Description
eTEACH has
shown how to create online lectures from existing PowerPoint and
adding a video. It was built in 1999-2001 by Engineering Physics
through an NSF grant.
In this Engage project, we are developing a multi-platform version of
eTEACH (Windows, Macintosh, and Linux), as well as revisiting the
media technology. This will result in a major release, eTEACH 3.0
and become an open source software offering.
This project has used several 6-month cycles as an Engage Innovation
Project:
| Phase |
Description |
Deliverables |
| 1 |
Analysis & Prototyping the Innovation
Project
(Sept ’04 – Jan.’05) |
Assess effort and risk
in a Squeak or other multi-platform programming implementation
Create a proof-of-concept prototype with a limited set of features |
|
| 2 |
Innovation Design & Development
(Jan. ’05 - June’05) |
Create a working version
of eTEACH 3 that provides for authoring of selected features
into a working player. The main goal of this phase is to prove
a technology architecture in a working version. A local software
vendor, Clotho, is providing their Media
Landscape Player SDK, which will be used as the basis for
the new eTEACH player. |
Player
*Clotho MediaLandscape SDK and enhancements
*User experience design for 3.0 version
Author
*Prototype using storyboards & selected users
*PPT slide conversion
*Installer
*Bookmarks, Links
*Media object |
| 3 |
Innovation Design, Development and Testing
(July ’05 – June '07) |
The review of Phase 2 progress was successful and
we have moved to the final phase of development. Continuation
of 3.0 design and development. The design should be frozen in
this phase, with only small changes being done. The main work
will be to finish the development and do testing. |
Deliver eTEACH 3.0 within the Engage Showcase as a downloadable
tool. |
Results
The phase 1 analysis looked at a 5 year lifetime for eTEACH
3.0 and what multi-platform technologies were likely to be feasible.
A recommendation to proceed was given by the project team and accepted
by the Advisory Group.
The particular points from this recommendation are:
- Rely on QuickTime or Flash for delivery of the audio/video
components.
- If Flash is chosen, negotiate with Clotho to license the MediaLandscape
player. Otherwise, build a flash viewer in Learning Solutions
or use the QuickTime player for video/audio components.
- If proven through testing, use a conversion tool (e.g., Breeze,
Open Office) to provide original PowerPoint content, slides containing
text, graphics, and animations. Otherwise, adapt the current
C# program to convert PPT to XML and create our own DHTML.
- Use LessonBuilder 2.0 for quizzing.
- Continue to investigate partnership possibilities for SCORM-based
tracking/reporting with the University of California-Davis.
- Continue to investigate partnership and grant possibilities
for improving and expanding accessibility by users’ preferred
learning mode and hardware (e.g. University of Toronto, W3C,
University of Washington, etc.).
- Continue to investigate additional partnership possibilities
with the University of Washington. They have already offered
programming assistance.
- Use standardized browser technology (e.g., JavaScript, Cascading
Style Sheets, HTML, etc.) to build interoperability of tools/functions
and any additional features required.
- Use MathML to provide accessible mathematics notation.
