On the Design and Application of an Online Web Course for Distance Learning

Copyright © 2004, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. ABSTRACT Web course design and implementation are very important in effective distance learning. Such a work is related to a number of issues and needs considerable attentions. In this paper, a feasible framework for developing web courses and some of our experimental results along the design and application of a particular online course are discussed. It first addresses several major designing considerations to match the expected features with different factors in developing online web courses for distance learning, takeing into consideration various distinctions between online courses and traditional courses; it then introduces the structure and components more suitable for self-learning. In addition, the tools for developing online web courses play a significant role and have important influences over the developed courses. Based on some analytical discussions and real experimental results, different developing tools are compared in speed of loading, the file size generated, as well as security and flexibility. The comparison results are not only employed in the present development for improving the flexibility of the new web course, but also usable for developing other courses. Finally, the principles proposed and the tools selected have been concretely integrated in the implementation of a particular web course, which has been conducted with satisfactory results.