Background music is Copyright © 1996, 1997 by Michael D. Walthius. All Rights Reserved.
imported a video clip without difficulty. 
When a video clip is played after being inserted into the block it
can be expanded full screen via a small magnifying icon in the
playback window. Video clips can also be captioned however they can
not then be magnified to full screen. Segments of video clips may be
used. CourseWorks allows the selection of video clip segments from
within CourseWorks. The start frame and end frame may be easily
specified. The segment build window has tools that allow the user to
step through the video clip frame by frame or in 49 frame increments.
The adjacent video clip will play from frame 49 to frame 98 for example.
any
other choices exist for questions. Graphic images may be displayed
with captions and multiple choice questions asked about the image.
The same can be done for video clips. CourseWorks also allows the
user to snag any specific frame from a video clip 
and
use it as a graphic image so that questions may be asked about it.
CourseWorks has support for hot spot questions. I didn't verify the
operation of every single question option although the ones I did
verify worked OK. The routine seemed to be to create or load the
various questions and other instructional material into the segment
build area then place them into the block build area. This is easily
done by clicking on the leftward pointing arrow at the top left area
of the segment build window. Segments can be easily placed back into
the segment editor by selecting them in the block build window then
clicking the rightward pointing arrow at the upper right area of the
block editor. Of course the segment can also be loaded via the
segment/open drop down menu. Any changes made in the segment editor
to a segment that has already been loaded into a block will be
reflected in the playback when the segment is saved. After some
segment material is placed into a block, transitions may be applied
between each segment. There is a total of 13 different transitions or
wipes available. An existing transition may also be removed. Much of
the stuff in the adjacent screen shot such as goto, end, etc. is
automatically inserted by CourseWorks when a segment is loaded into
the block build window. No scripting or programming is required for
CourseWorks. The icons across the upper portion of the block build
window allow the user to create a new block, open a block, save a
block, delete a block, and insert a video, slide, question, text
segment or transition. The green broken arrow at the right end of the
icon strip allows the user to play back the entire block.
During play back several icons appear below the interface. The
segment may be halted by clicking on the square icon in the middle.
The sound can be turned on and off with the speaker icon. 
The segment may be repeated by clicking on the looping icon at the
right. On-line help is available by clicking on the question mark
icon. The running time and current time can be determined by clicking
on the clock like icon. E-mail may be sent, notes made and bookmarks
added. The exit icon allows the user to exit at any time. During
playback the address window is also displayed at the bottom. This
window displays information about the segment and block being played.
It also provides access to making notes about the segment. This
window is to assist the course creator and doesn't appear when a
students runs a course.
fter
the user is satisfied with the instructional blocks created the
module build window is accessed. It is just behind the segment and
block build windows. The icons allow the user to create a new module,
open an existing module, save the current module, insert a block,
delete a block, insert a question terminator, insert a goto
terminator, edit a module branch and play a module. 
The adjacent image shows the module build window with 2 blocks of
instruction inserted into it. Quite a bit of work can be done in the
module build window to add increased power and sophistication to the
course of instruction. The manual states that the question type
terminator allows the course creator to cause the student to proceed
to various paths of instructional blocks based on the answer. This
would allow the course creator to require a student to repeat a
lesson if the incorrect answer is selected. A test block can also be
used as a terminator. This feature would be beneficial for usage as
an entrance type exam among other things. A test could be
administered to a new student to verify the student has the necessary
knowledge to proceed down a particular instructional track. If the
student did not have the necessary knowledge then the student could
be required to proceed down an instructional track that would provide
the student with the required knowledge. The manual states that the
software can be configured to require the next module of instruction
to be selected based on the number of correct answers. The module
build window can also be used to insert a practice block. A practice
block is used when creating a training course for a Windows software
application. The block will launch an application and/or a file as
specified by the user. A window will float above the application with
an explanation or instructions for the student.
he
manual states that an index of various course topics can be created
in the index build module which is accessed via the tools drop down
menu in the build window. This would allow a student to search for
areas of specific interest. In the nearby images I created an index
entry called elephants. This index would be available to a student
using the course. The entry is actually a video clip. Video clips,
slides and text may be index items.
When the item is selected in the index and the OK button clicked, the
video clip of elephants will play. Subtopics may also be created. I
could have just as easily created a topic of elephants then had
subtopics of video, slide and text. The build window also has drop
down menus that allow the user to print out all the test questions
created, review the test questions and be alerted to incorrect
answers, play various segments, blocks, modules, etc.
fter
the course is built it must be set up. 
The setup icon is clicked and the setup options are to setup, install
or delete a course. The install option is for installing a course
onto the computer from diskettes or a CD-ROM. The setup option takes
the user to a selection window where the courses created thus far may
be accessed. Many options are available. A variety of ready made
interfaces may be selected by clicking on the interface button.
CourseWorks also has a graphical interface (GUI) builder module that
allows the user to create their own GUIs. It will be discussed later.
The clock option provides the student with a clock icon while taking
the course. This allows the student to determine the current time and
the amount of time the student has spent on the course. The mail box
option provides the student with a mail icon which allows the student
to send e-mail to the instructor. 
The print option will provide the student with an icon that will
print the current screen when clicked. The summary option provides
the student with the student's test results. When the survey box
option is checked the student receives a survey at the end of the
course but before the post test. The reverse box option provides the
student with a reverse or back button next to the advance button.
This will allow the student to temporarily skip certain areas and
then come back to them later. When the note box is checked the
student is provided with the note icon that will allow notes to be
taken. 
The skip ahead box allows students to skip video clips if they wish. 
The
login button when checked provides access to the login set up dialog
box. The dialog box can require students to provide a variety of
information before starting a course. The student id number is the
absolute minimum requirement for login. The open enrollment option
allows students not in the database to take the course. The progress
option provides the student with information that shows how much
progress has been made on the course of instruction. Neither the open
enrollment nor the progress option are available when a group login
has been set up. When the exam option is selected in the course setup
dialog box, access is provided to the exam setup dialog box.
It is here that pretests and post tests are specified. The dialog box
provides the course creator with the total number of questions
available. The number of questions for both pretests and post tests
are either specified in groups of 5 or the course can be custom
configured to include any number of questions up to the maximum
available. Unfortunately I didn't find any way to designate the
specific questions to be used. The passing grade for both types of
tests may also be specified via the setup buttons at the bottom. When
the message option is clicked the user may insert a message at the
beginning of the course. Courses created with CourseWorks may be
customized in various ways later. If the user wants the customized
version to run then the custom button should be clicked. If the
autoboot box is checked the course will automatically launch when
starting windows. The message box just to the left of the autoboot
can be utilized to deliver a system level type message that the
students will see when they log into the system. The setup module can
also be used to install a course from diskettes or CD-ROM or to
delete a course.
All pages copyright© Roger A. Moncrief, Indepth Reviews, 1997
Thanks to Judy Gefter, !LuM! and Charles Blaquiere for their advice and counsel, some I heeded and some I didn't.