Exemplary VWSU Courses

This is a short list of exemplary courses offered at WSU using advanced educational technology. They were highlighted for their outstanding pedagogy as much as their technical execution. There are many more courses each with good approaches to online learning at VWSU. These are examples which highlight specific features of online learning that VWSU embraces.

Virtual Economics 101, Fundamentals of Microeconomics

• This course makes use of the accessible MSWord & MSExcel document down-loads.
• Home work and exam scores are posted by ID number for quick on-line reference.
• The entire virtual class can be down-loaded in one convenient "archive" file.
• Excel files nicely preform some dynamic calculations and demonstrate economic principles in a simulation-type fashion

Economics 102 Principles of Macroeconomics

• This course makes nice use of the Newsgroup function of the web.
• This course has lectures in HTML format on-line, with graphics linked to the lectures. Since the "clickable" lectures are set-up in a "schedule table," the student always knows where they should be during the semester.

Teaching & Learning 445, Educational Technology used in Schools

• This example demonstrates several important features of online distributed learning communities, the natural and authentic collaboration between diverse learners. This course unites online learners in public schools with preservice teachers in Pullman, thus using technology to over come distance barriers.
• This course highlights the excellent use of the text-based aspect of the Internet to unite learners through shared writing and editing.
• This course also highlights the elegant use of the Website to manage the coordination and scheduling of course objectives.

French 306, French for Reading Proficiency

• This is an outstanding example of contract based learning and pacing.
• This course uses the Virtual Classroom Model built and managed by Burke/Miraglia. This cross campus collaboration on course development and management is becoming more common and necessary.
• This example demonstrates several important features of online distributed learning communities in local settings.

Veterinary Medicine 499, Problems in Small Animal Medicine

• This course is an excellent example of Problem Based Learning.
• This course also highlights the opportunities for cross university collaboration. Several of these students are enrolled at other universities. (This opens the question of cross institutional credit acceptance.)
• This course is also making nice use of live chat rooms to host discussion of course posed problems. Reviewing the chat transcripts shows interesting learning well beyond the original problem posed or topic discussed.

Physics 201

• This course demonstrates a nice use of Adobe's PDF Reader and well as some other technical features of frames use.
• Instructionally, the site also coordinated assignment and assessment activity. The Help pages seem to be well positioned to offer extra support to students. with question about the homework.

This list was last updated September 9, 1997. As new courses come online that you think deserve attention as leading examples of online education please email:
KCFacemyer @wsu.edu