This page has been created to give you an opportunity to see what kinds of web pages some of the instructors at Rice are creating. Some are very simple and some are very complex. It is always best to start with an idea of what kind of information you would like to make available to the students. Remember, course web pages are online 24-hours a day and can be updated immediately. They can be a great way of communicating with your students and provide them with the latest information about your course. If you would like some help in creating course web pages of your own, please contact Instructional Technology at helpdesk@rice.edu.
Simple course pages:
Take a look at these pages for an idea of where you might want to start. These pages include contact information for the instructor and course meeting time, as well as basic course information and a syllabus. Important elements in a basic course page include: course number and title; instructor contact information; year and semester the course is offered. In addition, you may want to include a more complete course outline and perhaps put some lecture notes online.
Advanced course page designs:
A good web page design and organization strategy becomes very important as you add more information to your course web pages. Two important features are included in this page: a navigation bar appears across the top of all of the CTS web pages to give the site a consistent look and feel and to make it easy to move around the site. The footer text at the bottom of each page clears states who created the information and how to contact them if there is a problem, as well as indicating when the information was last updated. The sites below show different approaches to organizing a large amount of information.
Special file types and viewers:
There are many different file types which can be linked to on web pages and there are many different types of viewers that can be used to view special data types on a web page. Some of the most common file types that are used on web pages include:Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files are used to distribute class notes and can easily handle complex formulae or characters. Using Acrobat files does require that the Adobe Acrobat reader be downloaded to your computer, but the program is already loaded on the public computers at Rice. If you have to install it on your own computer, it only has to be done once. Acrobat files are great if you are very particular about the way your information is organized and displayed.
Postscript files are a very commonly used file format, particularly among the sciences. While the use of Acrobat PDF files have replaced the need for postscript files for many people, postscript files are still an easy way to display complex characters or equations and precisely-formatted information. Viewing postscript files also requires an additional piece of software, which will differ depending on the computer type you use. The Rice public computers all have software for viewing postscript files.
A wide variety of other file types can be viewed on the web. Contact CTS if you have a particular idea in mind and would like to know if it is possible.
- BIOS 302: Biochemistry -Along with providing a lot of information in Adobe Acrobat files (PDFs), this web page lets students actually view molecular models using a special plugin for the web browser. To view the models, you will have to download the Chime plugin and then click on one of the many molecular models available on the web site.
- CAAM 437: Partial Differential Equations - While this site is outdated, it does have an interesting web page design and presents course information in both Adobe Acrobat and Postscript file formats.
Image study guides and presentations:
Images can add a great deal of information and visual interest to course web pages. If you are dealing with just a few images, you may choose to simply add them to your regular web pages, or use them to illustrate points. For some courses where the use of images is a major part of the course, you may want to consider using an image catalog to help make your images available to students in a way that allows them to be searched or organized for a slide show.
- HUMA 104: The Self in Text and Image - If you don't have too many images you want to include on a web site, you may be able to put them online as part of your regular web pages. This site is nicely designed and gives students access to a number of images. Click on the image of John Singleton Copley for an example of how you can include images online.
Audio and video:
Audio and video files can also be incorporated in course web pages. Rice supports a Real Media server, which can be used to play high-quality audio or video files over the web. Using audio or video on your web site is more complicated than including images, but may be the perfect solution for your class.
Geographic Information Systems:
Java applets:
- Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics - This is an example of what can be done with a lot of program skill, time, dedication, and some federal funding. Rice Professor David Lane has created a series of Java applets to teach students dynamically about statistics.
- MATH 211: Ordinary Differential Equations and Linear Algebra - Java applets are also used in this course to illustrate concepts and help students learn.
Electronic Resources:
- Electronic Resource Center - The mission of the Electronic Resources Center is to support the use and creation of multimedia in education, scholarship, and creative expression. They provide hands-on training, consult with patrons on digital projects, and offer access to the essential tools for creating digital resources such as web pages, digital images, digital video, digital audio, PowerPoint presentations, and animations.
Classroom
Technology Services (cts@rice.edu)