Web Design Dogma

Based on filmic movements like Dogme, the French New Wave which preceeded it, and on several other bees in my bonnet about  having to offer disruptions to the usual realist conventions in order to make an educational impact, I enclose my dogmatic principles which inform the design of this site. What do you mean you didn't realise it was designed? NB as of March 2005 I am getting more than 800 visits a day so something must be going OK.

#1 Content not presentation.
Text not pictures. Definitely no Flash.
Simple backgrounds using standard colours.
Lo-tech, bearing in mind the student on a 386 machine hooked up via a 14k modem.

#2 Browsers not designers.
Menus not narratives.
Minimal hyperlinks, and then only as suggestions
Definitely no objectives, learning outcomes, self-assessment questions (well, only to make a point).
Suggestions about how to proceed but no bullying, moralising, preaching or hobby-horses.
No discussion boards but an invitation to email (see below) -- let's hear it for the lurkers!

#3 Free/cheap kit.
This site proudly uses Mozilla Composer, First Page (free HTML editor), and Free Find (bless 'em) .
I also use Terrapin ftp transfer stuff -- it cost £14.00.
My rent costs me $14 per month.
There are no charges to acccess the material.

#4 No conventional hierarchies or divisions of labour.
I am a sociologist but I like other work so I welcome contributions form other areas. Any other areas.
I am not sentimental about students but I find reading their material interesting and helpful -- so they have a space too.
I don't really care if I should be writing this stuff or not -- I want to so I do, in my spare time.
You can take my material and use it how you like in your local context ( see my online tutorial).

#5 No  assessment or credentials.
No assessment, no tests. You decide if you've learned anything.
No credentials or certificates. I don't want to decide if you have learned anything or tell anyone else.
If I want to reply to your emailed questions I will, but I don't have to fake interest and nor do you.
You don't have to try to please me because I don't assess you.

Any comments? Please email me.


{oh, here's another one, worth spelling out in more detail...)

#6 No electronic interaction.
Interaction is much better done face-to-face.
The real role of web pages is to provide information for subsequent face-to-face discussion.
Discussion is an essential part of critical engagement, but it doesn't have to be with the author.
Electronic interaction is a commercial solution looking for an educational problem.
People who buy expensive interactional  facilities are trying to throw money at an educational problem -- (guess what, they are usually managers).