The Resource Reallocation Function of Web Courselets

Abstract:

A “Web Courselet” is a set of customizable online course materials developed and pre-formatted for use in WebCT or other Courseware Management Systems (CMS). These newly emerging instructional products have the potential to redefine the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) process and the roles of those involved in providing Distance Education in Universities.

The presentation examines the resource-reallocation function of “Web Courselets.” It suggests a new paradigm for online course creation – one that is designed focused, rather than the current development-focused paradigm. The presentation also explores how this new paradigm will result in the redefinition of roles in faculty-support organizations, and the changes that may take place in the Instructional Design Process. One hoped-for consequences is an improvement in the quality of online educational courses based on University adoption of “Web Courselets”.
Keywords:

Web Courselet – A set of customizable online course materials developed and pre-formatted for use in WebCT or other Courseware Management Systems (CMS). Also referred to as “E-Packs”, “Resource Packs”, or “Online Learning Centers (OLC).

Sub-theme C:

The changing status, structures and functions of universities in the networked age: Increasing interdependence between knowledge producers and the economy in the knowledge society.
The Resource Reallocation Function of Web Courselets
Introduction

We use the word 'Courselets' to refer, at first, to the online course modules now being supplied by educational publishing companies ready for online delivery through major Course Management Systems (CMS), such as WebCT or Blackboard. These modules are generally designed to accompany a textbook, following its chapter structure, and providing additional resources and quiz questions.

Defined this way, Courselets are the latest manifestation of a trend, which began years ago in the publishing industry -- supplementing the traditional textbook with other instructional media, such as video, CD-ROMs, and, more recently, websites.

But even though they are in one sense, merely the next step in an evolutionary process, Courselets also represent a radically different capability. Due to the emergence and rapid adoption of Course Management Systems in post-secondary education, Courselets have the potential to move beyond supplementation and into outright replacement. Once it is installed inside a CMS, a Courselet is a complete stand-alone instructional vehicle. Students can interact directly with these Courselets-in-a-CMS as their entire credit-bearing experience, with minimal, if any, faculty involvement.

It is not inevitable that Courselets will lead education in this direction. More than ever before, however, the possibility exists for courses to be entirely commoditized and outsourced. Profit-making corporations would be the producers, educational institutions would be the middlemen, and students would truly be consumers.

Courselets are Here

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, publishing companies became multimedia producers, focusing on CD-ROMs as a readily distributable textbook supplement. Gradually the content development efforts shifted to the Web, so that by the late 1990s, all of the major educational publishers had created websites for most of the large enrollment undergraduate courses.

Like the CD-ROMs and the videocassettes before them, publisher websites were, at best, a collection of supplemental resources. It was not until the proliferation of Course Management Systems, such as WebCT or Blackboard, that the crucial step toward Instructor irrelevance was even conceivable; i.e., this potential has emerged within the past twelve months.

Let's take a look at where things stand:

1) The CMS Perspective: WebCT claims the highest adoption of its CMS in post-secondary education, with over 1500 colleges and universities around the world using the product. As of November 1, 2000, twenty-five publishers were offering a total of five hundred and ninety Courselets for the WebCT platform. This number is expected to grow at a phenomenal rate.

Blackboard, WebCT's primary CMS competitor in the higher education marketplace, is supported in a similar manner by many of the same publishers. Several publishers also support the eCollege and/or Top Class platforms.

All Course Management Systems providing Courselets use proprietary compression algorithms, which allow an entire online course to be "zipped," and only "unzipped," (uncompressed) within the specified CMS environment. The zipped Courselet can be supplied to the student via file-transfer protocol (FTP) or burned onto a CD-ROM that is then shipped.

2) Inside a Courselet: Courselets are designed around textbooks. They follow the topical structure of the textbook they are meant to accompany, with each topic supported by a wide range of resources that could be characterized as "Instructional Objects." A Courselet is not merely a collection of objects organized into chapters, however.

A Courselet can be seen as an almost-complete online course, immediately usable with very little modification. Publishers articulate their instructional design considerations by chunking and presenting the resources they supply into a coherent sequence. Prompts and suggestions are also provided to help the intended Faculty users in applying the material to fulfill educational objectives.

The resources contained in a Courselet include graphics, audio and video clips, simulations, self-tests, quizzes and examinations. These instructional objects are stored in searchable databases, so that Faculty users who do not wish to use a Courselet "as is" can easily pick and chose items to supplement their own material. Thus, a Courselet can be seen as a convenient and extensive source of completed objects for the development of customized learning support environments.

3) Producing Courselets: Publishers tend to select large-enrollment, general studies courses for building Courselets. However, if an editor thinks that supplementary material is warranted for a more specialized course, and has the budget for it, a Courselet may be developed.

Production models vary somewhat, but the process generally involves a Professor, acting as Subject Matter Expert (SME), working in conjunction with media specialists. The SME is responsible for an outline and summary of what is to be covered chapter by chapter, as well as test questions, suggested learning activities and a glossary. Since academic SMEs generally lack the computer skills or resources to develop digital multimedia content, this aspect of the process is handed off to technical specialists, who may work directly for the publisher or be independent contractors. Input into the content of a Courselet is also provided to an overall editorial team by the publishers' direct sales force, who are in daily contact with faculty in colleges and universities all over the world.

4) Acquiring Courselets: There are as many financial models for acquiring and using Courselets as there are publishers offering them. Most models involve student payment, either directly or indirectly.

First, in what might be called the "Student Centered" approach, the decision to purchase a Courselet is made solely by registered students in a given course. The economic transaction is exclusively between the publisher and the student, with a typical cost ranging between $20-$30 for a semester-based course.

In other cases, an instructor might decide to use the Courselet either on a stand-alone or a supplemental basis and pass the associated cost along to the students as an increased textbook fee. In one senior-level management course with approximately 30 registered students at Utah State University, the cost of