1echnlcal Lools such as onllne dlscusslons boards, bralnsLorms and polls wlll
help Lo supporL Lhe soclal consLrucLlon of knowledge LhaL vygoLsky LhoughL was so essenLlal for
learnlng. A second componenL of Lhe soclal consLrucL of knowledge ls Lhe ablllLy Lo exptess
Jlsoqteemeots, sbote vlewpolots, explote Jlffeteoces, as Lhey develop a framework of undersLandlng
(Anderson, 2004). l have used dlscusslon, bralnsLormlng and poll Lools ln Lhe developmenL of Lhe
pro[ecLs ln order Lo allow sLudenLs Lo work LogeLher as Lhey bulld an undersLandlng of Lhe sub[ecL
maLLer. SLudenLs are able Lo measure Lhelr Lhlnklng agalnsL LhaL of Lhelr peers as well as recelve
valuable feedback LhaL wlll help Lo shape Lhelr Lhlnklng.
Accordlng Lo 8elser and ulck, losttoctloool qool stotemeots ooJ objectlves sboolJ be exptesseJ lo tetms
of wbot ls expecteJ of tbe stoJeots (1996). 1he followlng ob[ecLlves are a llsL of acLlvlLles LhaL Lhe
sLudenLs musL be able Lo do afLer worklng Lhrough Lhe modules or unlLs on Lhe webslLe:
! Jesctlbe tbe cbotoctetlstlcs of wotet ooJ lts tole lo bloloqlcol systems
! Jesctlbe tbe tole of oclJs, boses, ooJ boffets lo bloloqlcol systems lo tbe bomoo
boJy
! ooolyse tbe sttoctote ooJ fooctloo of bloloqlcol molecoles lo llvloq systems,
locloJloq
cotbobyJtotes
llplJs
ptotelos
ooclelc oclJs
! ooolyse tbe fooctloool lotet-telotloosblps of cell sttoctotes
! ooolyse tbe sttoctote ooJ fooctloo of tbe cell membtooe
! explolo wby cells JlvlJe wbeo tbey teocb o pottlcolot sotfoce oteo-to-volome
totlo
(MlnlsLry of LducaLlon, 2006)

lor my webslLe, l have comblned Lhese goals lnLo four pro[ecLs, 8lochemlsLry - lnorganlc Molecules,
8lochemlsLry - Crganlc Molecules, 1he Cell and 1he Cell Membrane. 1hese lnsLrucLlonal ob[ecLlves are
ln llne wlLh Lhe rovlnclal Learnlng ouLcomes for 8lology 12 ln 8rlLlsh Columbla and lL ls suggesLed LhaL
sLudenLs become proflclenL wlLh each of Lhese goals lf Lhey are golng Lo be successful on Lhe rovlnclal
Lxam. Whlle hlgh marks on Lhe provlnclal exam has been one of our dlsLrlcL's goals for Lhe pasL few
years, Lhls form of hlgh sLakes summaLlve assessmenL has been hlghly crlLlclzed by proponenLs of
formaLlve or balanced assessmenL (SLlgglns, 2008). 1hey clalm LhaL heavy emphasls on summaLlve
assessmenL wlll ofLen lead Lo roLe memorlzaLlon and lnerL knowledge LhaL ls dlsconnecLed from lLs real
world appllcaLlons and Lhereby resulL ln sLudenLs LhaL are unable Lo Lhlnk crlLlcally. 1hls has helped Lo
lnlLlaLe our dlsLrlcL's shlfL ln focus from Lhe hlgh sLakes summaLlve assessmenL Lowards a formaLlve
assessmenL model LhaL supporLs Lhe success of all sLudenLs. SLarLlng nexL year Lhe emphasls wlll be on
ALL sLudenLs successfully compleLlng each course. 1hls means LhaL Lhe average classroom Leacher wlll
have Lo lncrease Lhelr focus on Lhe sLudenLs aL Lhe lower end of Lhe specLrum ln order Lo ensure Lhelr
success. Whlle formaLlve assessmenL pracLlces have been shown Lo have a poslLlve effecL on all
sLudenLs' learnlng, lL has a greaLer effecL on Lhe so-called lower achlevlng sLudenLs (8lack and Wlllam,
1998). 8y creaLlng a webspace LhaL employs prlmarlly formaLlve assessmenL sLraLegles l hope LhaL all
sLudenLs would be able Lo bulld more meanlngful knowledge. Accordlng Lo SLlgglns, an lmporLanL
pracLlce ln formaLlve assessmenL ls Lo provlde sLudenLs wlLh a clear ldea of Lhelr learnlng LargeLs (2008).
lL ls wlLh Lhls ln mlnd LhaL l deslgned an lnLroducLlon for each of Lhe learnlng pro[ecLs LhaL l creaLed LhaL
sLaLed clearly whaL Lhe sLudenLs should be able Lo do by Lhe end of Lhe pro[ecL.
lo otJet to solve ooy ptoblem leotoets most Jetetmloe wbot votlobles ote televoot, wbot lofotmotloo
sboolJ be sooqbt oboot tbose votlobles, ooJ wbeo tbe lofotmotloo ls obtoloeJ wbot sboolJ be Jooe wltb
lt (urlscoll, 2003). 1hls ls especlally Lrue of learnlng ln Lhe sclence classroom where analyzlng and
classlfylng lnformaLlon are fundamenLal. Cne of Lhe cenLral concepLs of slLuaLed learnlng ls LhaL
sLudenLs carry ouL acLlvlLles LhaL auLhenLlc pracLlLloners would do ln LhaL parLlcular fleld of sLudy. 8y
lncorporaLlng acLlvlLles such as asklng quesLlons, LesLlng hypoLheses, analyzlng resulLs, revlewlng Lhe
work of exLernal sources or Lhelr peers, explalnlng Lhelr poslLlons/raLlonales, Lhese sLudenLs wlll become
proflclenL ln Lhe meLhods used by auLhenLlc 8lologlsLs. 1hls dlalogue wlll also help Lhem as Lhey
consLrucL Lhelr own undersLandlng because lL wlll allow Lhem Lo [udge Lhe quallLy of Lhelr own soluLlons
as well as draw sLraLegles for problem solvlng from oLhers (urlscoll, 2003)
Accordlng Lo ulck and Carey an essenLlal sLep ln lnsLrucLlonal deslgn process ls Lo have an undersLandlng
of whaL skllls Lhe sLudenLs musL have prlor Lo Lhe beglnnlng of lnsLrucLlon (1990). 1he deslgner needs Lo
Jetetmloe oot ooly tbe speclflc koowleJqe ooJ skllls stoJeots most bove lo otJet to be teoJy to ose tbe
moJole, bot olso tbe qeoetol cbotoctetlstlcs of tbe leotoets wblcb moy be lmpottoot to tbe Jeslqo of
losttoctloo (ulck and Carey, 1990). 1he group of sLudenLs LhaL Lhls parLlcular web space addresses are
grade Lwelve (17-18 years old) hlgh school sLudenLs who have successfully compleLed 8lology 11 wlLh a
mlnlmum grade of 67. lL ls assumed LhaL Lhe sLudenLs wlll already have a baslc undersLandlng of
concepLs lnvolvlng cell sLrucLure, cellular processes, and sLrucLural chemlsLry as Lhese are all Loplcs
addressed ln Lhe Sclence 10 and 8lology 11 currlcula and Lhe web space wlll bulld from Lhls prlor
knowledge. lL ls assumed LhaL Lhese sLudenLs wlll have a baslc worklng knowledge of Lhe compuLer as
well as compuLer access (lf noL aL home Lhen we have compuLer access for Lhem aL Lhe school).
8ecause Lhese pro[ecLs wlll be used as supplemenLary Lo Lhelr ln-class Llme, l wlll also have an
opporLunlLy Lo demonsLraLe Lhe layouL and use of Lhe slLe whlch should help Lo mlnlmlze dlsLracLlons
due Lo confuslon surroundlng slLe funcLlons. Accordlng Lo lageL, Lhese sLudenLs are ln Lhe formal
operaLlonal sLage of developmenL and are Lherefore capable of Lhlnklng loglcally abouL absLracL
propositions as well as LesLlng hypoLheses sysLemaLlcally (ALherLon, 2003). Whlle lL ls argued LhaL
some people never acLually aLLaln or use Lhls sLage, my web space ls deslgned wlLh Lhe ldea LhaL Lhese
sLudenLs are capable of formal operaLlons.
Cne of Lhe prlmary sources of concern for many of my colleagues ls LhaL sLudenLs lack moLlvaLlon and
do noL Lake ownershlp over Lhelr learnlng and lL ls Lhls observaLlon LhaL provldes Lhe grounds for one of
Lhe crlLlques of consLrucLlvlsL learnlng envlronmenLs. Accordlng Lo SLelnberg, wbeo qlveo optloos,
leotoets oppoteotly cboose tbe polckest toote tbtooqb tbe losttoctloo, wbetbet ot oot tbot toote meets
tbelt leotoloq oeeJs (urlscoll, 2003). SLudenLs are slmply [umplng Lhrough Lhe hoops, Lrylng Lo
deLermlne whaL Lhe Leacher wanLs and whaL wlll be on Lhe LesL, raLher Lhan Lruly Lrylng Lo undersLand
Lhe concepLs and how Lhey can be used. Pow ofLen have Leachers heard Lhe quesLlon ls Lhls for
marks?" lL musL follow Lhen LhaL parL of bulldlng an effecLlve learnlng envlronmenL musL be Lo deslgn lL
ln such a way LhaL sLudenLs buy ln" Lo Lhe process of learnlng. 1hls same polnL was Lhe sLarLlng polnL
for Clbbs and Slmpson's paper on assessmenL sLraLegles and learnlng. 1hrough Lhelr research Lhey
found LhaL under LradlLlonal summaLlve based assessmenL sLraLegles LhaL sLudenLs were 'selecLlvely
negllgenL', spendlng Lhelr Llme only one whaL Lhey belleved would be on Lhe LesL and Lherefore noL Lruly
developlng an undersLandlng of Lhe maLerlal (Clbbs & Slmpson, 2004).
Lach semesLer LhaL l Leach 8lology 12 l conducL an lnformal poll aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe course ln order
Lo deLermlne how many sLudenLs have posL-secondary asplraLlons and generally a large ma[orlLy of Lhe
class plans Lo conLlnue Lhelr educaLlon. ln Lheory, Lhls should provlde Lhe sLudenLs wlLh some lnLrlnslc
moLlvaLlon Lo make an efforL ln Lhls course, however Lhls sLlll does noL seem Lo resolve Lhe problem of
sLudenLs prlmarlly focuslng on whaL's on Lhe LesL". ln order for sLudenLs Lo buy lnLo Lhe process of
learnlng, Lhey musL see Lhe relevance and feel some sorL of ownershlp over Lhelr learnlng. roponenLs
of ConsLrucLlvlsm explaln LhaL Lo some exLenL learners musL be able Lo ldenLlfy and pursue Lhelr own
learnlng goals (urslcoll, 2003). Accordlng Lo !onassen sLudenLs musL be provlded wlLh lnLeresLlng,
relevanL and engaglng problems Lo solve and LhaL Lhese problems should be lll-deflned so LhaL Lhe
sLudenL has some conLrol over Lhe dlrecLlon LhaL lLs soluLlon Lakes (!onassen, 1999). roponenLs of
SlLuaLed CognlLlon clalm LhaL knowledge musL be presenLed Lo Lhe learner ln acLlvlLles LhaL mlrror or
parallel Lhe pracLlces of Lhe culLure Lo whlch Lhey belong ln order for sLudenLs Lo see Lhe relevance and
lmporLance of whaL Lhey are sLudylng (urlscoll, 2003). As sLaLed aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhls arLlcle, l have
aLLempLed Lo lnclude as many open ended acLlvlLles as feaslble ln Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe webslLe
Lhereby helplng Lo lncrease lnLrlnslc moLlvaLlon for sLudenLs.
AssessmenL lLself can acL as an lmporLanL moLlvaLor ln Lhe learnlng envlronmenL. lormaLlve or balanced
assessmenL pracLlces can bulld a learner's sense of academlc self-efflcacy Lhereby lncreaslng lnLernal
moLlvaLlon (SLlgglns, 2008). 8y provldlng sLudenLs wlLh formaLlve assessmenL opporLunlLles, we can
lnform Lhem where Lhey are ln Lhe learnlng process wlLhouL dlscouraglng Lhem by only provldlng
summaLlve feedback. 1hls should also help Lake Lhe emphasls off whaL's on Lhe LesL" and puL lL back on
learnlng for Lhe sake of learnlng. Cne sLraLegy used ln formaLlve assessmenL ls peer evaluaLlon and
feedback. ln Lhelr revlew, 8lack and Wllllam (1998) found LhaL feedback lLself has an exLraordlnarlly
poslLlve effecL on Lhe reclplenL. !enklns (2004) reporLs LhaL lnvolvlng Lhe sLudenLs ln peer-assessmenL
can encourage moLlvaLlon, boLh Lhrough sLudenLs looklng aL peer's work and knowlng Lhelr own work
wlll be peer revlewed." My cholce Lo use dlscusslon boards, peer revlew and class polls have all derlved
from Lhls readlng and wlll hopefully serve Lo moLlvaLe sLudenL learnlng.
A common phenomenon among sLudenLs ls 'crammlng Lhe nlghL before Lhe LesL'. 8aLher Lhan gradually
worklng Loward an undersLandlng of Lhe maLerlal over Lhe course of a unlL, Lhey wlll spend hours Lhe
nlghL before Lhe LesL memorlzlng vasL amounLs of lnformaLlon LhaL wlll be forgoLLen Lhe momenL Lhey
are flnlshed. Clbbs and Slmpson reporL LhaL comblnaLlons of course work and examlnaLlons produced
beLLer sLudenL resulLs Lhan LesLs alone and LhaL coursework has more long Lerm consequences on
learnlng Lhan exam revlslon (2004). 1hese flndlngs supporL my use of Lhe webslLe pro[ecLs ln
con[uncLlon wlLh Lhelr course learnlng. 8y worklng on Lhe pro[ecLs LhroughouL Lhe unlL (as l speclfy Lhey
musL do ln Lhe lnLroducLlon for Lhe slLe) lL forces Lhe sLudenLs Lo revlew Lhe maLerlal gradually over Llme
and Lhereby hopefully helplng Lhem Lo develop a deeper undersLandlng of lL.
ln my own lnsLrucLlonal deslgn, l have Lrled Lo make use of ldeas from a number of dlfferenL learnlng
Lheorles, lncludlng ConsLrucLlvlsm, SlLuaLed CognlLlon and 8runer's dlscovery learnlng. l have
aLLempLed Lo embed Lhe learnlng ln problem solvlng Lasks, real world slmulaLlons and examples LhaL
acLual pracLlLloners ln Lhe fleld of blology use. leedback Lools such as polls and self-check qulzzes wlll
glve sLudenLs lmmedlaLe and descrlpLlve feedback, allowlng Lhem Lo check Lhelr undersLandlng as Lhey
make Lhelr way Lhrough each of Lhe unlLs. llnally onllne posLs and dlscusslons wlll allow Lhe sLudenLs Lo
LesL Lhelr undersLandlng agalnsL LhaL of oLher ln Lhelr class.




lnLeracLlvlLles and verlflcaLlon
l have already menLloned a number of Lhe lnLeracLlvlLles LhaL l plan Lo use ln Lhe prevlous secLlon along
wlLh my raLlonales for uslng Lhem. ln Lhls secLlon l plan Lo expand on and relLeraLe Lhe Lypes of medla
LhaL l wlll be uslng, followed by a dlscusslon of how l plan Lo assess Lhe valldlLy of my webspace.
ln order Lo faclllLaLe my chosen acLlvlLles, l have used Lhe learnlng plaLform creaLed by Lhe Cracle
LducaLlon loundaLlon, called 1hlnkCuesL (hLLp://www.LhlnkquesL.org/en/). 1hlnkCuesL seems Lo be a
robusL yeL user frlendly plaLform LhaL would be easy for Leachers of all Lechnologlcal ablllLles Lo
lmplemenL wlLhln Lhelr courses. noL only ls lL posslble Lo creaLe a webslLe for your speclflc course, buL
Lhe slLe provldes access Lo oLher Leachers/pro[ecLs ln your school, communlLy and ln Lhe world. lL also
provldes a comprehenslve llbrary of sLudenL developed learnlng pro[ecLs.
Whlle you do noL have Lo download any programs Lo run 1hlnkCuesL, you do have Lo be a member ln
order Lo creaLe web pages or pro[ecLs for your sLudenLs or Lo vlew Lhe pro[ecLs of oLhers. 8eglsLraLlon
lLself requlres a conLracL Lo be slgned by Lhe Leacher admlnlsLraLor and Lhe admlnlsLraLor of Lhe school.
Cnce you have reglsLered and creaLed your pro[ecL/unlL, you can creaLe sLudenL llsLs so LhaL your classes
can access Lhe webslLe. A drawback of Lhls feaLure ls LhaL aL Lhe beglnnlng of each semesLer Lhe
lnsLrucLor wlll have Lo add Lhe class llsL Lo Lhelr school llsL ln 1hlnkCuesL. Powever, for each subsequenL
pro[ecL LhaL you seL up you slmply check Lhe box nexL Lo Lhe sLudenL's name lf you would llke Lo add
Lhem Lo LhaL pro[ecL, speedlng up Lhe process. ?ou can also cusLomlze Lhe avallablllLy of Lhe webslLe
and Lhe sLudenL forums by chooslng Lo make Lhe pro[ecL vlslble Lo only your class, your communlLy or Lo
people on a global scale.
Whlle 1hlnkCuesL seems Lo be slmllar Lo oLher plaLforms such as WebC1 (and my knowledge of WebC1
ls llmlLed Lo Lhls course) l belleve LhaL lL wlll be more effecLlve ln capLlvaLlng Lhe aLLenLlon of younger
users. Plgh school sLudenLs wlll be drawn ln and appreclaLe Lhe colourful backgrounds and fonLs.
SLudenLs are able Lo cusLomlze Lhelr personal lcon uslng a seL of 'cuLe' graphlcs provlded by 1hlnkCuesL
and Lhe vlsuals and obvlous Labs wlll afford users of all levels Lo easlly navlgaLe Lhe slLe. SLudenLs each
has a home page LhaL Lhey can posL lnformaLlon abouL Lhemselves, lnLeresLlng llnks eLc. and Lhe prlvacy
of Lhese pages can also be changed. Powever one drawback LhaL l have found wlLh Lhls slLe ls LhaL you
are noL able Lo llnk pages LogeLher. 1he user musL always scroll back Lo Lhe menu on Lhe lefL hand slde
of Lhe page ln order Lo access Lhe oLher pages wlLhln Lhe pro[ecL. lf you wanL Lo go Lo anoLher pro[ecL,
you acLually have Lo reLurn Lo Lhe My Pome" Lab ln order Lo access Lhem. l see boLh of Lhese as
posslble sources of confuslon for some sLudenLs who are noL as adepL aL uslng Lhe compuLer and l would
llkely have Lo clarlfy Lhem ln an ln-class demo.
1he plaLform lLself provldes Leachers wlLh Lhe ablllLy Lo creaLe message boards, polls (Lhe numbers
become vlslble afLer Lhe sLudenL has voLed), ask me" secLlons and debaLes, whlch helps Lo saLlsfy Lhe
soclal aspecL requlred for meanlngful learnlng Lo occur. 1here ls also an opLlon Lo leave messages open
for edlLlng (much llke a wlkl page), so LhaL sLudenLs can edlL each oLher's work Lo creaLe a more
comprehenslve vlew of whaL Lhey are sLudylng. 1hls can easlly be done by changlng Lhe seLLlng for Lhe
pro[ecL, buL lL can only be done by Lhe pro[ecL admlnlsLraLor, so lL can be changed for speclflc classes lf
need be. SLudenLs and Leachers allke are able Lo aLLach flles from Lhelr personal compuLer, or creaLe
llnks Lo oLher webslLes/anlmaLlons/slmulaLlons.
ln class, l plan Lo dlrecL sLudenLs Lo go Lo Lhe 8ead me llrsL" page before Lhey begln work on any of Lhe
pro[ecLs. Cn Lhls page l ouLllne my goals for Lhe webspace, guldellnes for Lhelr use (lncludlng frequency
and Lype of posLlng) and dlrecLlons on how Lo proceed Lhrough Lhe pro[ecLs. Anderson (2009) explalns
LhaL 'Leacher presence' ls an lmporLanL componenL of successful onllne learnlng envlronmenLs and LhaL
glvlng dlrecLlons for and modellng effecLlve dlscourse ls a crlLlcal componenL of creaLlng effecLlve
Leachlng presence".
ln each of Lhe pro[ecLs l have creaLed Lhe flrsL page as an lnLroducLory page LhaL wlll clearly lnform Lhe
sLudenLs of Lhe learnlng goals for LhaL parLlcular pro[ecL. ln each of Lhe subsequenL pages l have broken
down Lhe concepLs, and provlded Lhe sLudenLs wlLh llnks, slmulaLlons, quesLlons and soclal lnLeracLlons
LhaL wlll help Lhe sLudenLs consLrucL a deeper undersLandlng of LhaL parLlcular Loplc. AL varlous
lnLervals Lhrough Lhe pro[ecL l plan on lncludlng self-check qulzzes (uslng Lhe poll Lool) so LhaL sLudenLs
can geL feedback on Lhelr progress as well as see how oLhers ln Lhe class are dolng on Lhe same
quesLlons. 1hls wlll also provlde me wlLh valuable lnformaLlon as Lo whlch quesLlons Lhe sLudenLs are
sLruggllng wlLh, lnformaLlon LhaL l can Lhen use Lo modlfy Lhe pro[ecLs.
l plan Lo verlfy Lhe efflcacy of Lhe webspace boLh quanLlLaLlvely and quallLaLlvely. lor Lhe quallLaLlve
evaluaLlon l plan Lo use sLudenL reflecLlon and feedback forms because probably Lhe besL [udge of a
sLudenL's confldence and undersLandlng of Lhe sub[ecL maLLer ls Lhe sLudenL Lhemselves. AL Lhe end of
each of Lhe unlLs l plan Lo have sLudenLs flll ouL feedback forms LhaL have Lhem evaluaLe Lhelr learnlng
Lhrough Lhe chapLer lncludlng quesLlons such as, do Lhey feel comforLable/confldenL wlLh Lhe sub[ecL
maLLer, how do Lhey feel Lhe onllne envlronmenL helped (or dldn'L help) Lhem, dld Lhey llke Lhls form of
learnlng, do 1PL? Lhlnk Lhey beneflLed from Lhls Lype of learnlng envlronmenL, whaL dld Lhey flnd Lhe
mosL helpful abouL lL, whaL would Lhey change and why eLc. noL only wlll Lhls provlde valuable
lnformaLlon LhaL l can Lhen use Lo modlfy Lhe webslLe buL lL wlll also have Lhe sLudenLs reflecL on Lhelr
learnlng. 1hls ln lLself can be very beneflclal Lo sLudenLs, as 8randon (2004) explalns because
conLlnuous learnlng as a resulL of reflecLlon on one's own acLlons ls one of Lhe deflnlng characLerlsLlcs
of professlonal pracLlce" as well as a key componenL of consLrucLlvlsL learnlng envlronmenLs. Pe
proposes LhaL Lhls reflecLlon process helps sLudenLs become crlLlcal Lhlnkers and helps Lhem Lo develop
lnLo professlonals.
CuanLlLaLlve evaluaLlon wlll be more dlfflculL because lL ls dlfflculL Lo compare one class Lo anoLher
because each has lLs own unlque dynamlcs, sklll seLs, prlor knowledge, moLlvaLlon eLc. Powever
because l have LaughL Lhe course for flve years now, l can look aL Lhe class average ln Lhose unlLs over a
flve year perlod and compare LhaL Lo Lhe class average of Lhe sLudenLs who compleLe Lhese pro[ecLs.
1hls should glve a rough numbers LhaL l could use for a quanLlLaLlve evaluaLlon.














G.H.G.I0.J
Anderson, 1., (2009),1be 1beoty ooJ ltoctlce of Oo-lloe Learnlng, 2
nd
LdlLlon, (pp. 343 - 363, Ch. 14
1eachlng ln an Cnllne Learnlng ConLexL). ALhabasca unlverslLy ress

ALherLon, !. S. (2003) leotoloq ooJ 1eocbloq. lloqet's Jevelopmeotol tbeoty [Cn-llne] uk: Avallable:
hLLp://www.learnlngandLeachlng.lnfo/learnlng/plageL.hLm Accessed: 8 lebruary 2009

8lack, ., & Wlllam, u., (1998), loslJe tbe 8lock 8ox. kolsloq 5tooJotJs tbtooqb closstoom ossessmeot,
hl uelLa kappan, vol. 80 lssue 2 p 139

8randon, 8. (2004) Applyloq losttoctloool 5ystems to coosttoctlvlsts leotoloq ovltoomeots, 1he L-
Learnlng uevelopers' !ournal [on-llne] Avallable:
hLLp://www.elearnlnggulld.com/pdf/2/062904uLS.pdf

Clancey,W.!. (1993) A LuLorlal on slLuaLed learnlng. ltoceeJloqs of tbe lotetootloool coofeteoce oo
compotets ooJ Jocotloo (1olwoo) Self, !. (Ld.) CharloLLesvllle, vA: AACL. 49-70, 1993

ulck, W., & Carey, L. (1990). 1he sysLemaLlc deslgn of lnsLrucLlon (pp. 2 - 11 - Ch 1: lnLroducLlon Lo
lnsLrucLlonal deslgn) new ?ork: Parper Colllns

urlscoll. M.. (2003). lsycboloqy of leotoloq fot losttoctloo, 1oronLo, Cn: earson

Clbbs, C. & Slmpson, C., (2004) cooJltloos uoJet wblcb Assessmeot 5oppotts 5toJeots leotoloq,
Learnlng and 1eachlng ln Plgher LducaLlon, lssue 1

!enklns, M., (2004) uofolfllleJ ltomlse. fotmotlve ossessmeot osloq compotet olJeJ ossessmeot,
Learnlng and 1eachlng ln Plgher LducaLlon, lssue 1

!onassen, u. (1999). ueslgnlng consLrucLlvlsL learnlng envlronmenLs. ln C. 8elgeluLh (Ld.), lnsLrucLlonal
deslgn Lheorles and models: volume ll. Mahwah, n!: Lawrence Lrlbaum

Mlller, .P. (2002). 1beotles of uevelopmeotol lsycboloqy, 4
tb
J. (pp. 367 - 396, Ch. 7 - vygoLsky's
Soclo-CulLural Approach). new ?ork: WorLh

MlnlsLry of LducaLlon (2006). 8lology 11 and 12: lnLegraLed resource package 2006 [onllne]. Avallable:
hLLp://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/lrp/blo1112_06.pdf

8elgeluLh, C.M. (1999) wbot ls losttoctloool-Jeslqo tbeoty ooJ bow ls lt cbooqloq? ln C.M. 8elgeluLh
(Ld.), lnsLrucLlonal-deslgn Lheorles and models: A new paradlgm of lnsLrucLlonal Lheory, vol. 2,.
Mahwah, n!: Lawrence Lrlbaum AssoclaLes

SLlgglns, 8., (2008, nov 18) Address. Speech presenLed Lo Leadlng rofesslonal uevelopmenL ln
Classroom AssessmenL Semlnar. orLland, Cr.



lease see 8eflecLlons below.























G"?:",-$*&#
l really en[oyed maklng Lhls webslLe and l would acLually llke Lo expand lL Lo Lhe resL of Lhe course as l
have Llme. 1here are so many dlfferenL slmulaLlons and anlmaLlons especlally when you geL lnLo Lhe
body sysLems LhaL l Lhlnk lL would be worLhwhlle for Lhe sLudenLs Lo work Lhrough. AlLhough Lhe
webslLe was falrly easy Lo work wlLh Lechnology wlse, l dld flnd creaLlng all of Lhe dlfferenL pages very
Llme consumlng and l would have llked Lo upload plcLures Lo Lhe slLe however l couldn'L flnd a way Lo
formaL Lhe slze and mosL of Lhe plcLures l Lrled Lo upload Lurned ouL way Lo small. l spenL a LC1 of Llme
golng Lhrough Lhe help pages buL could noL flnd a way Lo change plcLure slze. 1hls ls someLhlng l would
llke Lo lmprove on lf l have Llme Lo flnd ouL how.
l had found a loL of my sources before l sLarLed however l found LhaL Lhere were some Lhlngs LhaL l [usL
auLomaLlcally dld as l consLrucLed Lhe webslLe, llke lnclude a loL of peer evaluaLlon, feedback, and
dlscusslons. l had planned on uslng Lhls rlghL from Lhe beglnnlng because of Lhe soclal naLure of
learnlng, however as l was dolng my pro[ecL wrlLe up l found a number of arLlcles LhaL dlscussed Lhe facL
LhaL Lhese Lhlngs also greaLly lncrease moLlvaLlon. l found LhaL Lhls reafflrmed my declslon Lo use Lhese
Lypes of lnLeracLlvlLles.
AnoLher Lhlng worLh menLlonlng ls LhaL my experlence wlLh Lhls deslgn pro[ecL ls probably qulLe
dlfferenL Lhan Lhose of oLher sLudenLs based on Lhe facL LhaL l compleLed lL on my own raLher Lhan ln a
group (l was ln Chlna for a porLlon of Lhe course and Lherefore couldn'L [oln a group). ln ways l llked
worklng on my own, and ln oLher ways lL was dlfflculL.
l llked worklng on my own because l was able Lo choose a Loplc LhaL was enLlrely relevanL Lo me and Lhe
courses LhaL l Leach raLher Lhan chooslng a Loplc LhaL flL wlLh Lhe enLlre group. 1he resulL belng LhaL l
was able Lo produce someLhlng LhaL l acLually plan on uslng wlLh my 8lology 12 sLudenLs ln Lhe near
fuLure (alLhough Lhe unlLs are done for Lhls semesLer, l plan on uslng lL as a revlew acLlvlLy aL Lhe end of
May). lL was also nlce worklng on my own because l could work aL my own pace and when lL was
convenlenL for me, whlch was greaL conslderlng l was ouL of Lhe counLry for a porLlon of Llme.
Worklng on my own was dlfflculL ln LhaL l dldn'L really have anyone Lo bounce ldeas off of (l was able Lo
call !oe ln anoLher secLlon lf l was really sLuck). Were l worklng ln a group l would be able Lo be able Lo
dlscuss and come Lo a census when l was unsure of how Lo explaln my framlng of educaLlonal medla". l
would be able Lo share secLlons wlLh a group and have Lhem revlew and glve me feedback on Lhem ln
order Lo creaLe a beLLer flnal producL. Powever Lhese drawbacks only serve Lo reafflrm my bellef LhaL
soclal lnLeracLlons are exLraordlnarlly valuable ln Lhe consLrucLlon of knowledge.