Using a Web-Based System To Support Teaching Processes

A platform-independent Java Web application named TSI (Teacher-Student Interaction) that supports communication between an instructor, teaching assistants and students in a traditional on-campus course is presented in this paper. Using the TSI, the instructor and teaching assistants can handle most of the routine work: upload student personal information, send students personal emails, etc. The system can easily be installed and administered individually by an instructor inexperienced in computers. It is as simple as a pen for students. Students can check their personal data (scores and comments), download educational materials, etc. As part of the TSI, a VBA application is used to analyze the course log files. This tool is helpful in understanding individual and group students’ behaviors. The TSI was successfully tested during four years at the University of Aizu (Japan) in an environment where English is one of the working languages and both students and professors are nonnative speakers of English.