MERLOT Award Winners - 2004

MERLOT is pleased to present the 2004 winners of its Editors' Choice and Classics awards. Winners were honored at the 2004 MERLOT International Conference held August 3-6 in Costa Mesa, California.

Biology-Classics

Plants in Motion by Robert P. Hangarter, Indiana University
Watch plants do amazing things. Learn some interesting facts while you are at it! Time lapse movies of plant growth from germination to flowering, including tropic responses, Nastic movement and circadian rhythms.

Business-Classics

Advertising Principles.com by J. Scott Armstrong, The Wharton School
advertisingprinciples.com attempts to summarize all that is known about how to create an effective advertising campaign. It converts this knowledge into principles for the development and testing of TV commercials and print ads. It contains information on developing and evaluating advertising campaigns, along with educational resources and additional related links.

Engineering-Classics

Internal Combustion Engine by Allan Kirkpatrick, Colorado State University
Internal Combustion Engine was developed to be an addition to a senior level internal combustion engine class. It contains text that reviews the subject matter and 21 applets that perform simple calculations. The Engine Performance applets under the Thermodynamic section are the most involved.

Health Sciences-Classics

What's Asthma All About? by Rajeev Venkayya, MD, Neomedicus
To understand asthma, it is important to know how the body works and reacts. This 3 part movie explains the lungs and respiratory system, what happens during an asthma attack and ways to treat asthma.

History-Classics and Editors Choice

Crisis at Fort Sumter by Richard B. Latner, Tulane University
"Crisis at Fort Sumter" is an interactive historical simulation and decision making program. Using text, images, and sound, it reconstructs the dilemmas of policy formation and decision making in the period between Abraham Lincoln's election in November 1860 and the battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861. The program primarily focuses on Lincoln, both as President-elect and as President. Viewers place themselves in Lincoln's position, consider the events that transpired, and choose a course of action at five critical junctures, called "problems."

Math-Classics

Cut-the-Knot! by Alexander Bogomolny, Cut-the-Knot.com
A mathematician's delight! This interactive column uses Java applets, in the form of a puzzle or a problem simulation. Problems are not stated directly. The applets are intended to be such that the right answer to as yet an unstated problem should be easy to surmise. State your problem, state your answer, try to justify and, perhaps, prove it. In subsequent columns, answers are provided!

Music-Classics

Interactive Music Skill Checks by David Megill, MiraCosta College
A collection of interactive skill tests for music theory, musicianship and music appreciation. These include, pitch, rhythm, scales, chords, intervals, melody, Four Part Voice Leading and drop the needle.

Physics-Classics

Illuminations by Ron Greene, University of New Orleans
A collection Java applets packaged with descriptive text that introduces students to the representation of motion by means of motion diagrams (aka strobe diagrams). The items are interactive, and provide immediate feedback and a running score, making them suitable for student self-study. A means of recording scores for a homework grade is available from the author.

Teacher Education-Classics

Authentic Assessment Toolbox by Jon Mueller, North Central College
A how-to hypertext on creating authentic tasks, rubrics and standards for measuring and improving student learning. Topics include: What is authentic assessment? Why do we need it? How do you do it? Answers to these questions as well as information on Standards, Rubrics, Portfolios, and Examples are also included. Educators at all levels will find this site useful.

Teaching and Technology-Classics

The Virtual Instructional Designer (VID) by Indiana State University (ISU), Ivy Tech State College (Ivy Tech) and Vincennes University (VU)
The Virtual Instructional Designer (VID) is a Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnership (LAAP) grant-funded project to create a Web-based performance tool for post-secondary faculty designing Web-based online distance courses. The purpose of the VID is to provide 24/7 desktop access for faculty to instructional design assistance on the process of developing online instruction or courses.

World Languages-Classics

Civilisation Française by Marie Ponterio, SUNY-Cortland
This site includes Pedagogical activities on a wide variety of topics in French civilization. Modules including audio, video interviews with native speakers, exercises, dialogues and many external links. There is also an authentic presentation of culture through photographs.

For more information please contact Cathy Owens Swift at cswift@calstate.edu