Click puzzle pieces for details.

Getting Help

Identify the help resources that are available locally and via the internet. Locate and use help resources that best match your own learning style and preferences. See Getting Help with Web Pages to identify the kinds of web page help available at PLU.

Planning

Identify your instructional objectives for the project. Brainstorm with a number of potential ideas and develop a mind map. Develop an information design (sample) that optimizes access and relationships among pages. Sketch out a hierarchy of the pages or a z-diagram of the interactions. Identify multimedia components. Check campus guidelines for web pages. Determine which web browsers will be supported. Assess content resources needed. Develop a timeline of implementation with a list of deliverables at each stage. Determmine how site will be maintained and updated.

Finding Resources

Find potential material that you want to include in your pages. It is often worthwhile to browse other course site to get ideas for content, structure, and resources. Create a list of resources and links that can be referenced during the design process.

Evaluating Resources

Evaluate potential material that you want to include in your pages. Be clear on copyright/intellectual protection issues. Gather permissions where needed.

Select Toolkit

Make sure you have a web browser like Netscape or Internet Explorer installed on your computer. Select a text editor, an HTML editor, or a web page creation program. If you don't already have a SAGE (email) account, contact the Computer Center (comptelc@plu.edu) to get one. Your SAGE account is where you will place your web pages for serving. You'll need an FTP program like WS-FTP or Fetch to load your web pages to SAGE for serving to the world wide web. You may also wish to investigate using Web Course in a Box forms to create pages. For help with basic hardware and software selection contact the Computer Center at comptelc@plu.edu. For help with web page creation tools contact webhelp@plu.edu.

Create Pages

Develop a top-of-the-hierarchy prototype of your site to test instructional and design objectives. Design for three areas: information, instruction, and interface. Develop templates for pages so you can copy and paste headers and footers. Digitize materials by converting files, scanning text for optical character recognition, scanning or capturing images, and digitizing sounds or movies. See the HTML Primer for some of the widely used HTML tags.

Publish Pages

Transfer the site files (HTML pages, images, etc.) to the appropriate directory of the web server. Link the pages to provide public access. Advertise the site to your students, colleagues, etc. View your pages with your web browser.

Test Pages

Test and evaluate your pages on various computer displays and web browsers to be sure they are functional on hardware/software configurations that are different from your own. Check that all links are functional. Check and adjust navigation among pages. Check the load time for each page.

Incorporating Feedback

Make adjustments and improvements to your pages based on feedback. Develop ways to assess the effectiveness of the pages as related to your instructional objectives.

1. Begin small and develop incrementally - Find a small, managable area you can start with and build on your success. Though the learning curve may be steep at first, you can use your knowledge and build expertise gradually. The great part about the web is that you can prototype ideas quickly and easily modify them as the project develops.

2. Focus on your instructional objectives - Find a small project that will solve a problem for you or add functionality and/or access for your students.

3. Leverage your digital investments - When planning development of your materials keep in mind alternative delivery methods. Notes, handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and web pages can all originate in part from a single text file. Adjust the text and design accordingly to match the delivery medium. Though the web may not exist in its present form five years from now, it is very likely with EDUCOM's Instructional Management Systems standards that you will be able to transfer your content into future "digital holders".

4. Dig right in - Take the time to learn the basics and see if the technology can work for you and your students. Keep in mind mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the project.

5. Carefully manage expectations - Identify potential barriers for you or your students. Be sure that students have alternatives for accessing and printing materials you develop in case of network problems or server downtime. Make sure that the infrastructural support is there for the applications you want your students to use. Identify the level of skill the students will need to use the technology and find resources to help them develop these skills.

6. Find sources of help, innovation, and motivation - Find colleagues who are using the technology and willing to share their experiences. Subscribe to listservs, newsgroups, or threaded discusssions like webhelp in this area. Read online literature and newsletters on developing instructional applications of technology. Identify local people (such as the Web Development Team) that can provide technical support.

• ABAS: Developing Web Sites
• The Multimedia Development Process
• The Multimedia Process
• See also: January/February 1997 issue of TechTrends.