Media selection is an important component of the distance learning experience. The media itself plays a significant role in the capabilities available to the instructor as well as the students. Selection of media, therefore, is a very important aspect of instructional design and should be evaluated carefully in light of the course objectives and the nature of the learning that is to take place. Although the power of distance education does not lie in the technological components per se, the way instruction is constructed and delivered depends heavily on the capabilities of the technology employed.
Moore and Kearsley provide a summary of the steps involved in media selection for specific courses or entire programs of study based on research in this domain of study. They emphasize the importance of identifying instructional objectives and specific learning activities as the prerequisite for selection of media options. Many factors come into play which may further limit the final selection such as cost considerations or student motivation issues. The process is complex and the rapid changes in technological advancements make the decision process even more difficult from a long-term perspective.
The Jasper Project developed by the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt demonstrates one example of the power of distance education with emphasis on instruction and the way it is constructed and delivered.
The Jasper Project represents a seven-year effort created and developed by the Vanderbilt Cognition and Technology Group. Jasper consists of twelve multimedia video-based adventures designed to improve the mathematical thinking of students from grades five and up. The problem solving series is designed to improve both basic and high level mathematical skills but the designers also argue that it will enhance thc student's overall academic thought processes by applying the lessons learned from Jasper to other subject matter in science, history, and social studies, for example.
The series is based on The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury. Each episode in he series contains a discrete adventure and challenge that begins with a short story on video that describes a problem for Jasper and his friends to solve. The students are assigned to small groups and work collaboratively to identify sub-problems and find information to solve the problem. Students present their solutions and discuss various approaches that are proposed by the groups.
This approach to learning has several unique features. The video environment is powerful in that it creates an active learning environment by bridging the gap between "natural" and "school" learning environments by using real life content and presenting challenges representing complex problems to be solved by the student. This method utilizes a variety of technology and human interactions during the span of the project. This combination of methods has been found to be a very powerful learning tool. Although the focus is on mathematics, there are links to other dimensions of the curriculum. This enhances the interdisciplinary approach to learning and presents a more realistic learning environment.
The products developed for this series include twelve episodes or adventures that present a challenge for the students to solve. Titles for some of the adventures include Kim's Komet, The Big Splash, The Great Circle Race, and Get Out the Vote. Two new episodes have recently been developed. These video disk stories are accompanied by a teacher's manual, student materials, and video controller software.
The materials help learners construct their own knowledge by presenting challenges that can be approached in a variety of ways and presented in a manner that students will not only learn to solve problems presented by others but also to generate their own problems from the challenges presented. The stated goals of the Jasper series are to help students become independent thinkers able to reflect and learn on their own. Identifying and defining questions and problems by the students is a key aspect of the design objectives.
Several design characteristics are part of the development process that include the following: l). The format is video, 2). The mode is narrative with a realistic problem, 3). The presentation is generative which refers to the spontaneous use of knowledge that is acquired, 4) Integration of the data in the presentation which means all the information to solve the problem is embedded in the video presentation, 5). Complexity of the problem which refers to the fact that each adventure includes a problem with at least 14 stages, 6). The adventures are paired which means the adventures are paired by twos, and 7). The curriculum is in link with the school syllabus.
The Jasper Project has become very successful as a learning tool. It is now being marketed to other school programs through Learning, Inc. The Cost of each adventure is between $245 and $360. This is fairly expensive for the series but it appears that the value has been shown to be worth the investment. This is one example of a commercial product that has been developed to meet the needs of the educational market. The technology makes these kinds of products possible and development of these kinds of products will likely become more common in the future Much thought and contemplation has gone into the construction and delivery of instruction for the Jasper project. The technology is only the means by which to accomplish the objectives of the instructional design.
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Additional Web sites with information about the Jasper Project