Organizing Lecture Slides from Students' Perspectives for Syndicated Learning

Abstract

In university, lecture slides are commonly used to support teaching and learning. These slides are created by instructors, while students make their own notes on the slides as needed. Quite often, these slides with notes become the major source of learning materials to students in their preparation for tests and examinations. However, it is difficult for students to organize and establish cross-references and inter-relationships among slides as they are far apart by topics. Further, effective techniques for students to share notes and thoughts with their peers are not readily available, resulting in a deficiency of collective intelligence and a lack of opportunity for heightened peer learning, particularly through a syndication of student association. This project proposes to develop a software system, called PALE 2.0, for students to efficiently organizing their lecture slides and provide a web platform for students to effectively share their understanding of the learning materials with peers. Utilizing the newer web technology of tag and blog, the project allows students to tag the slides and tp create posts and comments in blog. The system helps students to organize the learning materials from student perspectives. The decentralization of tagging responsibility to students will better reflect the student perspectives. Students can gain deepened understanding through awareness of, and stimulation by, peer remarks. The responses from students would also be beneficial to instructors in improving their teaching materials.