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A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH FOR DESIGNING HYPERMEDIA ENVIRONMENTS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING Author

This paper will present a systematic approach for designing hypermedia environments for online learning. First, I will discuss distance education, online courses, and general considerations for designing online learning environments. Second, I will present the history and definition of hypermedia, its attributes, and theoretical background. Third, I will present and discuss a systems approach to developing hypermedia to be used as part of courses and learning environments delivered on the World Wide Web. Issues relating to structuring of the information, branching and interactivity, user interface, and navigation will be discussed in detail. Technology and distance education Recent advances in telecommunications and microcomputers are changing the way we interact with each other, communicate, and access information. The world is becoming a global network within which the use of telecommunication technologies is a major component. There is a rapid increase in the proportion of schools that are connected to the Internet. In 1994 35 percent of US schools were online, compared to 95 percent in 1999 (U.S. Department of Education, 2000). In 1998 51percent of instructional rooms in US schools were connected to the Internet (U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Computer networks provide educators with more tools and strategies for facilitating learning and reaching more students (McIsaac & Gunawardena, 1996). While access to the Internet by schools is increasing, students, educators, and scientists from around the world are able to collaborate and create new learning communities, which foster new approaches to teaching and learning. The Internet provides new opportunities for interaction and it has become an important delivery medium of distance education. One of the most frequent uses of advanced telecommunication technologies in higher education is for the delivery of online courses and degree programs. Educational institutions are encouraging, and at times requiring, teachers and faculty to develop online courses. However, online universities have often being called “digital diploma mills” and have been accused as not been as effective as traditional universities (Noble, 1999). As institutions battle for dominance in the area of online education, few would contest that online education is here to stay. One of the major tasks that instructional designers involved with initiatives to deliver online instruction face is the designing of online learning environments in hypermedia format. Designing online learning environments is not something exclusively practiced by distance educators. The line between distance and traditional education is becoming more blurred. Most university courses in the U.S. make some use of the Internet to provide an online syllabus, online readings, establish a discussion list, and the like.