CD'ing the Endocrine System

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Dwarfism, human giants and hyperthyroidism are subjects not usually addressed in UA professor Cheryl Krawchuk's "CD ROM Production" class, a graduate course designed to strengthen advanced skills in computer and interactive technology. But a team of four educational technology students from the class managed to become relatively well-versed in some of the medical pathology associated with the endocrine glands (a system of glands regulating growth and metabolic rate) by creating an interactive study aid CD ROM for nursing students.

The class was designed and co-taught by Krawchuk, an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership, counseling and foundations, and Carol Gilley, a doctoral student in the department of vocational and adult education. The course curriculum incorporates what Krawchuk calls " authentic learning" and involves practical application in interactive design and production. In addition to teaching students strong programming, organizational and team building skills, the CD ROM product they develop is actually used by the partnering department or program as a study guide and instructional aid. This year, the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing was the "client" for whom the students developed the interactive curriculum; they titled their project "The Endocrine System."

"Producing this CD ROM is a hands-on, practical nuts-and-bolts type of experience," Krawchuk said. "It's exactly the kind of experience the students will need to gain the technical confidence they need to take their skills to the next level. They've realized that, while the process is not an easy one, it's one they can accomplish—it gives them both a solid piece of work for their portfolios and a professional boost."

The ed tech students were challenged to design and develop a CD ROM for the nursing program that would be user-friendly, graphically pleasing and, above all, a serious study aid to students as they learn about the Endocrine system, a curricula that is among the most difficult to master. Through thick and thin, the team organized hundreds of pages of content, unearthed related photographs and graphics, and navigated themselves from the CD's start to its finish using AUTHORWARE software. The four students on the team—Angela Bivens, James Martin, Christopher Perks, and Elecia Smith—presented their finished product on Monday evening in the Graduate Education Building on the UA campus.

Their result is a top-notch, smartly designed and easily navigable tool for nursing students to use as they tackle the intricacies of the Endocrine system—and everyone's pleased.

Creating a CD ROM for another discipline "can be like working in a foreign language," Krawchuk said. "These students aren't medical experts but they did an excellent job dealing with unfamiliar content and working through the difficult aspects of the production process."

"Even with my limited input to the project, these students did an excellent job," nursing professor Joyce McConaughy said. "To take all that material and make it into something so pleasing is commendable—they've done an excellent job."

The four students acknowledged that they made a strong team, and, despite some occasional feelings of panic and disorganization, they felt the finished product fully reflected each of their talents.

"We each brought a strength to the project," said Angela Bivens, a master's students in journalism and educational technology. "Some brought conceptual skills, others brought design skills - we all worked together to create something we can feel proud of."

"The fact that none of us had any sort of medical background or training made this a true-to-life exercise," said James Martin, a master's student in English and educational technology. "The nursing school was our client and we had to figure out the best way to develop the materials to make them work, graphically and informatively."

"The Endocrine System" CD ROM that the students developed will be used by the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing during the spring semester.

Cheryl Krawchuk has been part of the University of Arkansas faculty since 1996 and received her Ed. D. from West Virginia University.

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