The World Wide Web has become a ubiquitous component of American life. Television ads provide URL's to obtain information. Movie studios create elaborate web sites to promote their latest movie. Even school children are making the web a part of their routine. Web66 (1998) currently maintains a list of over 13,000 k-12 institutions that have their own web presence. . At the post-secondary level, 33% of all college courses use the Internet, with 22% of all courses using web pages for class materials (Green, 1998). Any post-secondary institution that is not actively engaging their students in the use of this technology is depriving students of the opportunity to gain survival skills necessary for the coming decade.

Our review of materials suggests that in the post secondary classroom, the Internet is used in one of several ways. Some institutions are taking a minimalist approach where the only information available on-line is a brief course description, or perhaps a course syllabus. A few institutions have pushed to the other extreme and are working to provide entire courses , and in some cases entire programs over the Internet. Finally, a third group is seeking out a midline position where courses are supported or enhanced by materials available on-line. While these 3 categories appear to offer a range of possibilities, in practice the difference is quite small.

Almost all of the material provided as support for post-secondary education is provided in the form of printed text. Instructors retype their lecture notes and place them on-line. Overheads are scanned, converted into electronic files, and become available for viewing or download. In some cases, presentation materials such as PowerPoint slides are converted, but even these generally are little more that outlines or brief notes.

The World Wide Web is a very dynamic and diverse environment. Relying strictly on text materials moves us little beyond the "Kinko's Course Pak" that has been used to support classroom instruction at many universities for years. There is a need to help instructors move beyond the use of new technology to support old teaching, to using new technology to support new strategies.

Making this change may be very difficult for some, particularly those with limited technology skills. However, the rapid growth of the world wide web and its impact on every aspect of the computer industry actually makes the task easier. One must no longer be a computer geek or software guru to create a web presence. This paper divides the needs of the instructor who wishes to use the Internet into 3 components: course management, innovative strategies, and technology. Each of these components will be briefly addressed, and specific strategies will be provided that will help the reader become prepared to use the Internet in the classroom in a weekend! Course Management Tips

Managing an Internet-based course for the first time can seem overwhelming. One of the biggest challenges for the instructor involves adapting fundamental communication skills that enable them to communicate, relate to and interact with students with whom they may never have face-to-face contact. It is necessary for the instructor to develop innovative communication alternatives with their students. For example, an instructor teaching an Internet-Based course may use e-mail, message boards, and chatrooms as the primary communication mechanisms with their students. The instructor must learn to adapt their communication skills to these forums. This section of the paper will provide several course management tips that can ease the transition from traditional on-campus instruction to Internet-based course delivery.

Selection of Course(s)

Instructors should select a course they have previously taught and feel extremely comfortable with teaching. Familiarity with subject matter allows the instructor to concentrate more on Internet-based course delivery mechanisms. Proper course selection can minimize a considerable amount of anxiety during the transition to an Internet-based course.

Preparation of course material

Course content material should be thoroughly thought out and developed well in advance of the delivery time for the Internet-based course. For example, the instructor must clearly identify all major topic areas to be covered in the course, the major areas of emphasis, and the natural breakdown of subject matter into logical areas of presentation. Instructors should anticipate increased course preparation time that frequently far exceeds that for on-campus courses.

Selection of Communication Mechanisms

Consideration of available technology options for course delivery is extremely important and should be done in conjunction with preparation of course material when possible. While technology options may vary depending upon available resources and institutional support, both asynchronous and synchronous technology options should be considered. With asynchronous technology options, communication is delayed over time. Asynchronous communication allows students to interact and to access course information at times that are most convenient to their schedules. Examples of asynchronous technology options include e-mail, listservs, and web-based bulletin boards. Synchronous technology tools allow for communication to occur at the same time. Synchronous communication allows immediate interaction with the instructor and other students; however, students are required to be in front of their computers at a specific day and time, which detracts from the convenience of Internet-based courses. Examples of synchronous technology tools include chatrooms, net phones, and videoconferencing.

Working with technical support

Familiarizing yourself with available technical support at your institution is very important. For example, the technical assistant can help the instructor match the course assignments with the most appropriate Internet-based tools available for course delivery. It is critical to develop an on-going relationship with the technical support personnel available at your institution.

Technical tutorial

Developing a technical tutorial designed specifically for the class to be taught as an Internet-based course can help identify student familiarity with technology. The tutorial could consist of a web page containing detailed technical information and specific tasks students are required to complete during the first week of the semester. Students must successfully complete all tutorial activities in order to obtain the user name and password allowing them access to the cyber classroom. Specific activities include: a) subscribing to the course listserv; b) creating and attaching a document to an e-mail message and sending the message to the course instructor’s e-mail address; c) accessing and using the Webboard; d) exploring the university ‘s library web site; e) using a search engine (Yahoo, Lycos; Excite, etc.) to conduct an Internet search; and f) sending an e-mail to the course instructor to request the user name and password to access the course cyber classroom.

Flexibility

Instructors teaching Internet-based courses should be flexible and willing to make adaptations when necessary. Having a contingency plan in the event of technology failures or glitches is a good idea. The contingency plan allows the course instructor to have other communication mechanisms in place to fall back on.

Keep up with technology options

It is important the Internet course instructors stay current with every changing technology options. As technology continues to expand and provide more and more user friendly options, Instructors may choose to alter their course delivery mechanisms to reflect the latest available technology options. The opportunities for Internet-based course instruction are endless. Innovative Uses of the Web

There is nothing wrong with using the Internet to provide student's access to text-based materials. Copies of lecture notes, sample assignments, copies of articles placed on reserve in the library, can all be made readily accessible from virtually any computer. Increasing ease of access may increase the actual act of access by students. However, limiting oneself to this level of material keeps the instructor and the student from realizing the full potential of the Intent. This section of the paper will provide several specific strategies that can easily be implemented to provide students with new learning opportunities.

Games

One way to get students more involved in work is to add some element of surprise, competition, or fun into the task. Settling upon the popularity of the TV quiz show Jeopardy!, the resourceful instructor will find that a translation to Biology Jeopardy or Poet Jeopardy is an easy task. While adding the high-end trappings of the actual game show may be time consuming, creating a simple WebPage with links between answers and questions can be done in many word processors. As a source of review, this advanced flash card set may have enough novelty to get even reluctant students to increase their study time. An alternative approach is to have students create their own jeopardy simulations, or to provide the instructor with answers and questions that can then be used in the future.

Communicating with others

The original intent of the Internet was to create a network of computers which would allow scientists and researchers the opportunity to share data. This is still one of the strongest potentials of the Internet. Fortunately, sharing this information has become easier than ever before. A variety of products such as ICQ and PowWow are available as freeware or shareware that allow real-time communication across the Internet. This makes it possible to have students interact directly with experts, the author of texts, or other students without ever paying a long-distance phone charge. Drawing upon colleagues at other institutions, most instructors will find they have access to a wide range of experts who will willingly share 30 minutes of their time to respond to student questions.

Practice Problem Solving

A variety of research has indicated that in tutor-tutee relationships, the tutor often shows the greatest gains in academic achievement. Field experiences are difficult to arrange, are time consuming, and for many students are impractical because of heavy demands outside of the classroom. One way to provide an opportunity for students to experience the tutor role is to create a homework help site on the Internet. Using a bulletin board package, an instructor can set up a "conference" for each student in a class. Each conference can focus on a different area of the course content. For instance, in a biology class, conferences may be set up which correspond to each of the major topics being covered in the course. If the site is registered through search engines on the Internet, K-12 (and maybe post-secondary students) will find the site as they are seeking information for homework. These younger students may then post specific questions to the conference that most closely resembles their need, and the tutor can then reply (usually within 24 or 48 hours). To ensure that students are exposed to a variety of information, they may be responsible for a different conference each week of the semester. To ensure use of this service, the post-secondary instructor may distribute information through local k-12 schools advertising the service and its operation.

Multimedia

To quickly capture the attention and imagination of students, audio and video clips are a wonderful method to move beyond text-based materials. Windows '95 provides everything that is necessary to create small sound files. The addition of an $80 quickcam provides everything necessary to create simple "talking head" lectures. One problem with multimedia of this kind is the length of time necessary for most students to access the material over standard phone lines. Even when the clips are kept to 2 minutes, the download time can be quite long. Fortunately, streaming technology has become quite good in the past 2 years, and with a minimum of support from computer services, mini-lectures of 5-8 minutes can be easily created. Streamed to students, the download time can be reduced to seconds, and the student response quite strong.

Sharing Student Work

Sharing information between students can be a powerful way to expose students to a wide range of materials. Often, student presentations are very accessible to other students because they are written at a level that the student can easily comprehend. Further, experience suggests that student presentations often contain a level of creativity and application that is missing in the work of some classroom instructors. The advent of the Internet provides a very easy way to share information among all students. Instead of creating a typical term paper (or in addition to) students may be asked to create a PowerPoint presentation. A minimum number of slides may be required, and specific details concerning title slides, content areas, and bibliographies may be developed. Students can submit there finished product to the instructor via e-mail or on disk. PowerPoint will automatically create html files to be placed on the university server, and every student then has access to every other student's materials. This project can be enhanced by requiring students to review the work of others, and discuss their reviews in class on via an on-line bulletin board.

Professional Development

In many settings, an important component of the educational experience is preparation for specific job tasks related to a student's career path. The world wide web is a very powerful tool to introduce students to a variety of careers. This may be done by having students participate in professional listservs or participate in on-line conferences. Other uses for professional development include visiting the web site of common professional associations (or competing associations when they exist) or tracking down specific career information including on-line databanks of job openings.

Simulations For years, computers have been marketed as a substitute for hands on activities. One such simulation that is often talked about, is replacing the dissection of animals with simulations in the biology classroom. This particular opportunity is now available on line through virtual frog dissection sites (Kinzie, 1994). This allows students to repeat the experiment on their own time, as often as necessary to gain mastery. Those with a high level of technology skills may choose to create their own simulations.

In many respects, the world wide web is still in its infancy. Most post-secondary educators have no more experience, and in many cases less experience than our students. In order to provide our students with appropriate preparation for their futures, it is incumbent on all colleges and universities to incorporate technology into our classrooms. However, we must be careful that we are not simply using good technology to further bad teaching. Largely, the rules about how and when to use this technology in the classroom do not exist. Those educators who are struggling daily with these issues are the pioneers who are breaking ground for the next wave that will follow. This paper has provided a series of strategies, techniques, and tips about how to successfully compete in this changing environment.

Having challenged the reader to think beyond the unidimensionality of text on the Internet, the authors have challenged themselves to move beyond the flatness of a printed manuscript. Excellent teaching requires sight, sound, and hands-on opportunities to create, problem solve, and experience. Therefore, this paper is supported by a website, designed specifically to help the reader gain the skills necessary to enact the ideas mentioned here. This site can be found at http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/jtyler/teach-on-line.htm.

Green, K (1998). Colleges struggle with IT planning [On-line]. Available: www.campuscomputing.net.

Kinzie, M. (1994). The interactive frog dissection: An on-line tutorial [On-line]. Available: http://teach.virginia.edu/go/frog/.

Web66 (1998). Web66 School Web Site Statistics [On-line]. Available: http://web66.umn.edu/schools/stats/stats.html.