Basic Navigation Scheme

Overview

The design template for Project Links modules not only provides a consistent look for the module(s), but also provides a navigation scheme to help developers organize their content and take advantage of the web's interactive learning capabilities. This page provides a schematic explanation of the content and functional navigation as described on the Module and Template Overview page.

Content and Functional Navigation Refresher

Content Navigation

The content navigation is found in the left-hand side navigation bar (the side_nav frame in the Template), and represents the main points or concepts you want students to learn in your lesson. Think of it as the module's table of contents. Each of these concepts should have some interactive component associated with them (through the functional navigation, described below), but each link from the side navigation bar must have a "Concepts" page--it doesn't have to be the first page linked from the side navigation bar, but one should exist.

Functional Navigation

The functional navigation can be found along the top of each page--the "Concepts", "Discover", "Applications", "Collaborate", and "Practice" headings. The functional navigation represents interactive activities, with the exception of the "Concepts" page (which generally provides the theory behind each concept and is often the page linked directly from the side navigation bar). For example, the "Discover" link might lead to a video of an actual laboratory experiment or an interactive applet; the "Applications" link might lead to images or examples of real-world applications of the concept; the "Collaborate" link might lead to discussion questions for the class; and the "Practice" link might lead to a set of homework problems. Not every concept page will have a full gamut of activities associated with it (although that is one of our Project Links fantasies), but the power of web-based learning lies in engaging students with interactivity.

Schematic Example

basic navigation scheme

The labeled squares represent screens or pages in a module. The lines show how the pages are linked together. In this example, the Derivation and Solve pages would link from the text surrounding a key equation within the Concepts page, whereas the functional navigation pages (Discover, Applications, Collaborate, and Practice) are linked to each other as well as to the Concepts page through the functional navigation bar (which is present on the top of each Links module page). The user, then, has access to each functional page from any other page in this section of the module, which is specific to the concept presented--i.e. each table of contents item from the side navigation bar will have a unique set of pages linked via the functional navigation bar.

The Another Links link and the External link would, like the Solve and Derivation pages, link from the text on the Discover and Applications pages, respectively.

This schematic is for just one item on the side navigation bar; ideally, each concept from the side navigation bar will have a similar scheme.

Examples

The Vibrating Strings module and the Drag Forces module are good examples of the Links navigation scheme used to engage students and demonstrate interactive learning. The "Experiment Analysis" section of the Drag Forces module is used as the model for our schematic storyboard example, which may provide more insight into how module content and navigation can work together (click on Drag Forces and then on the Experiment Analysis heading on the side navigation bar).

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