EFFECTIVE PRACTICES DATABASE
title	Using e-content to enhance learning in traditional classroom based teaching
background	The department of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Athens, Greece, is increasingly using e-content to support traditional courses. Lately our interest focuses on exploiting the Web to encourage "deeper" learning amongst the students. The web can be used as a source of information or means of content delivery - but how can the content provided encourage theory-building and experimentation, since both are important activities of science? Also, which is the less cost and effort-consuming way to provide e-content?
practice	The last years we experiment on the development of e-content and on different ways of delivering it. We have already developed e-content for two modules on Computer Architecture( in the form of web-pages included in the modules’ sites) as well as for an introductory module on computer science. The latter is delivered through the TopCalss platform. The undergraduate students of the Department who attend these modules have access to this e-content as a supplementary resource to the traditional handouts of the modules. The e-content is organised in a hypermedia form including theory presentations and interactive simulations. The development of the theory presentations was based on guidelines for developing educational material for distance learning. In more detail, the e-content of each module is divided into manageable segments: chapters, units, sub-units, and pages. Each unit/sub-unit is accompanied by brief introductions, learning outcomes, prerequisite concepts, keywords, links to useful resources (bibliography, URL’s), overviews based on the learning outcomes, assessment tests. The texts are written in a user friendly way incorporating various levels of explanations, examples, diagrams-images, and animations. Also, self-assessment questions are embedded in the theory pages when appropriate. Moreover, simulations have been embedded in the e-content and especially on the computer architecture modules and in the corresponding session in the introductory module, whenever a more quantitative understanding of the domain is needed. Through simulation models learners have the opportunities to use their existing knowledge, experiment and gain insight into the behaviour of complex systems. The main objective in the development of the simulations included in the e-content was the construction of virtual models that externalise the internal workings of different functions of computer systems such as the execution of instructions in the DLX computer and the cache memory organisation & operation. We have also designed activities for the students on computer simulations which we have developed or found on the Web, aiming to provoke learners’ personal involvement and stimulate thinking, self-initiation and self-evaluation. These activities focus on different aspects of the subject matter and especially on those aspects on which we have experimentally found that learners face difficulties with.
benefits	The e-content proved very popular and we have offered it also to other departments of the University. The evaluation process of the e-content proved that the exploration abilities offered through specific activities on the computer simulations enhanced the interactivity and improved the learners’ involvement and understanding. An important benefit of this approach is the ease distribution of educational material as well as of the updating process. Especially in cases where the main focus is on the e-content, the approach of building a module site is the most appropriate one.
shortcomings	The design of this type of e-content is a demanding and time-consuming task. It needs deep knowledge of the subject matter as well as teaching experience. It needs also experience in the development of educational software in order to combine the educational and the technological perspectives of such a learning environment. Extending traditional teaching methods in this way, is more time-consuming for the staff but worthwhile compared to the expected learning benefits.
future plans	We plan to enrich the e-content with more activities on computer simulations for the two modules of Computer Architecture focusing on common misunderstandings of learners. Such activities will be designed so that to provoke learners’ conceptual change. We also plan to develop this type of e-content for the module of “Didactics of Computer Science”.
other references	Grigoriadou, M., Toula, M. and Kanidis, E. Design and Evaluation of a Cache Memory Simulation Program, 3rd IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 9-11 July, 2003, Athens, Greece. Grigoriadou, M. and Kanidis, E. Cognitive aspects in teaching the computer cache memory with learning activities based on a coherent technical text and a simulation program. 6th Hellenic European Conference on Computer Mathematics and its Applications, September 25-27, Athens, 2003. Grigoriadou, M. and Papanikolaou, K.A. Learning Environments on the Web: The Pedagogical Role of the Educational Material, Themes in Education, 1 (2), 145-161, 2000.
urls	The Computer Architecture modules are available at: http://www.di.uoa.gr/architecture (login name: comp-arch, password: di-arch)  The introductory module on computer science http://hermes.di.uoa.gr/informatics (login name: demo, password: demo2)  The simulation program of cache memory is available also at: http://hermes.di.uoa.gr/cache-simulation/simulation.html
costs
replicability	5
effectiveness	5
notes	The e-content of the three modules as well as the simulations are all available in Greek. They are also possibly going to be translated and made available in other languages.
contact	Maria Grigoriadou, Associate Professor, head of the “Educational and Language Technology” group, Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Athens, Greece, Panepistimiopolis, GR-15784 Athens, Greece, Phone: +301 7275205; Fax: +301 7275214, gregor@di.uoa.gr  gregor@di.uoa.gr>gregor@di.uoa.gr

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