| Conceptual Learning This
page features examples of Web-enabled conceptual learning from the fields of
 History of
Technology
The Building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Teaching with Historic Places, National Park Service
The Teaching with Historic Places program administered by the National Park Service has
drawn on the National Register of
Historic Places to create an online resource for teachers organized by theme,
location, and time period.
In this example, students examine illustrations and information relating to the canal
system of early America and answer questions aimed at assessing its economic and social
impact. Though primarily intended for second-level students, this example and many others
in this resource could be easily adapted to the needs of undergraduates.
The exercise on the building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal suggests how teachers
might use archival sources as a basis for teaching basic information about the industrial
history of America.
This example features the use of images, text, and repositories.
Mathematics
Visual
Calculus Modules
Larry Husch, Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
This collection includes Web-based interactive tutorials, drills, and exercises in
pre-calculus, limits and continuity, derivatives, applications of differentiation,
integration, applications of integration, and sequences and series.
Designed by Larry Husch, the modules were originally intended to show instructors how
technology could be used in the teaching of calculus. They are now incorporated into
Husch's courses as well as being part of of the Math Archive at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Husch's modules and exercises are a powerful visual example of new media being used to
teach and learn mathematical concepts.
This example features the use of animations and
applets.
Neuroscience
Guided
Exploration: Physiological Psychology
Richard Hall, Psychology Department, University of Missouri-Rolla
This guided exploration features a series of knowledge/concept maps covering all the
areas of neuroscience. There is a main map with
nodes leading to 11 secondary maps; sections of each secondary map link to external Web
sites. For example, the memory section on the main map leads to a secondary map featuring
links to five related sections and external sites.
This exercise, one of two guided
explorations developed by Hall, suggests how teachers can use images to create concept
maps of different bodies of knowledge; in addition, by linking concept areas to external
Web sites, teachers can extend the process of learning basic concepts and use the external
information to formulate new questions for students.
This example features the use of images and Web sites.
Political Science
Digital Agora Byte Newspaper Assignments
C.J. Alexander, POLS 3993 (Politics and the New Metamedia), Acadia University
This course is one of eight political science courses associated with Acadia
University's Digital Agora, a multimedia resource providing extensive support for
interactive online learning. More information about the Digital Agora appears on the Collaborative Learning and Data Gathering and Synthesis pages.
Alexander asks students to combine textbook readings with Web site visits and then
write a series of newspaper columns for the Digital Agora's Circuit Breaker, examining how computer-mediated technologies have
influenced democratic institutions and processes. They are also invited to create a
"lateral map" (select this option from the Digital Agora
home page) or other means of notetaking to track the concepts and issues they are
analyzing.
This assignment shows students coming to terms with the subject matter of their courses
in both traditional and innovative ways. The use of new media offers them an opportunity
to map their learning and publish it on the Web.
This example features the use of databases.
Scientific
Research Methods
Research Methods in the Social and Natural Sciences
Bernie Combs, Sandra Wells, and Alan Levine, Maricopa Center for Learning and
Instruction
The key feature of this interactive module is a Research
Methods Laboratory that teaches the basic concepts and methodologies of five different
research methods: experiments, correlation, naturalistic observation, survey, and case
study. Students read descriptions, strengths, and limitations for each and take practice
session and post-tests to reinforce their understanding. They can also test their
understanding with practice tests in biology, geology, psychology, and sociology.
The Research Methods Laboratory shows a brilliant adaptation of new media to convey a
broad range of instruction in a very simple and accessible format. The combination of
visual and interactive elements will enable any kind of learner to grasp the basics of
scientific research quickly and easily.
The Research Methods Laboratory resides at the Maricopa Center for Learning and
Instruction, which has developed multiple resources for innovative uses of technology
in teaching, learning, and institutional transformation.
This example features the use of animations.
Statistics
Statistics Applets
Web Interface for Statistics Education (WISE), Psychology Department, Claremont
Graduate University
This page features 16 interactive exercises (as of December 1999) demonstrating key
concepts in statistics. Three of the exercises were developed for WISE, with others coming
from external sites. The exercises are accompanied by extensive tutorials, glossaries,
links to statistics discussions and journals in the field, and related resources.
The WISE exercises were developed as a supplement to traditional teaching materials,
addressing specific topics that instructors have difficulty in presenting using
traditional classroom technologies. The interactive exercises show how new media can be
used to provide direct experience in understanding statistical functions and
relationships. The supporting information provides resources to enhance both understanding
about the concepts embodied in the exercises and their broader application in the
profession.
This example features the use of applets.
This project is a joint initiative of the Center for the Virtual University and the Center for Teaching and Learning
at UMUC.
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