Learning and Teaching

Student Teaching--Online




UMBC interdisciplinary studies major Jill Hutchison knows that children learn best by doing, and she's taken that concept to heart in her own work. Hutchison has created a multimedia, interactive tutorial for Maryland middle-school students and teachers, and in the process, she has learned to combine educational theory with practice and meld research in several disciplines.

Working with her advisor, visual arts professor Vin Grabill, as well as UMBC science and education faculty, Hutchison created Chesapeake: The Living Waters, a tutorial designed for the World Wide Web and computer CD-ROM, that teaches about Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV), an important measure of health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Hutchison's tutorial uses SAV as a jumping-off point for lessons in biology, chemistry, geology, social science, and civics, allowing students to explore such topics as tides, watersheds, sedimentation, salinity, habitats, food webs--even legislation. And it's fun--utilizing hypertext, full-motion video, audio, animation, maps, photos, and interactive games. The tutorial will be available for use in Maryland schools and homes, "an example of the powerful new type of educational materials possible in the digital age," says Hutchison, who's helping to launch that exciting era.

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