Text Layout Sample

Text Layout Document

Session 4 Assignment

1. Some examples of textual information as it pertains to e learning are announcements, emails, instructions, bulletins etc. This medium lacks media richness and social presence, however serves its purpose well. This purpose is mainly to communicate or transmit information. Media richness is not essential when there is little or no feedback or reply expected.

Presentations incorporating graphic slideshows are usually created using common software so that the files can be downloaded and viewed independently. Some of these programs include Powerpoint and Keynote. These programs allow their users to incorporate graphics and text into a slideshow format. This form of communication has the potential to be very media rich depending upon how it is developed. They vary form being text based to incorporating audio and video. This form of communication in e learning could also be viewed as being multimedia.

Spreadsheets and databases include calendars, grade books, and Excel files. These are similar to textual information in that they are generally lacking in media richness. They effectively serve their purpose to display and communicate multiple pieces of information in a format that is easily understood. Also, like with slide shows, they can be downloaded and viewed or manipulated independently.

2. I believe that when presenting textual information the layout is most important. With a background in graphic and web design, I have a fairly decent amount of experience in text layout. A font choice that is easy on the eyes is the first step (nothing too busy, preferably a san serif font). Next is organizing the information logically so that it reads well. Grouping or chunking the information in a condensed format is always a good idea when presenting text on the web. Providing anchors or links that skip to different areas on the page is also preferable if it is a large document.

3. Synchronous communication in e learning refers to correspondence between two or more individuals simultaneously or at one given time. An asynchronous means of communication would be the communication between two or more people through an extended duration of time or intermittently. In order to determine which is the best means of communication for a given task, you must evaluate the parties involved and their availability as well as the purpose for the discussion.

Synchronous communication demands engagement and requires its participants to reply spontaneously. These are best implemented when there is a focused discussion or timely topics are addressed. Scheduled synchronous meetings are best when they are rich in media and are the closest thing to face-to-face class meetings in the e learning arena. Asynchronous communication is better served for discussions that are intended for debate or that anticipate multiple replies from a variety of participants with different schedules. They are more convenient, however lack the social presence that synchronous communication exhibits.

 4. The CMS system that I use is Moodle. I have included a section for live chat within my course layout. This allows multiple parties to log in and have a real-time synchronous chat via text messaging. I have yet to use this feature because the end users complete the required training on their own time. I am not aware of any other tools offered that support synchronous communication in Moodle.

5. Moodle has multiple tools and features that support asynchronous communication. The primary feature is the ability to create forums. You can create a forum for a specific course or topic of discussion, for general information, or have each person post individually. Other tools for asynchronous communication within Moodle include surveys and forms for feedback. Moodle also has the capacity to send and receive emails.

6. Something that I would implement within all of my online courses would be some sort of forum or survey specifically designated to retrieve feedback from my students and record their contact information so that I can respond to their comments or concerns. I would do this within Moodle by utilizing a forum option and develop my own survey using php technology and embed it within my course modules. This would be a form of asynchronous communication that would allow me to provide some level of customer support to my users and would ensure customer satisfaction. It would not only allow interaction between groups within a forum, but would also make it possible for students to be contacted independently for private discussions. I would reference this feedback when updating my course material and use it to improve my courses for future students.