Third Authorware Assignment

Due May 1, 1997

ASSIGNMENT and PURPOSE
In your third Authorware assignment you will work with another person to design a lesson about a planet or celestial body assigned to you. Each designer is responsible for creating a two-page lesson about the celestial body, but groups are responsible for working together to join lessons and create a common look and feel to the program. You should use your Director animations created in your previous assignment, audio, a variety of interactions, and user control in your lesson. You will also package your lesson. And you will each independently write a rationale for the choices you have made about your program. Follow directions carefully.

DIRECTIONS
Program layout. Your program should be a tutorial. It should have a main menu (which should not be called a "main menu," however). From the menu, the learner should be able to go to the lessons, one lesson developed by each designer. Also from the menu, the learner should be able to get directions for running the program (one page), should be able to see lesson objectives (one page), and should be able quit the program with a safety net.

Each lesson section, programmed individually by each designer, should include the following: 1) The designer's director animation, 2) one instance of audio, 3) two pages of information about the celestial body, and 4) two interactions that reinforce lesson content or assess student learning. The learner should be able to return to the menu from anywhere in the lesson. Of the two interactions, one should be a fill-in-the-blank (text response) question that requires a two-word response, and the other can be either a keypress, a hot spot, or a hot object. All interactions should provide reasonably intelligent judging and give appropriate feedback for at least one correct response, two expected incorrect responses, and all unpredictable responses (such as format errors).

Program structure. Each lesson should be created using a framework. The menu design is up to the group, but you should look at models before you decide how to implement it.

Choosing to quit from the menu should exit the lesson. This should be implemented using the quit function in a calculation icon.

Add user control buttons throughout your lesson allowing the student to do each of the following: return to the menu, go to the next page (if there is one), and go to the previous page (if there is one). All user control should be designed intelligently. For example, there should not be a menu button on the menu page. User controls (menu and buttons) generally should be implemented using the navigate and framework icons. That is, you should not have separate button interactions for separate pages.

You should package your lesson on the Macintosh after you have it working correctly. Run the packaged version and make sure everything still works. Try running the packaged version on different computers.

Your lesson should be aesthetic, run without errors, and be easy to use. Your design of user controls, presentations, and questions should be compatible with the suggestions in the textbook.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Individual responsibilities. Each designer is individually responsible for one lesson sequence and a writeup that describes the rationale behind the design of the project. Everyone should bring materials to each class period, especially on April 17, in case there is time to work on projects.

Group responsibilities. The designers jointly are responsible for integration of all the parts of the tutorial, including making the program run smoothly, making it consistent in look and feel, and making it aesthetically pleasing. Further, group members should periodically check with each other to be they are understanding what is being communicated and that group processes are working effectively. You should consider making liberal use of e-mail to keep in touch with each other.

DEADLINES
Individual lesson segments should be completed no later than April 17. Be prepared to work on the projects in your group in class on that day. You will have some time in class on April 24 to work on the project. The polished product should be ready to hand in at the beginning of class on May 1.

WRITEUP
A rationale should be written by each person individually. It should be no more than two pages and should be based on course readings as well as class discussion. Begin by telling which lesson you have programmed. The rationale should explain the what your major decisions were, what problems were involved, and justifications for what you finally implemented. It may include your reasons behind screen layout, types of interactions, motivational techniques, selection of information, sequencing, user control, and any other CAI issue.

HAND IN
Your packaged and unpackaged lesson files (and, optionally, writeups) should be handed in on a diskette with your names on it, in a campus mail envelope also with your names on it. The diskette should include only your lesson files (packaged and unpackaged), not the authoring program. Only the final version of your lesson files should be on the disk.

You may (optionally) turn in your lesson files by putting them in your private folder on the network. You must still turn in a campus mail envelope. Put a note in the campus mail envelope telling me which folder your lesson is in, and the file names. Similarly, only the final version of your lesson files should be in your folder.

REMEMBER
Bryan and I are here to assist you in using the computers and learning the software. Please come see us if you need help. If you have not made use of Using Authorware or the Authorware Reference, you should soon.

Topic Selection

Click here to submit the members of your group and to select your topic.

ID and T page for 7W:135 (March 19, 1997).
Design and code by David Klein.
Copyright © 1997 by the University of Iowa.
All rights reserved.