Session I:
On-Campus ALN
Burks Oakley II – UIUC
Jimmie D. Doll – Brown
Edwin Kashy – Michigan State
William G. Claus – Virginia Tech
Lanny Arvan – UIUC
John C. Ory – UIUC

The Virtual Classroom:
At the Cutting Edge
of Higher Education
Prof. Burks Oakley II
Sloan Center for Asynchronous
Learning Environments (SCALE)
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
May 2, 1996

What are some challenges
   facing higher education?
•	Innovative learning environments
•	Quality and efficiency of learning
•	Active learning and teamwork
•	Retention and time-to-degree
•	Economics of higher education
•	Faculty productivity
•	Distance education; life-long learning
How can we address
      these challenges?
•	We believe that networked computers with the appropriate software can provide an answer to this question.
•	These new approaches to learning involve access to Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN).
Sloan Center at UIUC
•	We implemented the Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments (SCALE) in March 1995, and taught our first ALN courses in the Fall 1995 semester.
•	We now are integrating Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) into courses in many different curricula.
SCALE – Revised Courses
•	We currently are supporting 52 undergraduate courses in 7 different colleges.
•	We will be working with faculty to restructure >20 courses this summer.
•	Most of our efforts are aimed at “on-campus” learners, but we are starting to work with faculty on other campuses to develop joint courses.
What is an ALN course?
•	Access to networked learning materials
•	Interactive course materials
•	Simulations and multimedia
•	Homework and quizzes
•	Access to people via the Internet
•	Subject matter experts (faculty, TA)
•	Other students (peer-peer interactions)
What software is used
	in an ALN course?
•	World-Wide Web browsers
•	Mosaic, Netscape
•	Asynchronous conferencing
•	PacerForum, FirstClass, Lotus Notes
•	Web Notes, Web Chat, Newsgroups
•	Proprietary courseware & software
•	PowerPoint, Excel, Word
What is needed to get
     started with ALN?
•	Motivation
•	Time – to learn, to develop materials
•	Institutional support structure
•	Access to hardware and software
•	Quality training
•	Administrative  recognition

•	The “web” can be used to implement an ALN environment that provides:
•	Lecture material and class notes
•	Links to on-line resources
•	Simulations and multimedia
•	Interactive homework and quizzes
World-Wide Web
•	Richard Crang – Plant Biology 102.
World-Wide Web
•	Richard Crang – Plant Biology 102.
World-Wide Web
•	Jane Leuthold – Economics 102.
World-Wide Web
•	Immediate feedback to students.
World-Wide Web
•	Donna Brown – Mallard™
Mallard™
•	Lessons on each subject in course.
Mallard™
•	Questions include figures or tables; answers include Boolean expressions.
Mallard™
•	Administrative interface.
Mallard™
•	Continuous monitoring of student progress.
Mallard™
•	Continuous monitoring of student progress.
World-Wide Web
•	Alfred Hübler – CyberProf ™
World-Wide Web
•	Deanna Raineri – Biology 122.
World-Wide Web
•	Deanna Raineri – Biology 122.
•	Interactive homework with multimedia
World-Wide Web
World-Wide Web
•	Tarek Shawki – TAM 221.

•	Networked computers do more than provide access to information.
•	Networked computers also provide access to people.
•	student-student interactions.
•	student interactions with faculty and with TA’s.
FirstClass Software
•	Permits asynchronous conferencing using networked computers.
•	Commercial product ($5 per user).
•	Client-server architecture.
•	Macintosh & Windows clients.
•	Server can be accessed from anywhere on the Internet.
•	>4000 student users on UIUC campus.
Courses using FirstClass
•	Spring 1996 classes on “Instruct”.
Course Information
•	Easy way to distribute course material.
Increased Student-
	Faculty Interactions
Critical Thinking
•	Economics 300 – Prof. Lanny Arvan.

•	Faculty can work from home at convenient hours.
Computer Conferencing
•	Provides “virtual office hours” – at the times when students work.
•	Provides cost-effective TA support to large lecture courses.
•	Promotes teamwork.
•	Builds sense of community.
•	Increases student access to faculty and TA’s outside of the classroom.
Development of new 
    ALN courses at UIUC
•	Continuum of ALN courses
•	Emphasis on the Web
•	Emphasis on conferencing
•	Some faculty start with the web, others start with conferencing.
•	JUST DO IT!
Implications for the Future
•	Students and faculty will need increased access to networked computers both on- and off-campus.
•	Faculty will need assistance in using new learning technologies and in developing new networked courses.
•	There will be an on-going need for quality training and support.
Implications for the Future
•	We will see more inter-institutional cooperation in course development and implementation.
•	These ALN technologies will break down barriers and lead to a new type of distance education.
•	These technologies also will be used by off-campus individuals in life-long learning.
Panel Discussion – 
       On-Campus ALN
•	Jim Doll – Brown
•	Ed Kashy – Michigan State
•	Bill Claus – Virginia Tech
•	Lanny Arvan – UIUC
•	John Ory – UIUC
Chem 31 Project
Jimmie D. Doll
Chemistry Department
Brown University
May 2, 1996

Chem 31 Project
•	General
•	honors, introductory chemistry course
•	demanding admissions, pace
•	130+ students, principally first year
•	History
•	1993: introduction of molecular modeling, visualization
•	1994: web based ALN course
•	1995: Self-paced option (18 students)
Chem 31 Project
•	Future
•	emerging set of courses 
•	web-based sequence

E. Kashy, M. Thoennessen,
and S. L. Wolfe
Michigan State University
May 2, 1996

•	An Asynchronous Learning Network (First ClassTM) was used in a 450 student physics class at Michigan State University during Fall 1995, in combination with a networked software tool for personalized assignments, quizzes and examinations, CAPAÓ.
ALN made possible the efficient communication of complex material.
•	CAPA problem on Hurricane Emily:
Effective communication about challenging material was fostered when quality materials were posted on the ALN.
•	CAPA problem requiring the use of a double integral:
Informative postings with sophisticated graphics and mathematics spurred students’ use of ALN.
ACCESS
ASYNCHRONOUS 
COMMUNICATION COURSES  TO
ENABLE  STUDENT SUCCESS
  
G. William Claus

Our Question
•	Can we effectively use asynchronous communication methods to teach large biology classes in ways that will improve both student learning and the quality of faculty members’ lives?
Sloan ACCESS Goals
•	To convert certain large, traditionally taught, lecture-oriented science classes into computer oriented courses where students have total access to all course materials.
•	To encourage active learning experiences for students by using technology to enhance individual skill development and to customize the learning process.
•	To learn what impact technology has on the economics  of education and faculty productivity.
My Primary Goal
•	To convert old transparencies for a large microbiology class into computer-presentations for classroom use and student study.
•	This goal has been accomplished this semester for 40 lectures.
•	examples in next three slides
14.0
  
THE  VIRUSES

Assigned Reading = Chapters 15 and 16
14.0  The Viruses
•	14.1   Introduction
•	14.2   Range of Host Species
•	14.3   Basic Properties of Viruses
•	14.4   Virus Cultivation
•	14.5   Viral Replication
•	14.6   Phenomenon of Lysogeny
•	14.7   Stopping Viral Infections
•	14.8   Viruses and Cancer
•	14.9   Viroids:  A new Kind of Pathogen?
•	14.10  Prions

My Secondary Goals 
1.  Develop a World-Wide Web site 
     for the course

My Secondary Goals 
1.  World-Wide Web site for course
2.  Develop and manage a News 
     Page for class announcements

My Secondary Goals 
1.  World-Wide Web site for course
2.  News page for class announcements
3.  Extensive Course Notebook page

My Secondary Goals 
1.  World-Wide Web site for course
2.  News page for class announcements
3.  Extensive Course Notebook page
4.  Questions page
My Secondary Goals 
1.  World-Wide Web site for course
2.  News page for class announcements
3.  Extensive Course Notebook page
4.  Questions page
5.  Explore page
My Secondary Goals 
1.  World-Wide Web site for course
2.  News page for class announcements
3.  Extensive Course Notebook page
4.  Questions page
5.  Explore page
6.  Chat page
Home Page Hits
From 15 January to 28 March, 1996

•	Class Web Site                    12, 864
•	News Page	                          7, 460
•	Course Notebook Page  	10, 393

•	Class started with 284  and ended with 269 students
Time Invested –
    Spring 1996
•	Project Manager – 185  hours
•	Production Technician – 240  hours
•	Programmer – 40  hours
•	Grad. Teaching Assistant – 380  hours
•	Faculty Member – not determined
Summary
•	Presentation materials  have superior quality
•	Slides are more easily updated
•	Class attendance was not lower than before
•	Students listen instead of write during lecture
•	Students more likely to help one another
•	Students more likely to blame self for poor performance
•	Self-study modules stimulate better interaction
•	Networked computers allow very easy access
Paying for the
Costs of ALN
Lanny Arvan
Economics Department
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
May 2, 1996

Problem Statement
•	ALN offers benefits - increased student access.
•	ALN entails fixed costs - servers, network administrators, trainers, etc.
•	ALN may also entail non-labor variable costs, e.g., licenses.
•	Do the benefits exceed the costs?
•	How do we pay the costs?
Re-Couching the 
     Problem Statement
•	Can labor costs be reduced enough to cover the other ALN costs while leaving a net benefit to students?
•	Measuring labor costs
•	Units = weekly faculty hours/student
Strategies
•	S1:  Increase lecture size in multi-section courses – fewer sections.
•	S2: Eliminate quiz sections in large lecture courses.
•	S3: Eliminate one (or more) lectures per week in stand alone courses.
Tools
•	On-line quizzes
•	 Randomly generated questions
•	On-line tutorials
•	On-line TA’s 
•	Graduate Students
•	3 GS hours » 1 faculty hour
•	Undergraduate Hourlies
•	10 UGS hours » 1 faculty hour
Econ 300 – Spring ‘96
•	FirstClass: homework (chat, on-line submission, teams, grading), counseling
•	The Web:  quizzes, notes, other links
•	Enrollment increased
•	Typical section (60);  My section (150)
•	Undergraduate TA’s used extensively
•	Typical section – 1 grad student grader
•	My section – 3 undergraduate TA’s
Future Directions
•	From pioneers to the mainstream
•	Rotating in other faculty into an already developed course.
•	New course development based on a successful development model.
•	Getting others “hooked” on the power of ALN.
Evaluation of SCALE:
First Semester Results, Fall 1995
John C. Ory
Office of Instructional Resources
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
May 2, 1996

ALN Courses
       Evaluated
•	Focus on computer conferencing
•	19 courses in 14 departments
•	Representing 5 colleges
Data Collected
•	From students
•	1438  pre-course surveys (16 courses)
•	1118  post-course surveys (17 courses)
•	    10  class interviews
•	From faculty
•	26 pre-course interviews
•	  6 post-course interviews
•	23 post-course surveys
•	Five courses monitored

•	51%  of students reported increased communication with instructor
•	43% of students reported increased communication with other students
•	40% reported increase in quality of interactions with instructor

•	Student:  “I learned much more than I ever had due to the high interaction between student-student and student-teacher.”
•	Faculty:  “I believe the quality of my interactions with students was the highest I have ever experienced.”

•	“Information when you want it”
•	“personal control of information”
•	“study material was easy to access”
•	“Web was great supplement to lectures”
•	“I could pay more attention in class and worry less about taking notes”

•	75% of students rated their overall experience good, very good, or excellent.
•	ALN enables students to “be more prepared for class,” gives them “a lot of time to learn out of class,” and allows them “to work at own pace.”

•	“asking questions that couldn’t be answered in class”
•	“better understanding of different points of view”
•	“the ease in getting in touch with the professor”
•	“talking more to my peers”

•	Amount of your learning?
If/When...
•	Students and instructors were adequately trained
•	Students made an effort
•	Instructors made an effort
•	There was sufficient access to computers