Web Design Applications: Student Oriented Learning for Online

1. Web Design Applications: Student Oriented Learning for Online Nisar Keshvani (x 8264) keshvani@np.edu.sg www.np.edu.sg/~knh

2. Web Design Applications: Student Orientated Learning for Online • Scope of Presentation • Context of Web Design Applications • Teaching Strategies / Techniques • Feedback • What’s next? • Q&A

3. Context of Web Design Applications • Students completed Intro to Web Design & Computer Graphics (core unit with software focus) • WDA: appreciation of web design, content development, interactive media skills • 1 hr lecture & 3 hour tutorials (16 hours p wk) • 110 students • Computer labs equipped with Macromedia package, etc

4. Challenges faced : • Teaching Mass Comm students (intelligent, vocal, active, some hate PCs, esp female students) • Media savvy • Have to challenge them since they are net-crazy (blog users, heavy surfers with good home PC Setups) • Sometimes better than NP labs

5. Organising your tutorials • Tutorial organisation: • Checklist and time sheets • Multi-modular approach (variety) • Journal Reflection (on-going assessment) • Individual assignment feedback • Self-driven (software) learning at individual pace

6. Web-based learning • WDA website components: www.np.edu.sg/~knh/wda • Lectures, Tutorials, Assessment, Announcements • Resources (lecturer and student recommended websites)

7. Encouraging Creativity • Assessment for unit: • Journeys Assignment (web based project which brings user on a journey) • Reflective Journal (encourage student thinking) • Online Publications (create a living publication around any topic or idea)

8. Encouraging Creativity & Peer Learning • Peer tutoring (synthesis of learning) • Field Trip (Visit to Singapore Art Museum to critique Nokia CyberArt Exhibition) • Student-Teacher Developed Peer Assessment (Show points & final assessment criteria) • Note-taking by students (from the white board) – satisfies their “Something on paper desire”

9. Reflective Journals • Reflective journal (purpose): • a)lessons learnt during Web Design classes • b)reflections and thoughts by student within Mass Comm, and in their personal lives, • c) Documentation of the students’ assignments, and projects and evolution of ideas through the module. • Show examples of responses

10. Sample of Journal Responses (open letter) Dear Nisar (positive comments): “A lot of teachers say that they would like to learn from us, but a lot of them don’t mean it, so I really appreciated it when you showed the Anna Sui (Ed: my contribution) website” – Germaine “I just want you to know that there are people who appreciate the things you do. I can see you are putting in a lot of effort into this module.” – Mong Xin “WDA has been enriching. Who can forget when you sit beside us and prompt us till we get solutions? I WON’T” – David Pillai

11. Sample of Journal Responses ii (open letter) Dear Nisar (positive comments): “Its incredible how a lecturer can make a technically-inclined module interesting ... I am surprised by how my learning has been made effective by the way you teach and to me that was interesting” – Benedict David “ps: i'm still wonderin how a person like me (yes I failed web graphics and design in year 1), can have his work requested to be published online by a lecturer ... *shakes head dumbfoundedly*. And i really used to hate web design i tell ya.. .” – Benedict

12. Sample of Journal Responses iii (open letter) Dear Nisar (positive comments): “I'd just like to say i really enjoyed your lessons and that you have contributed, in the most colossal of ways, to my newfound interest and skills in web or anything technical. I can actually turn on the computer without first conducting a blessing ceremony. (",) I maintain that Dreamweaver rocks.... "Like sands through the hour glass, so are the Days Of 2T10...“ – Vanessa Yeo (show peer evaluation)

13. Sample of Journal Responses iv (open letter) Dear Nisar (negative comments): “Maybe you can try using more creative approaches to teach. More activities to stimulate interests and motivate … Not many people like web stuff – I just don’t have the interest and talent. Maybe 5 years or even one year down the road, I will forget all I have learnt. But at least I can boast I’ve set up websites before …” – Michelle Tan

14. Sample of Journal Responses v (open letter) Dear Nisar (negative comments): “I guess not everyone will be able to adapt to the way you teach each student as in I can’t learn anything if you keep shooting me back with questions, everytime I ask you one” “You cant just stick to one kind of teaching method, because everyone is different, they are not standardised yeah.” - Alen Seow

15. Sample of Journal Responses vi (open letter) Dear Nisar (negative comments): “Sometimes you are rather impatient and expect as if all students know everything. That is when I feel intimidated about WDA seeing some web savvy students know their way around. Somehow there are those who refuse to help. - Fairuz Shariff

16. What’s next? • End of semester? Its always back to the drawing boards • To evaluate what went right, wrong? • Currently working on my presentation techniques • Students have indicated I am too lenient (be strict) • Developing subject guide with NP Library • Need to address comments about student learning technique (about 5 out of 110)

17. Contact • nisar keshvani, FMS • tel: 64608264 • keshvani@np.edu.sg • Keshvani@np - www.np.edu.sg/~knh • WDA - www.np.edu.sg/~knh/wda