THE GROWING BOOK
Shi-Kuo Chang
University of Pittsburgh
For any learning approach to be successful, one must have access
to the three basic ingredients of learning: learning materials,
teacher and fellow students. In distance learning all these
three ingredients of learning can be accessed at a distance. We
will discuss the basic models for distance learning and the
impact of distance learning technologies. Today we have ample
evidence that distance learning works with real people and real
schools, and there is no significant difference in learning
effectiveness. However the cost of content development can be
prohibitive, preventing less resourceful institutions to develop
distance learning programs. We will describe the Growing Book
project, which is an electronic book co-developed by a group of
teachers who are geographically dispersed throughout the world
and collaborate in teaching and research. Since the learning
materials are constantly evolving, the Growing Book must be
frequently updated. The Growing Book is used by each teacher both in
the local classroom and in the distance learning environment.
Each chapter of the Growing Book is owned by a different teacher
who provides different tools for distance learning, self learning
and assessment. How to design and manage the growing book so
that it can be accessed at different levels by people with
different linguistic and perceptual preferences for effective learning
lies at the heart of this project. A macro university framework
provides the experimental test bed for the Growing Book. With the
Growing Book, more resourceful institutions can share the Growing
Book with less resourceful institutions, thus providing better
access and utilization to a wide variety of educational programs.
(Available online at: http://www.cs.pitt.edu./~chang/dlearn/trend1.htm)