A Study On Web-based Curriculum

Two prejudices emerge from the traditional study on web-based curriculum. Firstly, web-based curriculum is often used to denominate some kind of technical products in e_learning such as web-based courseware. But even though from the perspective of traditional curriculum study, it is difficult to approve this viewpoint in which social cultural reconstruction and the share of educational experiences have been ignored. It is truly dangerous for developing and innovating web-based curriculum under Technological Determinism. Secondly, web-based curriculum is regard as the prolongation of the traditional curriculum system in cyberspace, and the classical study methods and paradigm also continue to be used in this field. However, cyberspace is not only a technical space, but also a social space. Therefore, web-based curriculum is not a simple integration between curriculum and network technology, on second thoughts, it is not a simple colligation between traditional curriculum and network technology, but a special field syncretized information technology and curriculum with humanistic perspective.To develop web-based curriculum, a comprehensive and systematic study on web-based curriculum need to be initiated, and the ontology and epistemology problem about web-based curriculum should be clarified.This study consists of six chapters which can be compartmentalized three parts by the intrinsic logic.Part one, the key ontology and epistemology problem including the hypostasis of web-based curriculum, features of web-based curriculum, and value pursuit of web-based curriculum are analyzed.The first chapter "Essence of web-based curriculum" shows that web-based curriculum is the share of educational experiences through intercourse between teachers and learners in cyberspace. Some important concepts, which is useful to reveal the hypostasis of web-based curriculum, are also analyzed including network, cyberspace, learning culture in cyberspace.The second chapter "Features of web-based curriculum" focuses on eight features which web-based curriculum possesses or emphasizes, they are learning independence, technical developing, empirical curriculum contents, virtual objects and space, interaction and intercourse, visual representation of knowledge, situated learning, and open sources and developing.The third chapter "Value pursuit of web-based curriculum" states some important value pursuit including encouraging intercourse between teacher and learner, advocating share of experiences, reducing Information Divide, reconstructing educational relations, experiencing existence in cyberspace and syncretizing technology and humanity.Part two, in the fourth chapter, two main existing forms of web-based curriculum are described with a phenomenological perspective, and their limitations are also acutely criticized.Part three focuses on the practice of web-based curriculum, especially discussing the implementing and evaluating of web-based curriculum.The fifth chapter "Implementation of web-based curriculum" firstly analyses the factors which may affect the implementation of web-based curriculum such as human attitude and behavior, curriculum quality and implementing project, and etc. Then three implementing approaches are adequately elaborated. Instruction is still the important implementing strategy. Considering the effect of learning culture in cyberspace, learning environment and virtual learning community should be also constructed to support the implementing of web-based curriculum, specially supporting situated-learning and the implementation of tacit curriculum.The sixth chapter "Evaluation of web-based curriculum" shows that the evaluation is an important but difficult practice. However, a series of exploring studies about evaluation of web-based curriculum such as evaluating perspectives, evaluating objects, evaluating specifications, and evaluating features is still developed under technology criticism and humanism.