| Abstract: |
The purpose of this research is to improve the usability of SFSU Academic Technology’s current online teaching system and to reduce potential problems that can occur. In the current system instructors using this system must upload PowerPoint slides to the server machine, which triggers events that span two machines. Furthermore, they have to use Academic Technology’s web page to perform their slide shows instead of their own laptop computers.
The proposed system consists of a PowerPoint plug-in and a corresponding server side program. The PowerPoint plug-in was developed for instructors who teach online courses using the Academic Technology’s system. It performs some tasks that are currently performed by some scripts and programs on the server machine. In particular, it converts PowerPoint slides into JPG images and text files, connects to the server machine, and sends data to the server. The server program, in turn, receives files from the client, i.e. the PowerPoint plug-in and stores them, stores key information in the central relational database system, and communicates with a program that helps display slides on students’ web browsers.
The new system was implemented to determine if it can replace the Academic Technology’s current system. The PowerPoint plug-in that was developed for this purpose was tested thoroughly by Windows users. The plug-in successfully performed all assigned tasks and communicated with the server program. The server program, in turn, successfully performed its tasks and communicated with the program that makes slides available to students. Finally, possible improvements and future work are identified based on the framework provided by this project. |
