• To create online materials that meet good web usability standards
• To foster effective interaction among faculty and students in an online learning environment
• To develop websites that contain learning materials of substantial content in a teaching field. These websites will be included in NVCC, VCCS and national databases of similar learning materials.
• To use a peer review process for assessing the effectiveness of online learning materials
• To participate in a learning community in which everyone collaborates to complete online learning materials

• Elizabeth Castro, HTML for the World Wide Web. 5th ed. Peachpit Press, 2003
• Robin Williams and John Tollett, The Non-Designer's Web Book. 2nd ed. Peachpit Press, 2000
• Articles and other readings as necessary
• Steven Krug, Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). New Riders, 2000

• The Web Design Center by Aggie Taormina
• Sage's Webliography:  An Annotated Bibliography of Web Design Resources by Jud Sage

• Completion of assigned readings, to be followed by seminar discussions
• Regular participation in online discussion forums as assigned
• Two rounds of peer reviews and critiques of other participants' web sites
• Finished website on a topic to be used in conjunction with a course you are teaching. This website will contain substantial original content in your teaching field, including an annotated list of links to internet sources on the topic.
• Link your finished website to the Dogwood project website
• Submit the finished website to Merlot

• Dr. Charles Evans, Dogwood director
• Mr. Jud Sage, Dogwood director
• Dr. Agatha Taormina, Dogwood director
• Dr. Diane Thompson, Dogwood director
• Ms. Cathy Simpson, Coordinator Technical Applications Center
• Dr. Monica Sasscer, Associate Vice President for Instructional Technology

Meetings will be held on Fridays, 1:00 - 4:00 pm in various computer labs on the Annandale Campus.

Overview of Seminar Syllabus and Requirements
Background to the Dogwood Project
Introduction of participants and project proposals
Introduction to Blackboard and the Blackboard Forums

Discussion of Learning Objects and storyboarding.  Use some of last year’s completed projects as examples. Discuss issues such as scalability and moving from outline to planning. Introduce planning procedures.  

Developing Useful Web Content

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

1. Respond to at least two other introductions in the Blackboard Forums
2. Review previous Dogwood sites and post a comment to the Blackboard Forum explaining which site or sites you might use as models for either content or design and why.

SESSION ACTIVITIES

Discussion: web content that is useful for teaching

Stories: Evans, Sage, Thompson and Taormina will share the process of creating a web site for teaching

Questions for discussion

• Where is the content for your project site coming from?
• How are you going to adapt the content for the web?
• How do you intend to use the content in your course or courses?
• How could other instructors use the content on your web site?

GROUP WORK
Discuss project proposals

• The general topic of your learning materials web site
• The purpose of the site
• The course(s) in which you intend to use the site and the way in which you intend to use it
• Ideas about the main sections of the site

Session  3
11/21/03

Technical Workshops

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

Bring a blank diskette to class.

SESSION ACTIVITIES

You will attend either Aggie's workshop on Files, Folders and Drives (*.doc file) or Jud's on Review of Basic Website Structure (*.doc file).

See also some directions on a variety of useful procedures such as creating new folders, using ftp, and copying files to Novaweb.
The Web Design Center Readings Menu contains all of the readings on web page development and design that Aggie Taormina uses in her Writing for the Web courses.
Access Aggie Taormina's Web Design Center for tours of some popular web design and editing programs.

Technical Workshops

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

Bring a blank diskette to class.

SESSION ACTIVITIES

You will attend either Aggie's workshop on Designing Your Project Website (*.doc file) or Jud's on Designing Your Project Website (*.doc file).

Information on using tables to control web page layout.

Planning/Storyboarding

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

1. Generate and bring with you a list of content items (e.g., handouts, lectures, glossaries, exercises, definitions, formulas, definitions, illustrations, etc.) you want to put on your site for this project.  Do not try to organize this list. 
2. Create a tentative list of sections and pages that you plan to put into your project site.
3. Review the following as necessary:
   • Storyboarding your website
   • Using Microsoft Word to Create a Storyboard
   • Using MS Organization Chart to Create a Storyboard
   • Create a Storyboard with PowerPoint
   • Storyboard for History of Science Fiction

SESSION ACTIVITIES

Introduction to storyboarding with a demo of a site from idea to storyboard to site pages.

HANDS ON: Create your site storyboard by hand.

Technical Workshops

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

Bring a diskette to class with any information and graphical images you intend to use on your project home page. Bring your choice of site colors as well.

SESSION ACTIVITIES

You will attend either Aggie's workshop on Creating Your Project Website (*.doc file) or Jud's on TBA (*.doc file).

Audience Awareness, Navigation Issues, and Copyright

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

1. Read Williams and Tollett, Chap. 9, 10 and 12; read an article on navigation styles and their attributes with links to examples of a variety of navigational schemes.
2. Upload your project home page and site section cover pages to your novaweb folder. Be sure to add a link to your professional home page.
3. Review Aggie's remarks on copyright (*.doc file).

SESSION ACTIVITIES

Discussion of navigation issues

A brief introduction to copyright

GROUP WORK: react to initial site pages and critique with regard to

• purpose
• audience
• organization
• course use

Discussion of the Web Design Peer Review Checklist

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

1. Read Williams and Tollett, Chap. 14-15.
2. Read “’Top Ten Mistakes’ In Academic Web Design” by Paula Petrik (http://www.archiva.net/essays.html )
3. Post a message on the Blackboard Forum reacting to the reading assignment.
4. Post at least one complete section of your project web site.     

SESSION ACTIVITIES

1. Review and revision of peer review criteria for the web design checklist.
2. Practice applying the peer review web design checklist to selected web sites.

Session  9
3/19/04

Discussion of the Teachability Checklist

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

1. Complete your assigned web design peer review
2. Review the peer reviews of your project web site.
3. Post the remainder of your project web site to novaweb.

SESSION ACTIVITIES

1. Review and revision of peer review criteria for the teachability checklist.
2. Practice applying the peer review teachability checklist to selected web sites.

Problem Solving

TO DO BEFORE CLASS

1. Complete your assigned teachability peer review

SESSION ACTIVITIES

1. Troubleshooting and Problem-solving
2. Reflections
3. Course Evaluation

Session 11
4/23/04

Final Presentations of Participant Websites