| Title | First Year Science HyperTextBook |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Science |
| Status | Completed |
| Duration | 1 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/1999 |
| Completion | 03/31/2000 |
| Project Summary | We are requesting initial funding for a project to develop a “HyperTextBook” for First Year Science. Linear pedagogical textbooks in the individual subjects do not (and probably cannot) address the cross-disciplinary integration that coordinated programs (like Science 1) so effectively emphasize. We propose to create a new type of informational resource for such interdisciplinary educational programs: a database of “learning quanta” captured from lectures, labs, tutorials, handouts, student projects, field trips etc. and interlinked by a sophisticated hierarchical “MetaIndex.” We propose to proceed in the following (overlapping) stages: Spring & Summer 1999: Hire students to assist with the capture of essential learning quanta into computer files. Summer and Fall 1999: Obtain expert help with the design of a MetaIndex scheme (possible thesis in Computer Science). Winter 1999: Implement the MetaIndex scheme (ideally as a new feature in WebCT) including a convenient way of forging links. Spring 2000 onward: Using these tools, the Science 1 staff and students will add/refine learning quanta and evolve the MetaIndex by noting novel links. Approx. 2001: Offer the First Year Science HyperTextBook to other Science programs (especially the Coordinated science program) and present MetaIndex tools to the UBC community at large. Distribute to other institutions and/or on the Web. Further refinement will continue indefinitely with participation from the entire educational community. |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 1999/2000 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Julyet Benbasat |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 27,000 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Julyet Benbasat, Science 1, Faculty of Science |