Karoulis, Α., Demetriades, S., & Pombortsis, A. (2004). The «Lesson Sheets» and their Application in the Instructional Procedure. Educational Technology & Society, 7 (2), 105-119. The «Lesson Sheets» and their Application in the Instructional Procedure Athanasis Karoulis, Stavros Demetriades and Andreas Pombortsis Dept. of Informatics – Aristotle University of Thesslaoniki PO Box 888 - 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece Phone: +30-2310-998443 Fax +30-2310-998419 karoulis@csd.auth.gr sdemetri@csd.auth.gr apombo@csd.auth.gr Abstract This study concerns the application of tools and methods of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in the traditional class. More concretely, the design of an instructional aid called «lesson sheets» is discussed, according to specific guidelines, which evolve from the corresponding educational theories. Accordingly, the application of the proposed tool in four classes is described, as perceived by the participating subjects. The results of the study show a good integration of the proposed tool, however its construction must be performed according to the provided guidelines. Finally, some further research aspects are discussed, which are necessary in order to investigate the effective application of this tool in ODL environments as well. Keywords Instructional tool, Lesson sheet, Personalization Introduction Many instructional aids for activating the participation of learners in the instructional procedure and for solving some of the problems of face-to-face instruction and of the delivery of traditional printed material to the learners have been proposed. This is because learning is a process (Duchastel, 2001) that depends on other features as well, such as learner’s motivation, previous experience and learning strategies that the individual has been supported to develop. The effectiveness of any educational environment cannot be considered independently of these aspects. It is widely accepted that effective learning is also related to educational environments and tools that provide the students with an incentive for active participation in the learning process. Also, the approach of delivering instruction over distance (e.g. web-based education), unveils the issue of support and scaffold of students, an issue that was always important in all ODL schemes. In such environments, the ad-hoc prepared educational material underlies some guidelines characterized as sound for ODL: aims and targets, keywords, short chapters and paragraphs, simple language, explanation of difficult points, exercises and activities are only some of them. In addition to this, a set of new educational approaches and methodologies has evolved, in order for this material to be smoothly integrated into the instructional procedure. As well as the above, a set of different kinds of learning aids, such as “study frameworks”, time scheduling, and summaries has also evolved. So, it is obvious there is a need for supporting material for the student, in order to «integrate» him/herself easily into the new educational environment. Up to now, all tools proposed aim to scaffold the student in his work and to confront eventual learning difficulties. In this context, Race (1993) for example, suggests a “handout” for use during the instructional procedure and pinpoints some advantages and disadvantages of this tool as well. He argues that the delivery of the same package to all the participants, their active participation, the time profit, the acceleration of noting down information are some strong points of the tool, while the weaknesses include the possibility of the ill structure of the educational material, the diminishment of interest or total loss of interest due to the presence of this tool. The proposed tool However, to our knowledge, there is not a tool for use during and after the lesson, clearly aiming to «accompany» the student throughout the whole instructional procedure. So, the motivation of this study was the need to propose a tool that could support and scaffold the student during the lesson, in assisting him/her to capture and personalize the offered information, as well as for use after the lesson during his/her study at home, in assisting him/her in learning, understanding and assimilating the recorded material, thus facilitating his/her augmentation of knowledge on the domain. 105 ISSN 1436-4522 (online) and 1176-3647 (print). © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS). The authors and the forum jointly retain the copyright of the articles. 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