TABLE OF CONTENTS
IDEA
HISTORY OF IDEA
NEED
USERS
PLAN DETAILS

• Content
• Roles
• Administration
• Processes
• Manuscript Routing
• Interface
• Security
• Updating
• Funding
• Long-term Plans

• Much more than an online lab manual:
• Searchable database of articles (files) from which user downloads those of interest free of charge
• Content can be modified locally by user
• User may deliver to students online and/or hard copy
• Author retains ownership (avoids legal issues)
• Multimedia (video clips, tutorials, images)
• Can and will be revised frequently
• Has online forum for obtaining ideas for improvement
• Unlike other online lab resources to date:
• "Wet", not 'dry' or 'virtual' labs
• Broader than area-specific sites such as cell biology (http://www.gac.edu/cgi-bin/user/~cellab/phpl?index-1.html)
• Broader than organism-specific sites such as Research Link 2000 (http://www.researchlink.ferris.edu/)
• Makes available previously unpublished instruction (e.g. nervous system investigations by Charley Drews, investigations used at Cornell by Jon Glase, many others) and unpublished methods (e.g. how to germinate pollen grains).
• Brings all materials together in one searchable website.

• Local online manual published for several years
• Local need for new ideas, no help from published manuals, help from colleagues at other institutions and ABLE publications
• Discussions with Peregrine Publishers
• ITUE at UD
• PBL Clearinghouse at UD (based on Experts & Speakers database)
• Sabbatical leave (fall 2000) available for project

• Messages in list-serves (e.g. plant-ed) asking for activities and methods; answers not archived in searchable form.
• Colleagues indicating they have laboratory methods/activities they would like share (personal communications).
• Published lab manuals have one or more of the following drawbacks
• Out of date and not frequently revised
• Not inquiry-based
• Not able to be adapted to local materials and equipment
• Limited number of activities
• Expensive relative to the extent actually used
• National societies promoting laboratory instruction (e.g. ABLE, NABT) tap into only a small percentage of instructional material, much of which not suitable for workshop format (e.g. animal development taking several weeks).

• Targeted to 4-year college/university, 2-year college, and high schools.
• User must register; this minimizes unauthorized e.g. by students.
• User presented with examples of content.
• User given search parameters.
• Search result is an HTML document with associated graphic and video files, suitable for immediate viewing and downloading/running on local server.
• User also provided with downloadable .pdf files to retain formating, make available to any platform, and incorporate into hardcopy lab manual.
• Typically user will modify downloads as needed for local conditions (e.g. laboratory equipment and organisms) and incorporate into educational instruction already being used.

Based on Problem-Based Learning Clearinghouse (PBLC) being developed at the University of Delaware (http://crawdads.mis.udel.edu/~maria/pbl/)

• Content

• Ranges
• High school to four-year college (emphasis on latter)
• Pre-planned to open-ended (emphasis on latter)
• Methods-only to complete investigations
• All levels of technology
• Any location (lab, field)
• Any organism (microbes to humans)
• Any level in biological hierarchy (molecular to ecological)
• Qualitative and quantitative (emphasis on latter)
• Database Organization
• Authors will determine from lists of allowed indexing terms
• Indexing terms are to be determined;  examples are:
• Student level (HS, 2C, 4C)
• Location (indoor, outdoor)
• Organism (microbe, protist, fungus, plant, animal)
• Data type (qualitative, quantitative)
• Area (molecular, cellular, organismic, ecological, genetic, evolutionary)
• Amount of technology employed (minimal, extensive)
• Type of communication (method, complete lab experience)
• Type of lab (pre-planned, open-ended)
• Possible Components
• Text file for students
• Text file for instructors (materials, teaching tips)
• Image files
• Video files
• Tutorials (Java applets)
 
• Roles
The following is from the PBL Clearinghouse.  It will be used with some modification.

PBL Clearinghouse Roles

Users (Subscribers) Users must apply for access to the Clearinghouse. Access is limited to non-student academic faculty. They may search, browse, and view problems and articles. They may not submit entries themselves, unless they apply to become an author. Authors Authors must first apply and be accepted as a Clearinghouse author before they can submit a problem or article. Authors can submit, view, and update problems in a revision cycle. Editor-in-chief In the case where there are multiple editors for a problem, one will act as editor-in-chief with final approval authority. Initially there is only one editor-in-chief. The Super User assigns editors-in-chief. Editors Editors are assigned by special invitation from the PBL Clearinghouse administrators. Initially, all editors will be UD affiliates. Editors receive submissions and determine routing assignments. One or more reviewer will be assigned for each problem or article. Editors can review, but most often will assign reviewers. They are the communication link with the author. They review the reviewer's report and determine approval. Editors can also view applications that come in for new authors and reviewers. Reviewer Reviewers must first apply and be accepted as a Clearinghouse reviewer. The editor will select reviewer(s) for a problem based on the reviewer's discipline of expertise. Reviewers review the problems and write a report. They do not communicate with the authors, they only report back to the editor level. User Approval Group This group includes specified individuals who can approve new users and change the privileges of all others.. Super User There will most likely be only one or two Super Users. This role can review applications for access and for author/reviewer status, can change anyone's privileges.
• Administration
• Steering Committee:  makes decisions about overall design of Clearinghouse, its website, and its operation
• Administrator:  Attends to maintenance of website; assigns manuscripts to Editors

• Processes
• Apply to use the clearinghouse (prospective User)
• Apply to be an author or reviewer (must be User first)
• Search for article of interest (User)
• Manage my Clearinghouse activities (User, Author, Reviewer)
• Determine who will handle manuscript (Manager)
• Review manuscripts (Reviewers)
• Acceptance of manuscript (Editor)
• Posting to the Clearinghouse  (Manager)
• Renew/replace administrators (Steering Committee)
• Revise articles (Authors)
• Remove articles (Super User)

 
• Manuscript Routing
• Manuscript (files) submitted as MS Word document and HTML document with asssociated image and applet files.
• Manager assigns Editor.
• Editor assigns Reviewers as needed.
• Manuscripts reviewed; interface tracks them.
• Editor decides acceptance/rejection.
• Accepted manuscripts (files) sent to Manager.
• Manager converts MS Word text document to .pdf format.
• Manager uploads files to server.

 
• Interface:  Java applets and Oracle 8.1.5 database written by UD
• Security:  Users register with enough data to reveal if they are legitimate instructors
• Updating:  Periodic calls to authors
• Funding:
• Seek grant  for concept development (e.g. NSF/DUE/CCLI June 2001)
• Seek corporate funding for partial support of site maintenance (e.g. Carolina Biological Supply)
• Long-term Plans
• Attract national organization (e.g. ABLE or NABT) to take over site.