Chair: Maureen H. Donovan, Ohio State University

Although the possibility of creating electronic curricula has existed for some time, academics who are enthusiastic about their educational potential are often intimidated by the prospect of actively engaging in the production of these materials. Many professors who use the computer in their own teaching, research, and publishing do not have the programming and other skills needed to actually create CD-ROMs or websites of their own, and are not sure of how to go about acquiring the relevant knowledge. Producing electronic curricula requires knowing the state of a rapidly changing technology, which increases the number of alternatives for users and creators alike. The choice of a website or a CD-ROM format will also substantially affect what can be presented. There are thus advantages to teamwork, including the use of programming specialists as well as experts in content. Moreover, creating electronic curricula demands careful identification of the potential users. Projects that may take up to five years for completion face the challenge of selecting formats that will not be obsolescent by that time. Maximizing the potential of the new medium requires careful consideration of the potential users, their needs, and the equipment that they are likely to possess: will the kind of machine owned by schools or students be able to access the educational material?

This panel attempts to provide some insights into the process of producing educational materials for electronic media, as viewed by a range of individuals and institutions. Maureen Donovan, Ohio State University, describes Internet digital strategies in the "East Asian Libraries Cooperative World Wide Web." Lewis Lancaster, University of California, Berkeley describes his experience in putting together the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative for K–12 users. Namji Kim Steinemann, Vice-President of Education at the Asia Society, will discuss the Asia Society’s "Scholarship and Storytelling in a Digital Age," and Evelyn Rawski and Michele Ferrier, both from the University of Pittsburgh, describe a China faculty interdisciplinary effort to create an interactive CD-ROM on China.

Maureen H. Donovan, Ohio State University

While the Internet and the World Wide Web were developed to support research, recent expansion has largely occurred in the commercial sector. News of huge increases in stock values of Internet services (such as Yahoo!) dominates financial reporting. However, non-profit institutions are also taking advantage of advances in web technology. This paper reports on experience gained in an Internet project initiated at the Ohio State University Libraries in 1991 to promote library resource sharing and facilitate remote access to East Asian Studies research collections. The project has evolved and changed directions several times in response to technological developments, feedback from users, and other factors. These shifts are analyzed in the paper.

Strategies for developing and maintaining user-centered Internet services are not easily implemented in academic institutions. Most academic websites are corporate in nature, providing information for public relations or services for the local campus. Pro-active web services that support and extend academic programs beyond the campus are starting to emerge, however. The paper explores the impact that changes in the market environment of the Internet have had on how this web project evolved. In particular, it presents the project’s current strategy of fostering user-centered services through customizing services and engaging users in their development.

The East Asian Libraries World Wide Web encompasses a diverse collection of projects, including AsianDOC Electronic Newsletter, Japanese Homestay, Japanese Journal Information Web, Kinema Club, Ohio State’s Manga Page and the Japanese Company Histories Database, among others.

Lewis Lancaster, University of California, Berkeley

The Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI) is an international project which aims to coordinate the collection and dissemination of cultural data in electronic form. It is a collaborative project which combines global mapping, imagery, and texts. ECAI provides scholars and other users with a research resource based on digital technology which can present complex combinations of data from multiple disciplines visually and immediately. Information is presented in a format that suggests new connections, parallels, and even contradictions that invite scholars to further investigation.

One aspect of ECAI is to develop strategies for the use of the material in the K–12 environment. One of these projects is the "Virtual Island." In this endeavor, ECAI has put forward the concept by which spatial and temporary data can be accessed and explored by students. The principle behind the project is to have students learn how to use the Internet as they explore information and construct a database of their own. Since ECAI servers will contain data and metadata relating to the cultures of many nations, including China, Japan, and Korea, it is the intention of this program to help students acquire knowledge from that data by actively working with the material.

Each student will be given a "virtual island" which is found to be off the coast of Korea. Working with images, datasets, and timelines, the students will attempt to reconstruct the culture of their "island" as a part of the Korea cultural sphere. Activities will include working with geographic information, identification of ancient artifacts, methods of dating objects, and creating a narrative about the people of this culture. The interactive exercises will focus on doing a virtual "dig" of an ancient tomb.

There will be a demonstration of the "Virtual Island" software and lesson materials for a 10th grade history curriculum.

Namji Kim Steinemann, Asia Society

The creation and dissemination of electronic media for the classroom is a challenging process, one that requires a combination of teamwork, inspiration, budget-balancing, patience, and attention to detail. We have found that how we met these challenges in the past ultimately determines whether your program delivers a quality learning experience.

The Asia Society, through its experiences in developing a line of new media products—including the popular AskAsia website, an NEH-supported prototype CD-ROM, and award-winning videos—will share its insights on electronic curriculum development. Strategies discussed will include identifying primary and secondary audiences, defining project goals and scope, determining the range of user experience, and evaluating content assets and resources. In addition, we will address questions such as the optimal time to bring in various consultants/advisors, i.e., scholars, classroom teachers, technology specialists, as well as how one negotiates the different perspectives provided by them.

Asia Society’s experiences have been, and continue to be, a learning process about how the varying elements of the content, the educational principles, the design, and the technology each play crucial roles in the effect of the final product.

Evelyn S. Rawski, University of Pittsburgh; Michele R. Ferrier, University of Pittsburgh

The Chinese Studies faculty at the University of Pittsburgh has worked the last several years to develop an interdisciplinary course in an electronic format intended to introduce undergraduate students to contemporary Chinese cultures and societies. Using the latest in computer technology to present the material enabled the Pittsburgh faculty a means to create an innovative course that seeks to enhance the flexibility and effectiveness of the learning process.

Like many other scholars attempting to create materials in this format, the process of development has been a learning experience unto itself. Unlike the publishing industry which has a variety of venues in which an author can turn to have their materials published, the computer-publishing industry has yet to create a large niche for the development of academic materials. The very nature of academic work (content oriented, text-driven) often seems at odds with the visually-driven, game-oriented electronic industry, which leads to the question: Should academics be involved in this kind of work?