Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundation for Success (review)

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tains its usefulness longer than many of the more technical, “how-to” type of publications. This is especially evident in Part I, which covers project management, audience evaluation, and the educational theories that underlie different teaching and learning styles. Readers who are looking for detailed instructional design tools should refer, instead, to Susan Sharpless Smith’s Web-Based Instruction: A Guide for Libraries (Chicago: American Library Association, 2001), which has excellent technical and design strategies and examples. It is interesting that the section about assessment and evaluation is the second, rather than last, part of the book. The placement reinforces the editor’s commitment to learner-centric instruction. Through a variety of rigorous methods—such as focus groups, data collection, and usability studies—instructional designers can incorporate the input of their users throughout the development process. The information gained from the tutorial’s audience will inform the design and lead to more successful instructional tools. There are also suggestions for the application of various types of learning assessment in the online environment. By assessing student learning, librarians can make important decisions as to the efficacy of the online tutorial and how it may compare to more traditional instruction. This emphasis on audience evaluation and learning assessment makes this book stand apart from other Web-based training publications. The final chapters of the book are devoted to the actual design and construction of Web-based instruction materials. Again, the emphasis is on designing for the learner. Site developers should take advantage of the best of Web technology without sacrificing the principles of effective instructional design. Specific hardware, software, and programming issues are not addressed. Instead, the various chapters discuss the relationship between learning theory and site development. The contributors provide a variety of perspectives on topics such as the use of interactivity, the use of navigation devices to accommodate learning paths, and the educational value of graphics, audio, and video. The reader is reminded that development is an iterative process, subject to ongoing refinement and change. Developing Web-Based Instruction is a useful resource for librarians who are planning to provide online library instruction. It will be most appropriate for librarians who work in a team environment with support from technical staff and instructional designers. Librarians who will be working independently in the preparation of tutorials may need additional technical guidance. Smith’s book, noted above, is targeted specifically to libraries and discusses many of the technological aspects of site construction. There are also a number of generic manuals, such as William Horton’s Designing Web-Based Training (New York: Wiley, 2000), that will prove invaluable throughout the development process. The value of Dupuis’ book is its provision of a thorough grounding in the principles of project management, evaluation, and implementation—all informed by the leading theories of teaching and learning in the digital milieu.