Clement DZIDONU <dzidonu@usa.net>
National University of Science and Technology
Zimbabwe
Elijah OMWENGA <elijah@uon.ac.ke>
University of Nairobi
Kenya
An Interactive Infrastructure for Facilitating Learner-Participation Within a Web-Enabled Courseware Delivery Environment
Clement K. Dzidonu Ph.D. Department of Computer Science National University of Science and Technology Bulawayo, Zimbabwe email: dzidonu@usa.net
and
Elijah Omwenga Institute of Computer Science University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya email: elijah@uon.ac.ke
Abstract
The emerging electronic messaging delivery technologies promised the development and implementation of virtual learning systems facilitated mainly by the Web and the other resources of the Internet for facilitating interactive and collaborative learning experience, without the constraint of space and time.
A major challenge facing course, program and courseware developers is how to use the vast and ever increasing potential and resources of the Internet to develop and deliver courses and programs that enhances learner participation in the learning and knowledge acquisition process within a campus-based and distance educational set-up.
There is an overwhelming need to develop multimedia courseware development systems and tools not simply as replacements for traditional teaching methods and tools but as means for experimenting with and delivery on new learner-centered concepts and paradigms using the resources of the Web as a development environment and a delivery platform.
It is our view that the advances in electronic messaging and multimedia presentation technologies are making high quality courseware easier to design, develop and deliver than was possible before.
In this paper we present the philosophy behind the development of EDUWEB - a multimedia tool designed to support the development and delivery of multimedia and interactive courseware for both campus-based and distance education environments.
EDUWEBTM developed within JAVATM provides a flexible on-line virtual multimedia environment for courseware development, delivery and examination. The underlying design philosophy of EDUWEBTM takes into account the need to accommodate in the design of a given courseware the potentials, capabilities and learning and training requirements as well as the limitations and deficiencies of the targeted group of learners for which the courseware is being developed for.
The EDUWEB design allows for all types of interactions and cooperative arrangements between learners on one hand as well as learners and instructors on the other hand to facilitate a learning process within an interactive collaborative virtual learning environment.
The paper specifically presents and demonstrates the interactive features of EDUWEB and show how they are designed to support and enhance learner-participation within a Web-enabled courseware delivery environment.