The Instructional Levels of the Web Model
The World Wide Web offers new opportunities to educators to enhance an existing learning environment or create whole new worlds for intellectual exploration and instruction. When we are considering the integration of the Web into the design and develop ment of an instructional system, it is helpful to keep in mind several key questions. How will the Web be included in the learning system? Is the student required to have full Web access or is occasional access adequate? Are the Web-based learning activit ies designed to augment another learning system, such as face-to-face instruction, or are the activities integral to completing the assignment? The answers to these and related questions can help guide you through the design process as you decide how to u se the Web in your instruction.
Developed by the staff of the Instructional Design and Development unit of Penn Stateâs Department of Distance Education, the Levels of the Web model serves to define the degree to which Web-based resources and activities will be integrated into an edu cational system. This model is designed to address two primary questions when considering the use of the Web in instruction. The first is whether or not WEB access is a requirement for completing the instruction. The second is the number and degree of Web -based activities and the role of the Web-based activities within the instructional model.
While not every instructional system will fall neatly onto one level of this model or another, each can be designed using this model as a guide to integrating the Web into your system. Using the Web as part of your instructional design model offers new and creative possibilities for the creation of efficient and effective learning systems. It also creates a new set of requirements for students to deal with in considering whether to participate in your program. Have fun, but remember÷practice responsibl e computing!
The Levels of the Web
The Levels of the Web model is based on a three-point scale defining the quality and quantity of Web activities.
Level 1: An Optional Resource to Another Instructional System
One of the features that most excites educators about the use of the Web is its ability to augment other instructional delivery systems with immediate access to global resources. For an instructor using face-to-face instruction, interactive compressed video, or print materials as the principal method of instruction, the Web offers access to dynamic sources of information available without constraints of time or distance. In this scenario, the teacher uses the Web to enhance the content delivered throug h another instructional system. For example, lessons on weather systems and the effects of El Nino can be brought to life by accessing National Weather Service weather maps and video demonstrations of the phenomena available from the Web.
A Level 1 Web site does not require students to access the Web in order to complete instruction. Students who do not have immediate access to the Web are not inhibited from completing the course of instruction if they do not have access to an Internet connection. Level 1 Web sites can vary from a list of a few resources to enhance instruction to complex collections of course information sites, including opportunity for discussion with other students and access to on-line self-study exams.
Examples of Level 1 activities that might be created to enhance instruction:
ð storing class notes and presentation materials for later access
ð providing course management information
ð providing a list of course-related URLs
ð providing a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
ð establishing a discussion newsgroup for students to talk about issues related to instruction
ð providing instructor information and a point of contact
ð tip of the Week (Day, Month, etc...)
ð self-study items
ð "Hot Off the Press," "News and Analysis," and "Color Commentary"
Level 2: A Required Resource to Another Instructional System
When there is a requirement for Web access to complete the course instruction, this qualifies as a Level 2 application of the Web. For example, in teaching business logistics, the instructor may require students to access the carrier routes for five of the major airlines via the Web. This activity is a necessary step to complete the assignment on global route analysis. Or, for example, to complete an assignment in an elementary education methods course, the students may be required to locate and abstra ct five Web-based sites pertinent to their discipline area.
In the Level 2 design, a limited number of learning activities that require access to the Web are integrated with a system that primarily uses another delivery mode. As in Level 1, there is great variability in the degree to which activities using the Web are used in support of another instructional delivery system. By including only Web-based activities, the principal delivery system carries the presentation and instruction process and the Web serves as an additional resource to complete course assign ments.
Examples of Level 2 activities that might be created as required learning activities:
ð requiring students to use Web-based search systems as an alternative information source for research
ð requiring students to participate in computer conferencing systems to discuss issues related to course work
ð requiring students to create a Web site to post class assignments
Level 3: A Required Resource and the Principal Instructional System
A growing number of educational institutions offer individual courses as well as whole degree programs to students via the Web. Whether itâs introductory statistics or advanced applications of international law, students can receive full course credit with a home computer and an Internet connection. This level of use, where the Web is the principal delivery system, is referred to as a Level 3.
A Level 3 Web site is an alternative to other instructional delivery systems. Much of the course material at this level, access to local and global resources, as well as opportunities for interaction. Students enrolled in Web-based courses must have im mediate, predictable and reliable access to the Internet.
In some cases, instructional materials once available in print are made available via the Web. Although this may serve the instructor in terms of distributing the class notes, it does little to encourage interaction between the instructor and students or among students. The most effective and efficient model can be built when the Webâs unique capabilities are used in collaboration with other instructional media.
Examples of Level 3 course activities:
ð Requiring students to participate in group projects that integrate the use of Web resources
ð Bringing in "virtual" guest speakers and experts as course resources for interactions with the students via communications technology
ð Providing extensive lists of Web resources and requiring students to evaluate them for instructional applicability
ð Requiring students to respond to timely discussion items posted by the instructor on a "What's New" page
Promotional Level of the Web
Many courses and educational systems not directly using Web-based learning resources may, for many good reasons, have a "home page" on the Web. These pages are designed to deliver information on a course or educational program or may serve as a marketi ng tool to access potential learners using the Web. This use of the Web, as an alternative information dissemination delivery tool, is not represented in The Instructional Levels of the Web Model.