Toward the virtual university: Collaborative development of a web-based course

Abstract

In 1995 librarians from ten colleges and universities throughout Utah collaborated to develop Internet Navigator, a one credit-hour introductory course intended to emphasize information literacy rather than Internet mechanics. Since January 1996 this self-paced, independent study course has been offered simultaneously at all ten institutions, via the World Wide Web; 171 students completed it during the first six months. This article describes the development, purpose, and content of Internet Navigator, as well as student and faculty responses, the issues encountered in collaborative implementation, and future prospects for Web-based courses.