Ac 2007-363: an Interactive Web-based Statics Course

Progress in developing a web-based Statics course through foundation support is reported. This course is part of a larger initiative that seeks to create and sustain freely available, cognitively informed learning tools designed to provide a substantial amount of instruction through the digital learning environment. Courses are interactive and self-correcting, by providing substantial feedback both to students and to instructors. The Statics course, in particular, draws in part upon the authors’ ongoing work to recognize conceptual difficulties in Statics and to reorganize Statics instruction to better address the conceptual challenges students face. Each module is based on a set of carefully articulated learning objectives, and contains expository text and various interactive exercises and simulations. The explanation of basic concepts capitalizes appropriately on the computer’s capability for displaying digital images, video, and simulations controlled by the user. Assessment is tightly integrated within each module, with students confronting frequently interspersed “Learn by Doing” activities, which offer hints and feedback. Summative “Did I Get This” interactive assessments at the end of each section in a module signal to students if additional studying is needed to meet learning objectives.