A multi-expertise application-driven class

In this paper we report on our experience of teaching a multi-expertise application-driven course in which upper-level undergraduate and entry-level graduate students from computer science, computer graphics technology, and educational science worked together to design, develop and evaluate a distance learning system. We describe the activities pursued in the class, the interactions between the various groups of students, as well as the challenges and advantages ensuing from the great variety of student backgrounds. The success of the course is measured in two ways. First, the class achieved the goal of building a distance learning system that surpasses the state of the art by improving the integration of the remote students into regular on-campus learning. Second, a survey conducted at the end of the course indicates that the application-driven, collaborative, and multi-expertise structure of the class provided a uniquely effective learning experience.