A Web-Based Dynamic and Interactive Distance Learning System

Presently, advances in Internet technology and the human-computer interface have created a wealth of new opportunities for the development of webbased interactive distance learning systems. However, most of the effort of developing the system focused on the information receiver and less on helping the information provider in delivering the information. This thesis describes WebEd, a user-friendly system that facilitates the information provider or the instructor to carry out web-based courses. The WebEd approach is to make the instructor centrally involved and maintain the ownership of their courses. It also enables the students to access the course and interact with the instructor with the aid of the system provided services. The system supports various services for system management, communications, file management, and content management and retrieval. Some of the examples of services provided by the system are Appointment Manager, Announcement Board, Content Manager, etc. WebEd distance learning system is dynamic and interactive, being developed using Java and CGI script. A JavaCGI proxy has been developed to handle the dynamically generated pages and services. The system is built on a 3-tier architecture which splits the system processing load between the client-side workstation that runs on a browser, web server that sends HTTP commands over a network and WebEd services that handle the web-based distance learning activities. No installations are required in order to access the system as the courses are accessible via a browser. An evaluation on the system has been conducted in getting users feedback. Analyses based on the system evaluation have been carried out to identify weaknesses of the system. Finally, the system limitations and proposed solutions are suggested for future enhancement of the system.

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