Abstract

In the present study, a web site including instructional materials such as Whiteboard Movies (WBM), simulations and animations and testing materials such as true-false, fill-in-the-blanks, puzzles, open- ended questions  and  multiple-choice  questions was  designed. The  study  was  carried out  with  76 students  attending  Dicle  College  (DC),  Diyarbakir Anatolian  High  School  (DAHS)  and  Cumhuriyet Science High School (CSHS) located in the central town of the city Diyarbakir in southeast of Turkey and equipped with computer laboratories and Internet connection in the academic year of 2008 to 2009. Before the application, the data base records were taken regarding the participation of the students in the  web  activities.  At  the  end  of  the  application, 10  open-ended  questions  were  directed  to  19 volunteering students to evaluate the participating students’ views about the learning approach used and about the web site designed. The analyses of the responses given to the open-ended questions revealed that the students were generally satisfied with the testing and instructional materials found on the web site developed and that the students still experienced such problems as slowly-opening WBMs, an inadequate number of test forms including multiple-choice questions and insufficient duration of application. Considering the findings as a whole obtained in the study, it was thought that it would be beneficial to use web-based educational applications in teaching physics in schools with better Internet infrastructure and opportunities.

Key words: Web based education, modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (MOODLE), students’ views.