Overview
This workspace relates to Outcome 5 of the NANSLO Project; i.e. Faculty will be trained in the use of the Remote Web-based Science Laboratory (RWSL).
This particular page (below) details the history and rationale for the training program.
You can follow this link to view rough notes describing the work planning process that Ron & Gina used to complete this work.
Completed Documents
You can download the completed training documents you need below.
For an archive containing ALL NANSLO documents on this page, download this zip file.
Outcome 5 Purpose
Outcome 5 was designed to ensure that faculty who teach with RWSL can use the equipment to connect theory with experimentation, run experiments with confidence, and convey this expertise to their students. The original outputs for this outcome were:
- a course/module outline or syllabus
- a short manual (digital and paper-based) module to introduce the instructor, to NANSLO’s Remote Web-based Science Lab interface
- a training plan or curriculum (online and/or face-to-face) to enable faculty to master the learning in the module and teach it to other faculty
We determined that learners will require the following to complete this outcome:
- Time (tbd: probably in the order of a couple of hours)
- Technical requirements (a live connection to the RWSL at some point)
- Prior learning (a level of comfort with computers, using the internet, etc.)
"Course" development
Originally, we planned to develop a 'how to use RWSL' course within a Moodle environment, and this document captures the Moodle-based outline structure: RWSL Curriculum Outline
However, in late fall of 2011, RWSL was ready for Physics faculty to present air track experiments and there was an urgent need for clear documentation explaining how to work with the air track and use it with students. We produced a concise how-to document specifically designed to explain RWSL's Air Track apparatus. This document was used by faculty and customized for student use. We received feedback from users and adapted the guide for further use.
During winter of 2012, other RWSL equipment became available and we put the RWSL training "course" on hold while we met the more immediate need for training materials configured for specific RWSL equipment. We produced similar comprehensive guides to the Spectrometer, Microscope, and e/m Apparatus (see links to how-to guides, above).
As more and more users (both expert and novice) worked with RWSL, the interface evolved. From anecdotal evidence, it appeared that the equipment controls in the RWSL computerized interface were so similar to the equipment controls for the on-campus equipment that users needed very little instruction in how to use it. A brief needs assessment that we conducted (in an attempt to further determine what RWSL users needed to know) indicated that there was very little interest in a "course" about using RWSL. We surmised that the comprehensive Moodle "course" that we had been planning would probably not be used.
After consultation with project partners (primarily Paul Stacey) we determined that our faculty training efforts would be better spent by producing a summative document detailing how to use RWSL for teaching, as well as a more 'philosophical' discussion of why a science faculty member may want to use RWSL (see links to General Guides, above).
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