INFORUM 2006 - 12. Annual Conference On Professional Information Resources

Experience with Developing the e-Learning Educational Materials

Author: Olga Tomoszková,  Regional Institute of Hygiene, Czech Republic

Co-author: Milena Menzlová / Ostravská univerzita - Zdravotně sociální fakulta

Fulltexts

Abstract

This contribution describes experience with developing an e-learning educational material – distance education resource for the subject "Developing of thematic essays in public health protection". This material was designed for students of the bachelor course Public health protection at the Medico-Social Faculty of the University of Ostrava. Education without direct contact between students and teachers has its specific demands concerning dialog in on-line mode, very detailed and exact explanation of content and suitable incorporation of elements managing students’ activity: control questions, tests (with evaluation at the end of the chapter) and information to think about. The feedback with the tutor is also necessary either in the form of physical attendance, e-mail consultations or so-called correspondence tasks sent to evaluation by the tutor via e-mail. The exact and apposite recapitulation of each chapter is of big importance as well. Other auxiliary elements are "notes in marginalia" and "study guides", which help to put emphasis on most important contexts appropriately and to express the opinion or experience of the author.

The easy accessibility of the educational material and its electronic form, in this case an HTML file available on-line, is a significant advantage of e-learning. Such way of access to a distance course is very suitable compared to printed or other electronic forms of educational materials (e.g. CD-ROM, video-tapes, interactive television, satellite transmission), especially in the area of education concerning information and library sciences. The hypertext file allows the student to make direct use of hypertext links either to free internet information sources or through the remote client to the sources pre-paid by the university. It is a task of the libraries to ensure that the e-learning becomes a common standard in not only students education, but the users education as well.

About the author

Olga Tomoszková works in the Institute of Public Health in Ostrava. Education: Lomonosov University in Moscow. She has been working in scientific information since 1991: background research, users education etc. Now she works as a Head of Department of Scientific Information and Projects.