Social Psychology in Cyberspace: Using the World Wide Web to Teach Applications of Social Principles to Everyday Life
Richard C. Sherman
Miami University
Paper presented to the Society for Computers in Psychology, November 20th, 1997, Philadelphia.
Abstract
The World Wide Web (WWW) is an exciting new tool for teaching college courses in psychology. The potential benefits of the WWW stem from the wealth of information it makes available to instructors and students, the ease of access to that information, and the "hypermedia" richness of WWW documents. This paper describes the introduction of the WWW into an advanced course in social psychology using activities that entailed collaboration and knowledge sharing, direct experience with information in various formats, and manipulation of information into new forms. The activities included Web Assignments associated with assigned readings, a Social Psychology and Humor project, a Social Psychology in the News project, and the development of a Web Tutorial on a social psychological topic. Both the strengths and weaknesses of using the WWW in this context are discussed.
Introduction
The World Wide Web (WWW) is an exciting new tool for teaching college courses in psychology. The potential benefits of the WWW stem from the wealth of information it makes available to instructors and students, the ease of access to that information, and the "hypermedia" richness of WWW documents. However, care must be taken in evaluating educational claims for the WWW. Many technological innovations, including educational uses of the WWW, have been promoted with little consideration of possible practical difficulties and pitfalls in their implementation, and without adequate assessment of their impact. Indeed, there has been little systematic examination of the specific roles that the WWW might play in college-level psychology courses. In this report I describe my experiences in introducing the WWW into an advanced course in social psychology, and I attempt to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of using the WWW in this context.
As I began to plan changes to the course it became immediately apparent that there were a number of ways to incorporate the WWW, each with alternative implementations that seemed to have different possible effects on the structure and focus of the course. In discussing these changes, it is useful to consider two broad categories of potential impact that technological innovations can have (Kiesler, 1997). First, technology can amplify certain capabilities, functions, or processes that are already in place. For example, using the WWW as an "electronic bulletin board" to post the course syllabus, reading assignments, copies of old exams, etc. makes information more easily available to students than conventional means (handouts or library reserve materials).
However, technological innovations may also transform the way people function and interact, thus producing fundamental changes in their roles and relationships. In educational settings this may occur when computer-based learning technologies alter the traditional roles of student and teacher by shifting the focus from instructor-centered to student-centered activities (Collins, 1991; Menges, 1994). For example, in a traditional classroom setting the instructor controls the flow of information though lectures, selection of assigned readings, etc. In a computer-mediated learning environment students are more likely to confront information directly, through activities involving electronic data bases and interactive courseware. The role of student in these activities shifts from recipient-consumer to producer-participant: students "... transform information from one medium to another, and they create new knowledge as a result of their interactions with teachers and other students" (Menges, 1994). The role of the instructor is changed from controller of information to guide or coach — one who facilitates or assists students in sampling and interpreting material.
Procedure
I attempted to use the WWW in ways that had both amplifying and transforming effects. Amplification followed simply from using the WWW as a course organizational tool. I created a class website (Sherman, 1996) that served as a repository of relevant course information which students could consult at any time. This information included the course syllabus, assignments, exam questions, and supplementary materials. The web site made it easier for me to maintain course organization and gave me more flexibility in distributing materials to the students (for example, I could post updates to assignments without waiting for the next class period).
Several additional web features had more transformational effects, and are therefore perhaps more interesting from a pedagogical point of view. These features involved WWW activities that entailed, to varying degrees, collaboration and knowledge sharing, direct experience with information in various formats, and manipulation of information into new forms. The activities included Web Assignments associated with assigned readings, a Social Psychology and Humor project, a Social Psychology in the News project, and the development of a Web Tutorial on a social psychological topic.
The Web Assignments directed students to explore internet links relevant to social psychological principles contained in the assigned readings, and then to answer online questionnaires about their experiences and observations. The questionnaire responses for each assignment were compiled and posted on the course website as the semester progressed.
For the Humor Project I assigned teams of students the tasks of selecting a cartoon that they found humorous and relevant to social psychological principles, leading a class discussion of the cartoon, and producing a written analysis of the cartoon that was published on the course website. The relevance of a selected cartoon could be in terms of how the cartoon illustrated some concept, theory, or line of inquiry, or in terms of how certain concepts or principles were useful in understanding the emotional or intellectual impact of the cartoon.
The News Analysis Project required teams of students to select a current news event and analyze from a social psychological point of view. The team members met outside of class to evaluate possible topics, led an in-class discussion of their selection, and produced a written analysis which was posted on the course website. Prior to the class discussion, a preliminary analysis of the topic was posted for others in the class to examine.
By far the most challenging and rewarding aspect (both for me and the students) was the Web Tutorial Project. Teams of students were given the task of developing a web-oriented tutorial on a social psychological topic of their choosing. The project was an ongoing activity for most of the semester, and was completed in stages, with each team providing the rest of the class with progress reports and receiving interim reactions and suggestions from other class members. The final versions of the tutorials were published on the course website with students identified as the authors.
Evaluation and Discussion
A brief questionnaire regarding student attitudes toward computers was administered both at the beginning of the semester and again at the end. Students rated their familiarity with computers and how positive their experiences were with computers. Narrative evaluations of the various web components were also collected as part of the course evaluation during the last week of the semester. These sources provided overall evidence of positive student experiences and converge with my own assessment of the generally beneficial impact of the web activities. Particularly notable was the high level of motivation produced by students’ pride of public authorship of web materials, and the potential they saw for educating others through their web projects. There were some negative aspects that were apparent as well: the time demands of producing and maintaining documents were very heavy, and at times the procedural details of the technology seemed to overshadow the substantive content of the course. These shortcomings may lessen with time, however, as both students and instructors become more familiar with the web.
References
Collins, A. (1991). The role of computer technology in restructuring schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 73, 28-36.
Kiesler, S. (1997). Preface. In S. Kiesler (Ed.), Culture of the internet (pp. ix-xvi). Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum.
Menges, R. J. (1994). Teaching in the age of electronic information. In W.J. McKeachie (Ed.), Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (9th ed., pp. 183-193). Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath.
Sherman, Richard C. (1996) . Living in a social world: Advanced social psychology [WWW document]. URL http://www.miamioh.edu/psybersite/world/