Frog Dissection via the World-Wide Web: Implications for Widespread Delivery of InstructionAuthor(s): Mable B. Kinzie, Valerie A. Larsen, Joseph B. Burch and Steven M. BokerReviewed work(s):Source: Educational Technology Research and Development, Vol. 44, No. 2 (1996), pp. 59-69Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30221023 .Accessed: 21/07/2012 11:16

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Frog Dissection Via the World-Wide Web:

Implications for Widespread Delivery of Instruction

D Mable B, Kinzie Valerie A. Larsen Joseph B. Burch Steven M, Boker

While valuable instructional products are available for development and distribution via a variety of media, the Internet provides one of the most effective delivery mediums to date. In this paper, we describe the design and development of a set of Internet-based instructional materials on frog dissection and anatomy, and report on the effectiveness of Internet delivery for encouraging high levels of use and user satisfaction.

O The Internet and World-Wide Web (WWW or Web) provide us with the potential to change the nature of learning. We can use it to increase access to effective instructional mate- rials in a variety of media. With this increased access anyone with an Internet connection and a desire to learn can do so. Our success with the WWW version of The Interactive Frog Dis- section, Net-Frog, provides us with an indica- tion of some of what is possible.

In this paper, we will first describe the instructional purposes and design of the Inter- active Frog Dissection and its Internet-based equivalent, Net-Frog. We will discuss the importance of the Internet's World-Wide Web as an instructional development and delivery platform. Next, we present our techniques for processing and analyzing Web usage data. We will then describe the ways that the heavily visited Web site (more than 166,000 separate visits were logged in its first 17 months) is being used. Finally, we will consider how use of Net-Frog has encouraged use of the Inter- net.

Purpose of The Interactive Frog Dissection

Frog dissection in our nation's high schools is widespread. It has been estimated that 75 to 80% of the country's four million high school biology students dissect frogs (Orlans, 1988a). Some of these students are refusing to conduct

ETR&D, Vol. 44, No. 2, 1996, pp. 59-69 ISSN 1042-1629 59

60 ETR&D, Vol 44, No. 2

dissections on moral grounds. Animal rights groups have developed student and educator outreach programs encouraging alternatives to dissection. Legislation has been passed in some states (such as California and Florida) protecting the rights of students who do not wish to participate in dissection (Orlans, 1988a).

In addition, controversy has emerged sur- rounding environmental issues (specimens are collected in the wild), economic issues (speci- mens are expensive), and educational issues (students are not well-prepared to learn from dissection). (See Kinzie, Strauss, & Foss (1993) for a more complete discussion of these issues.) While some science educators and scholars advocate replacing the traditional dis- section lab with the study of live organisms (Orlans, 1988a; Orlans, 1988b), others, such as Berman (1984), Hoskins (1979), and Igelsrud (1986,1987), express support for dissection. Their support, however, is conditional upon the use of great care and planning in the design of lessons using animal specimens.

Currently available alternatives include books, charts, computer programs, models, filmstrips, slides, transparencies, videotapes, and videodiscs. Many of these, however, can be faulted for their lack of realism and oppor- tunities for student involvement. We initially developed the videodisc-based Interactive Frog Dissection to provide both realistic imag- ery and opportunities for student practice on frog dissection and anatomical identification. We also hoped the program would serve as both a substitute for laboratory dissection, where necessary, and as a supplement that would better prepare students for the dissec- tion experience (Strauss & Kinzie, 1991). Ver- sions of the program were created for the PC (Strauss & Kinzie, 1990; 1991) and the Macin- tosh computer (Foss, 1990).

Our research with these videodisc-based materials suggests that students using them instead of dissecting will perform as well as students who dissect, when tested on knowl-

edge of frog anatomy and on dissection proce- dures (Kinzie, Strauss & Foss, 1993;, Strauss & Kinzie, 1991, 1994). Further, we found that students who used the materials prior to con-

ducting a dissection performed the subsequent dissection more effectively than students receiving no preparation and more effectively than students viewing a videotape as prepara- tion (Kinzie, Strauss & Foss, 1993). Students who dissected after using the materials as preparation also learned more about frog anat- omy and dissection procedures than those who dissected without preparation (Kinzie, Strauss & Foss, 1993).

Despite these positive findings, we experi- enced difficulties getting the videodisc-based materials into classroom use. While educators were enthusiastic about using them, we ran into problems on two fronts: hardware and software. In order to use the materials, teachers had to have access not only to a computer, but also to a videodisc player and video monitor, at the least. If they were to use the PC materials, the difficulties increased because specific video overlay and videodisc controller cards were required, along with a touch screen. Videodisc availability was also an issue. The materials had been developed with internal research funds. Once our initial pressing of several hundred videodiscs had been given away, there were no funds for additional pressings. Being a univer- sity school of education, we lacked the mecha- nisms for funding, marketing and distributing educational software.

The Importance of the WWW for Distribution and Use of Educational Materials

The World Wide Web can be thought of as a subset of the Internet. According to the Netscape Navigator Handbook (Netscape Com- munications, 1994), the Web consists of "client and server computers handling multimedia documents. Client computers use browser software . . . to view documents (pages). Server computers use server software to main- tain documents for clients to access."

The Web builds on the notion of a

hypertext environment, in which pieces of information are linked to one another. Individ- uals click on links to make choices about which

types of information or instruction to browse

FROG DISSECTION VIA THE WORLD-WIDE WEB 61

and learn from. The act of clicking serves to

notify the server computer, which then sends the document to the user's (client) computer. The Web extends the hypertext environment

through the addition of various media; the

resulting hypermedia format can provide text,

images, sounds, and/or movies.

With the WWW, widespread distribution of instructional multimedia programs, such as The Interactive Frog Dissection, is made possi- ble. Previously, development of instructional software for multiple computer platforms was

time-consuming--once a version for the Mac- intosh had been completed, a new version would have to be programmed for the PC, and so forth. This had the ultimate effect of limit-

ing software availability and access for users of certain types of computers. With HyperText Markup Language (HTML, the programming language used for the WWW), however, only one version needs to be created of any material to make it accessible from a variety of com-

puter types (PC-compatible, Macintosh, UNIX Workstation, etc.).

Access to the Internet version of the Inter-

active Frog Dissection, which we call Net-Frog, is no longer restricted to those who have the videodisc containing the multimedia materials on frog dissection. All that is needed is an Internet connection, a Web browser, and a

QuickTime movie player (the last two have been readily available for free educational use via the Internet).

As a research university, we are no longer limited by non-existent budgets for multiple platform development, and by our lack of soft- ware marketing and distribution functions. We can focus on what we do best: instructional

research and development. Barriers for users, such as possession of a videodisc or access to

specific hardware components, have been removed. In the first 17 months since its Inter-

net release in August, 1994, Net-Frog has been used more each week (an average of 2,285 sep- arate visits/week) than the videodisc-based

program had been used in its previous five

years of existence. (Note: This is a conservative estimate. For information on how this and

other data were determined, see below.)

Design of Net-Frog

Net-Frog provides a laboratory dissection

experience on-line (sans the smell). Both pre- served and pithed specimens are depicted with 60 in-line color images to highlight the visual similarities and differences in frog anat-

omy. QuickTime movies (n = 17) are used to demonstrate dissection techniques, and pro- vide information unavailable from still photo- graphs, such as how to hold the skin with

forceps when making incisions, or how the

lung inflates. Interactive practice involves users in the experience, asking them to iden-

tify critical locations for various dissection pro- cedures and to find various internal organs. Feedback is provided, and the user can always review before attempting a practice activity. In this way, Net-Frog goes beyond just providing information, as illustrated in these user com- ments:

Great use of technology.

Truly the first useful Web Site.

It is wonderful and really represents the potential of on-line education.

A good showcase for what can be done using the Internet and interactive computing.

We worked hard to make Net-Frog easy to use, through clear menu design and pro- vision of navigational options. The photo- graphic images and text are automatically presented. Users are allowed to choose whether or not to download the QuickTime movies or to engage in interactive practice activities. Common user responses include comments such as:

Good pictures. Very well written in simple English.

Easy to use and informative.

Since the release of "Net-Frog," the instruc- tional worth of the materials has been sug- gested in comments submitted by biologists at other academic institutions:

62 ETR&D, Vol 44, No. 2

Figure 1 E Net-Frog Main Menu

Sack lFo w~rdj Hom* Relcadj tma~s f Op~n Print ~ b Lecaiori h**tp : //* each .vi rgi ni aedu /goIf rog

WhaVs Nea'? j What's ?oo~? j Naridbo* j ~ Net Direotor~

II

Introduction

Preparation

Skin Incisions

Muscle Incisions

Internal Organs ..Click on o o s ect........

r

We'd like to know whal youthink! Click here to Send us your commerms abo.t this progrm. (Your web browser must support forms to use the comments page.)

Click here to Return to the Net-Frog Home Pa~ge.

Click here for i.formation n "helper" applic.aiorns (Helper applicaaions are neeed to view the QuickTime movies in this program.)

Or, click here to Retum to the I structioll Technolob Home Pg

Good stuff. I posted a follow-up saying so to the world. (Ohio)

It can eventually replace the dissection of a frog. (Germany)

I will use it in my lectures to 4th year honours bio- chemistry students. (Australia)

METHODS

Quantitative Data Collection & Analysis

Each computer that serves materials for Inter- net access can capture certain kinds of data

describing the use of its Web materials. For each document requested from a Web server,

a record is entered in the server's raw access

logs which indicates the "address" of each cli- ent computer. (Recording this address is made

possible because each computer connection to the Internet has been given a unique identifier, which is expressed as a number or a name.) Each record also includes the day, date, and time; the request sent by the client (GET a file); and the file name requested.

Our Web server delivers a variety of Web- based materials, and captures massive data files for each month (43,485,454 bytes). Before

usage data for any set of Web materials can be

analyzed, the pertinent records must first be extracted from these all-inclusive files. The

resulting project-specific files are still quite large (24,957,479 bytes). Table 1 contains sam-

FROG DISSECTION VIA THE WORLD-WIDE WEB 63

Table 1 D Sample Records from Web Access Logs.1

123.45.67.892 [Wed Dec 21 15:13:59 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/home.html HTTP/1.0 machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:13:59 1994] GET /insttech/frog/skin/skinfrommuscle.gif

HTTP/1.0

machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:14:03 1994] GET /insttech/frog/skin/05PinninFlaps.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:14:07 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/procedure.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:14:08 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/01Skincision1.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:14:09 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/purpose.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:14:37 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/qt.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:14:55 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/Finalptskincut.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:14:58 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/practice.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:15:04 1994] GET i%7Einsttech/frog/skin/03-2ndSkincision1.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:15:15 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/skin.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:15:23 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/04-2ndSkincision2.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:15:26 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/line.gif HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:15:39 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/skinfrommuscle.gif HTTP/1.0 machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:15:49 1994] GET /insttech/frog/organs/home.html HTTP/1.0 machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:15:51 1994] GET /insttech/frog/organs/organs.gif HTTP/1.0 host.net.com [Wed Dec 21 15:15:56 1994] GET /insttech/frog/ HTTP/1.0 123.45.67.89 [Wed Dec 21 15:16:06 1994] GET /%7Einsttech/frog/skin/05PinninFlaps.gif HTTP/1.0 machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:16:21 1994] GET /insttech/frog/organs/Layer2 HTTP/1.0 machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:16:23 1994] GET /insttech/frog/organs/Layer2/ HTTP/1.0 machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:16:25 1994] GET iinsttech/frog/organs/Layer2/layer2.gif

HTTP/1.0

machine.subnet.net.edu [Wed Dec 21 15:16:26 1994] GET /insttech/frog/purpose.gif HTTP/1.0

1. These records are from two and one-half minutes of Net-Frog access. 2. The acutal domain names and I.P. numbers have been changed on each request, to keep client identity confidential. These requests were received from three different client computers.

ple records from 21/2 minutes of Net-Frog access. These records are still in a raw format

that is not readable by statistical programs. Each record includes either the domain name

(alphabetic, such as curry.edschool.virginia.edu) or the Internet Protocol (IP) address (numeric, as in 128.143.3.225); the day, date, time, and

year; and the file requested.

To convert the files containing raw access data for Net-Frog into output files readable by SAS and Splus statistical software, we wrote a C-language program and executed it on each monthly data file. The C program also qualified the Net-Frog data; that is, it removed any non-pertinent records or records containing non-existent files or file types. In this way, unsuccessful attempts to access Net-Frog were excluded from our

analyses. We also elected to remove all server requests from any computer within our school of education. While we obviously lost some of our usage data contributed by the local com- munity, it was only by dropping all requests received from our own machine addresses that we could eliminate the effects of our own access during program servicing efforts.

To analyze the qualified data files, we wrote a program in the Splus statistical language (Statistical Sciences, Inc., 1993). Splus allows us to flexibly summarize the logs across a vari- ety of variables as well as to perform more detailed sequential analyses.

Before we ran the statistical analyses, we elected to take a conservative approach to determining the number of uses of the pro- gram. We decided to consider all access

64 ETR&D, Vol 44, No. 2

Figure 2 L- Net-Frog Comments Form (partial view)

Back iv, .:,xd

1Home I Reload J Images j Open Print

I, ind I Stop II

iooation jhttp://curry edsohool .virginia.edu/~insttch /frog/support/quic-form.html

What's New? W hat's Cool? I Handbook Net Search Net Direotory Software

Let Us Hear From You! Place your cursor in each windowbelow and enter as much text as you like. The window will automatically scrollto keep tp. Use the sccolbars at the bottom and right of each windowto examine your er5y.

You may delete text incorrect~ entered by first positioning the cursor directly after the text to be deleted and then using the delete key.

You may insert text by simply positioningr the cursor to the desired loca~tion and typing any combi~aion of text and spaces needed.

We would appreciate your input on the Interactive Frog Dissection tutorial:

* Wha did you think of it?

*Do ..h

ii.a y s siiiiois i i i ii iifir ife iviiiiiomnii iitiiiii * Do you have any suggestions for future development?

_IJ" il_

requests received in a given day from a single address to be one visit. (While we know that multiple users from a single site access and use our materials, we have no way of know- ing how many.)

It is important to note that the quantita- tive data we are reporting includes only that captured by our own Web server. Some Internet service providers, such as America Online, routinely cache (store on their own servers) the Web documents frequently accessed by their users. We recently began receiving weekly summaries of Net-Frog Web access from America Online, and we estimate that they are serving far more than 1,000 additional clients with Net-Frog mate- rials each week.

Qualitative Data Collection

We obtained a qualitative response from Net- Frog users through their submission of elec- tronic comments. See Figure 2 for the Web-based comments form. Users can com-

pose their responses by clicking and typing in any of the text windows on the form. We asked users to tell us what they thought of the materials, to give us suggestions for future development, to let us know if they had any problems while using it, or if they planned to use net-frog in a classroom, and finally to tell us if they saw other good uses of the materials. After entering their name and electronic mail address, respondents can click the SEND button and their comments are transmitted and

appear in our electronic mail box.

FROG DISSECTION VIA THE WORLD-WIDE WEB 65

RESULTS

The popularity of Net-Frog is illustrated by server-generated usage data and by user com- ments. The data reported below is from a 17- month period, from the announcement of

Net-Frog on August 4, 1994 until December 31, 1995.

Quantitative Outcomes

Table 2 contains our summary statistics for the first 17 months of Net-Frog usage. We recorded

166,821 uses of the program within this time

period, or an average of 2,285 per week. (As described in the methods section, we consid-

ered any number of requests from a given machine address in a given day to be a single use.) Figures 3 and 4 graphically illustrate the increase in Net-Frog usage over time.

A number of our users appear to be repeat customers. Each month, an average of 6,888

unique machine addresses was served, and an

average of 9,813 machine visits recorded. This

suggests an average of 1.42 visits from each machine address per month.

A significant amount of program material was requested by and delivered to our users over the WWW. A total of 3,766,477 files and more than 143 billion bytes were served,

resulting in an average of 22.28 files and

859,645 bytes served per machine visit.

The HTML files containing the program- ming information and program text made up 25% of the files served (HTML files make up 37.9% of the total program). Since each HTML file calls and displays a number of graphic images (GIF files), there was a higher propor- tion of graphics files served (73%; GIF images make up 43.4% of total program files). Quick- Time movies were 1.4% of the total files served

(these movies make up 6% of the total pro- gram files).

One facet of the Net-Frog statistics that war- ranted further exploration was the number of

Table 2 D Net-Frog Summary Statistics, 8/4/94-12/31/95

Machine Unique Unique Files Mean Bytes Month Visitsa Machines Domains Transferred Files/Visit Transferred

Aug 1994 3,097 2,297 43 56,867 18.36 3,040,556,655

Sep 1994 5,527 4,020 51 118,883 21.51 5,623,523,275 Oct 1994 10,118 7,082 57 214,430 21.19 9,234,859,879

Nov 1994 6,285 4,452 56 120,275 19.14 4,768,813,519

Dec 1994 7,049 4,941 56 149,915 21.27 5,875,505,663

Jan 1995 8,311 5,833 56 174,439 20.99 7,031,048,232 Feb 1995 9,675 6,611 55 191,019 19.74 7,183,595,358

Mar 1995 12,390 8,375 55 250,304 20.20 9,656,040,556

Apr 1995 13,174 9,053 55 297,576 22.59 10,673,317,462

May 1995 11,474 7,867 63 256,535 22.36 9,836,024,069

Jun 1995 10,584 7,412 59 263,716 24.92 10,171,755,657

Jul 1995 9,486 6,784 61 235,147 24.79 8,663,422,171

Aug 1995 10,192 7,331 59 243,579 23.90 8,786,856,712

Sep 1995 11,391 7,995 59 298,978 26.25 10,574,735,795

Oct 1995 13,481 9,477 60 304,382 22.58 10,605,040,733

Nov 1995 13,395 9,467 67 319,284 23.84 11,445,404,010

Dec 1995 11,192 8,094 60 281,148 25.12 10,236,414,312

Total 166,821 N/A N/A 3,776,477 N/A 143,406,914,058

Mean 9,813 6,888 57 222,145.71 22.28 8,435,700,827

a Each machine visit includes all requests from a client machine during a 24-hour time period.

66 ETR&D, Vol 44, No. 2

Figure 3 [ Unique Machine Visits by Montha

14,000

12,000

0

c 10,000

0

S8,000 - 0 I5

6,000 0 0*

S4,000 -

2,000 -

0

a~" Ec m 03 0l r fo a 0n mhn d3 a 2 ou) 0) p r

x, x, a

,-, a a ,

= = x ..a 0) -

9r9 ' 9

9' 9' 9' 9' - - ' 9 ' 9

a Each machine visit includes all requests from a client machine during a 24-hour time period.

Figure 4 O Files Transferred by Month

350,000 -

300,000 -

v 250,000 - 0

0

S200,000 - C 'U

150,000 -

100,000 -

50,000 -

0

xa LO LO LO LO LO LO LO LO LO LO LO L - ) - ' 9 ' 9 ' 9 ' 9' 9 ' 9 ' 9 ' 9

0) 0. .x x0

. 3 5 > 03

03 ...............

FROG DISSECTION VIA THE WORLD-WIDE WEB 67

unique network domains represented in the data. As it collects raw usage data, our Web server software (NCSA HTTPD 1.1) attempts to resolve IP addresses (for example, 128.143.-

3.212) into more human-readable domain names (such as "curry.edschool.virginia.edu") by polling a name-server at the time of access.

Requests from IP addresses not having a corre-

sponding domain name in this name server remain unresolved at this point. Only about 75% of our data was resolved from IP address

to domain name, leaving a relatively large number of records (25%) unresolved.

We were curious as to whether these unre- solved IP addresses could be further identi-

fied. To explore this possibility, we compared the unresolved IP addresses with entries obtained from a standard network reference

("nets.unl.now" obtained from ftp.merit.edu on April 6, 1995). If a match was found, we extracted its corresponding domain-style iden- tifier and inserted this into the access logs in

much the same way that the original server resolution had been accomplished. By this means, we were able to resolve about 95% of

the previously unresolved addresses.

Our resolution procedures resulted in the identification of client requests from a total of

90 unique domain networks. Domain net- works generally correspond to country of

origin (i.e., ".au" for Australia, ".se" for Swe-

den). Within the United States, however, a number of designations are used, such as

".us," ".edu" (educational institutions), ".com"

(commercial sites), and ".gov" (governmental sites).

Our clients were located primarily in the United States; 81% of the requests that could be tracked to a domain were U.S.-related, with 36.6% from U.S. commercial addresses, 26.6% from U.S. educational institutions, 10.1% from

network addresses, 3% from the U.S. govern- ment, and smaller amounts from the United

States domain (2.4%), non-profit organizations (1.5%), and the U.S. military (1%).

Globally, requests from Canada (4.5%), the United Kingdom (3.5%), Germany (1.8%), Australia (1.3%), Sweden (1.2%), and the Netherlands (1.1%) were notable. See Table 3 for a summary.

Table 3 O Unique Domain Networks Accessing Net-Frog3

U.S. Commercial 36.6% U.S. Educational 26.6% U.S. Network 10.1% U.S. Government 3.0% United States 2.4%

U.S. Non-Profit Organizations 1.5% U.S. Military 1.0% Canada 4.5%

United Kingdom 3.5% Germany 1.8% Australia 1.3% Sweden 1.2% Netherlands 1.1%

3. These proportions were computed following the IP address resolution efforts described in the text.

Qualitative Outcomes

Qualitative data on program use and effective- ness were collected through the use of user comment forms in the Web materials. We have

received more than 430 responses during the first 17 months of use. By clicking on the com- ments form and typing, users are able to send

us their thoughts about the program, and their

suggestions for future development. The user comments we have received complete the pic- ture of success for Net-Frog:

I have the need to tell you that your tutorial is (gulp) doing incredible things for the way we educate our- selves and our children. Kudos to all involved.

This is a wonderful tool for students . . . The inter- active component was simply outstanding.

To say the least I was very impressed.

While usage in schools is still limited because of lack of direct Internet connectivity in the classroom, we are finding that Net-Frog is an ideal tool for parents and children to use

together, and for anyone at all to use who is interested in learning:

68 ETR&D, Vol 44, No. 2

Excellent programme, my children and I have fol- lowed the text through, viewed the movies all that's left is the practical (at home that's difficult!) . . . This has really reinforced their understanding.

My son (age 4) and I spent 20 minutes browsing ... He was totally entranced.

Very impressed. We homeschool our two boys and finding lab work has been a concern.

How can I convince my son that going to school is not boring when he can learn so much and do it vol- untarily on the Net?

My kids had a blast, but I had even more fun.

Limitations & Future Research

There are several limitations to the results we

report here. First, the quantitative outcomes are

incomplete, as they reflect only those users

contacting our server directly for Net-Frog materials. As mentioned previously, some Internet access providers temporarily store Web materials for their users to access. We esti-

mate Net-Frog users served by America Online to be more than 1,000/week, approaching half the number accessing our own Web server.

Also, because of the distributed nature of the Internet (users are not brought physi- cally together by the confines of a school or other institution), it is impossible for us to evaluate closely user behavior during and after use of instructional programs such as

Net-Frog. However, we feel it may be possi- ble to go further with the access data we have. We are currently exploring event his-

tory analysis techniques as a possible means of examining program use in greater detail. We hope to be able to determine how much time users spend during each session, the

proportion of the program they access, and the path they take through the program, among other things.

Evolution of Net-Frog and Educational Use of the Internet

Net-Frog has great potential for evolution.

Many users have suggested companion pro-

grams, some of which would provide the on- line dissection experience for other organisms. We also feel that Net-Frog is stimulating greater use of the Internet. From user com- ments we know that parents and educators are

introducing the Internet and WWW to schools, teachers, and students as a function of their

exposure to Net-Frog. Bioethics researchers and animal-rights activists are publicizing Net-

Frog's availability, and teachers and parents are recommending it to one another in Internet discussion groups and publications. This expo- sure is also encouraging individuals to con- sider other possibilities for Internet use:

It gives me some very good ideas for my own classes.

You could modify the frog program and use it for nearly any project.

Great stuff! Is this [WWW development] easy enough for 6th graders to do? I am planning on get- ting kids to create their own materials.

I am writing a grant proposal to get my sister's school wired to the Internet. Can I download and store your program to show them the kinds of high- quality programming they will be able to access?

We hope that these experiences will con- tinue to encourage innovative and effective instructional practice using the Internet as a

powerful tool. [-

Mable Kinzie is an Associate Professor and Valerie Larsen is a doctoral candidate, both in Instructional Technology at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. Joseph Burch is a Computer Systems Engineer with the UNIX Systems Group of Information Technology & Communications, University of Virginia. Steven M. Boker is a doctoral candidate in the Quantitative Area of the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia. A previous version of this paper was presented at the 1995 annual meeting of the Internet Society, Honolulu, HI. Correspondence may be addressed to Mable B. Kinzie, Department of Educational Studies, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2495. Net-Frog can be accessed at http://teach.virginia.edu/go/frog.

FROG DISSECTION VIA THE WORLD-WIDE WEB 69

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