World Civilization
World Civilization
World Civilization Interactive Journey
HIST 4130/5130
HIST 4950/5950
HIST 4140/5140
HIST 4280/5280:
HIST 4285/5285:
IDST 2310:
to 1550 C.E.
1550 to the present
The Middle Ages
Medieval Monasticism
Renaissance and
Reformation
Intellectual and
Cultural History
of Europe
to 1500 C.E.
Intellectual and
Cultural History
of Europe
since 1500 C.E.
The Fine and
Applied Arts
in Civilization
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Georgia
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Dr. Vess's World Civilization Interactive Journey
The links below will bring up a series of interactive modules I wrote in Authorware for my World Civilization (and other) classes during my years first at DeKalb College (now Georgia Perimeter College) and then at Georgia College & State University. I have always intended these files to be primarily for the use of my students; I have received so many requests in the last few years, however, to open these files to the public that I have decided to make them available to anyone else interested in the great world civilizations of the past. I hope other students and instructors find them useful.
These files contain interactive primary sources, chronologies, maps, glossaries, and other resources for the study of antiquity. The world geography unit is useful as a general orientation to the location of the world civilizations studied in the first half of a World Civilization survey. I designed the modules to teach students how to analyze primary sources; many of the units are Socratic in nature, and I intended them to encourage independent thought about the problems encountered. While students may often find my commentary following the Socratic modules, students will also engage in exericises which test their understanding by asking them to apply important concepts. I also designed the modules to enable students to master facts, dates, events, chronology, and geography. Each module contains at least one formal quiz and a variety of other means for students to assess their understanding of the materials. Students and instructors in world literature, humanities, and other areas may also find these materials useful.
I have found these programs to be very effective in improving student performance. Colleagues who are interested in a more detailed description of the theoretical design of these programs and their impact on student learning should consult my article, "Socrates On-line: A Multimedia Tool for the Development of Critical Thought," in Proteus: A Journal of Ideas. Special issue on Technology in Education (March 1997):13-22.
A caveat: I am not a professionally trained programer; on the contrary, I am a history professor who fell in love with educational technology and taught herself everything she knows how to do. Consequently, there are one or two graphics in these programs that do not look as nifty as I wish they did, nor do these modules always work as well on the Internet as they do on a network or in the labs on campus. I do hope users will forgive me an occasional less-than-perfect graphic or experience via a modem connection!
These interactive programs are also set up to record the amount of time you spend in the modules, your scores on quizzes, and other information onto a floppy disk. They do not write to your hard drive. (Please only use this feature if you are a student in one of my classes. I regret that due to the length of time it takes me to read scored disks, I cannot at this point provide support for this feature for other instructors or students. It just makes my already complicated life even more complicated, and then my children, colleagues and even my pets cannot stand my presence. Do your part for world peace and my sanity and don't ask me to read them for you. The programs provide scoring information online, so those who cannot use the disk feature can still clearly see their scores. I may consider uploading the scoring programs should there be sufficient interest from colleagues at other institutions. E-mail me if you are interested.) If you are one of my students and you wish to or are required to use this feature, please insert a 3 1/2 inch disk in your floppy drive and set up your browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) to operate in trusting mode.
Clicking on the links below will bring up the Authorware modules and then minimize your browser window. You will see only the Authorware interactive units; when you are finished, click on the quit option, which you can find in the top left corner of each program under the "menu" option and then restore (maximize) your browser window.
These modules are designed for optimal use on a T1/LAN connection. Users who are connecting via a modem should be prepared to wait for the modules to download. The waiting period can, unfortunately, sometimes be a bit longer than I would like for it to be. I think, however, that the rewards are worth the wait. At least I hope that is the case.
You will also need to install the Shockwave (Authorware Web Player) plug-in from Macromedia, which you may download by clicking on the button below:
All rights to these programs are reserved. Users are forbidden to reproduce or distribute these programs in any form without the written permission of Dr. Vess. Copyright, 1996 and 2000.
World Geography This is a very simple drag-and-click introduction to the major regions and civilizations of the world most likely to be covered in the first semester of a World Civilization course.
*note: in the map section of this module, users will often notice hyperlinks which bring up web sites in a new window. Unless you click on the hyperlinks, you will be unable to continue the map exercise. Once you do click, the program will continue and you can explore the web sites or not as you choose.
As a final aside, if you are wondering why I stopped with Africa, let me simply say that I spent two years of my life day and night writing these programs. When I began to dream in Authorware I knew it was time for a break.