Teaching Online: An Integrated Approach

Teaching online is becoming more popular and many web-based tools are available for both traditional and online courses. Web applets, videos, hi-resolution images, \&c.\ are available to illustrate and reinforce content. Most are generally used as separate material in the classroom or from a separate web page, not tied directly to the course text. Web pages amalgamate resources based on topics, but are generally not directly linked to the material covered in a textbook. Some textbooks come with separate CDROMs containing extra materials, but these are an add-on. I will present an example of an integrated course text with materials linked directly into the text. This method allows students to look at the illustration at the appropriate time --- when it is relevant to the material they are reading. I will also discuss the benefits of using these materials in an introductory astronomy course.