____________________________Creating and Using Web Interactive Databases

• Class Example--Updating an existing database
  • The task
    • I wrote a book, Psychology Resources on the World Wide Web, (Act9 version) that contained nearly 1,200 URLs related to psychology.
    • I then wanted students to use the book to help them learn psychology, and I wanted to update the database to keep it current.
    • Now, students receive up to five points for submitting one URL for each of the five tests they take.
  • The database
    • I also created a database to organize all of those URLs, and then I served the database using FileMaker Pro 4.0. The old version of the software was used because students swamped the access limits of FileMaker Pro 5. When funds allow the purchase of FileMaker 5 Unlimited, it will replace FileMaker 4.0.
      • see: http://bssdb.saumag.edu:2000
    • The database now contains over 2100 URLs.
  • How it is used
    • Students may only update the database. They may not edit or delete records.
    • At the end of the semester, I shut off access to the database and sort it by class and student last name. I then assign a score ranging from 1-5 for each URL submitted. That score is then added to each student's score total from the five tests taken over the semester and a grading distribution is created.

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