ERIC Number: ED427730
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1998-Nov
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Cognitive and Social Functions of Course Web Sites.
Reeves, Thomas C.; Dehoney, Joanne
The work reported in this paper is part of an ongoing qualitative study of faculty uses of the Internet at the University of Georgia. The goal of the study is to categorize the functions of "class pages" (i.e., World Wide Web sites that have been personally developed by instructors to support traditional face-to-face classes) from both researcher and faculty perspectives. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the functions of 25 publicly accessible class Web sites were analyzed. The following functions were identified: course management, instructional text, instructional graphics, Internet resources, software, and communication. A subset of five Web site authors were then interviewed. It was found that: all sites performed course management functions valued by instructors; a small subset also demonstrated easily implemented, successful, and pedagogically interesting uses of the Web; and pages in the sample conveyed implicit and explicit social information to students about the class and instructor through four primary channels. A graph of the class Web page functions is included. Three tables present data on: cognitive aspects of learning environments represented in class Web pages; socialization strategies found within class pages; and profiles of interviewed instructors. (Author/AEF)
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, College Faculty, Computer Uses in Education, Content Analysis, Conventional Instruction, Course Content, Educational Environment, Higher Education, Interviews, Material Development, Qualitative Research, Role, Social Influences, Tables (Data), Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Developed Materials, Use Studies, World Wide Web
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A