The ETD Tutorial: Online Supporting Students Transition from Traditional to ETD

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The Online ETD Tutorial Supporting Students
Transition from Traditional to ETD USA
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The Online ETD Tutorial Supporting Students
Transition from Traditional to ETD
Cindy Gray
Visual Communication Designer Technology
Enhanced Learning and Research
William A.T. Clark
Professor and Associate Dean, Graduate School
Susan E. Metros
Professor and Deputy CIO and Executive Director
for eLearningTechnology Enhanced Learning and
Research
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The Online ETD Tutorial Supporting Students
Transition from Traditional to ETD

• Todays session
• Background
• The tutorial
• Methods and production process
• Questions and explore the tutorial

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The Ohio State University

• Large public university in USA
• Columbus, Ohio campus
• Over 50,000 students
• 10,000 are graduate students
• Degrees granted each year
• 600 research doctoral degrees
• 2,500 Masters degrees

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122 Graduate Programs

• Diverse disciplines
• 100 offer doctoral degrees
• Some have a very strong technology base, while
  others lack technological expertise

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PDF

• Most efficient format for a university of our
  size
• Acrobat software is affordable
• Acrobat reader is readily available to view
  electronic format

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All Doctoral Dissertations Submitted
Electronically

• Required starting Autumn 2002
• About 1,500 ETDs have been disseminated through
  OhioLINK
• In summer 2006 masters degreeswill require
  electronic submission of their thesis

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Need for Online Tutorial

• Students were having difficulty with converting
  their documents to electronic format
• Overlooking Acrobats rich features
• Supports intuitive navigation
• Integrates multimedia
• Promotes user interaction
• Provides support for users with special needs

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Adobe
Networked Digital Library of Thesis and
Dissertations (NDLTD)
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Design Specifications

• Online tutorial instructing student authors to
  use Adobe Acrobat to produce a PDF version of
  their thesis or dissertation
• Software requirements
• Adobe Acrobat Professional
• Macromedia Flash plug-in
• Quicktime for the multimedia lesson

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The Online ETD Tutorial

• Modular-based training program
• PDF format
• Text
• Images
• Navigation
• Audio and movies files
• Links to online demo movies

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Source Content

• Applying Natural Horn Technique to Modern Valved
  Horn Performance Practice (Wick, 2001)
• Heidi A. Wick
• The Ohio State University Doctor of Musical Arts
  
• Audio clips to demonstrate her auditory-based
  research findings

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Lessons

• 1. Read an ETD
• 2. Create a PDF File
• 3. Modify a PDF File
• 4. Add PDF Navigation to an ETD
• 5. Add Multimedia with Acrobat Professional

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www.adobe.com/education/etd/tutorials.html
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Review Process

• Review team
• NDLTD faculty and library staff members
• Adobe Systems staff
• Electronic reviews for each lesson
• Choosing the lesson exercises
• Tutorial including screen shots (no demo movies)
  for each lesson
• First revision of tutorial including screen shots
  and demo movies for each lesson
• Second revision of tutorial including screen
  shots and demo movies for each lesson
• Final tutorial review

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Informal Usability Testing

• Undergraduate and graduate students
• Group 1
• Complete entire tutorial
• Perform specific tasks
• Group 2
• Complete individual lesson
• Perform specific tasks

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The Design Team

• Designed and produced by Technology Enhanced
  Learning and Research at OSU
• Visual designer led the project team and
  designed and produced lessons
• OSU writer who specializes in user documentation
• Professional announcer from OSUs public radio
  station
• OSU videographer

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Production Software

• Qarbon ViewletBuilder
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Acrobat Professional
• Apple Final Cut Pro
• Macromedia Flash
• Adobe GoLive

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Dissemination

• Adobes website
• http//www.adobe.com/education/etd/tutorials.html
  
• The Ohio State Universitys graduate school
  website
• Virginia Tech (NDLTDs link)
• Proquest

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Expanding Functionality

• Just completed the Acrobat 7 version
• Researching options for a 6th lesson
• Produce an ETD that is accessible to people with
  special needs
• Plans to develop an electronic questionnaire

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The ETD Tutorial

• Local usage patterns and comments
• Easy to access!
• Easy to use!

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Future Research Will See

• If students are more competent at converting
  their thesis or dissertation to electronic
  formats
• If more ETDs
• Offer intuitive navigation
• Integrate multimedia
• Promote user interaction

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The Online ETD Tutorial Supporting Students
Transition from Traditional to ETD
Questions?

• www.adobe.com/education/etd/tutorials.html