Ramosus is a unique authoring and web management tool for creating and delivering dynamic, user-centred, interactive e-learning resources.

Ramosus makes it easy to...

• create and manage online case studies and action mazes
• create and manage non-linear, flexible learning applications
  
• create and manage multiple-pathway decision trees and keys
• improve learners' problem solving and diagnostic skills
• monitor and identify gaps in student learning

Ramosus is perfect for...

• educators involved at any level of student learning
• graduate students
• collaborative development of e-learning applications

Ramosus is elegant, easy, and web-based. Using Ramosus does not require any knowledge of web languages or programming - all the style and interactivity is generated automatically for you by Ramosus. All you require is imagination.

Ramosus is available free to the academic community as a web service.

The key to the flexibility that Ramosus offers learners and instructors is the rich range of features it provides.

Create "real life" scenarios

• Easily integrate financial consequences of decision making (e.g. budgets, time, costs and revenue) into your application.  

Analyse learner performance

• View summaries of individual learners' decisions and compare these against class-based average benchmarks
  

No plugins, no programming required

• No programs or plugins need to be installed on computers to construct or use Ramosus applications
  
• No knowledge of HTML code or programming is required to create and manage interactive e-learning applications
  

Integrate quizzes, surveys, slideshows, and multimedia

• Easily integrate multi-choice, short and long answer questions into your application
  
• Insert fully annotated slideshows and multimedia objects (e.g. Flash, digital video and sound clips)

Use within your online learning system

• Through our web service, link to your application via your learning management system

Dual presentation modes

• Ramosus applications can be accessed by individual learners to work through themselves. 
  
• In situations where class or group interaction with the instructor is important, present your application in conventional face-to-face learning situations

Ramosus is very flexible in the type of learning activity that can be produced.

Interactive case studies and action mazes

Ramosus can generate e-learning applications which involve a series of problem statements interspersed between scenario or topic development. Dead-ends, random branches, and quizzes can be incorporated into the application at any point along the pathway.

• When bleeding hearts turn yellow This case study is a plant health "whodunnit" and makes extensive use of decision feedback systems, external links, and user input. [credits] This case was originally authored by Marci Spaw, Kimberly A. Williams (kwilliam@ksu.edu), Laurie Hodges, Ingrid L. Mallberg (Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University) and Ellen T. Paparozzi (Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska) as a case study associated with a USDA-sponsored project involved in testing and promoting high tunnel systems in the Central Great Plains.

Multiple level e-learning applications

These type of Ramosus applications give students a choice on how to progress through the lesson. The lesson is broken up into different levels of difficulty or topics, with each level ending with a quiz. If a student passes the quiz, they move onto the next topic or level. However, if they fail the quiz they can choose to either move vertically by accessing another lesson on the same topic (which is designed to enrich their understanding of the topic) or they can choose to move horizontally by bypassing further lessons on this topic and moving onto the next topic or level.

• Apostrophes! Apostrophes! is a multiple level application which uses a combination of short lessons, worked examples, and formative and summative quizzes designed to give learners mastery in the proper use of apostrophes. [credits] Dr Lisa Emerson, School of English and Media Studies, Massey University.

Fully online browser-based editor and management system

• The Ramosus editor and application manager provides authors with all the tools needed to individually or collaboratively create and manage complex interactive e-learning applications. It generates instant reports of individual student and class performance in each application.  The editor/manager is totally web-based; no plugins or installation of custom software are required.

Ramosus has a strong pedagogical base and is used by instructors throughout the world.

Background information

• Ramosus: a tool for online scenario-based learning. MacKay, B.R. 2007.  [more »]

Journal and conference papers

• Interactive case studies on the internet: the Ramosus maze tool. MacKay, B.R., Fisher, P.A. 2004. Acta Horticulturae 672:217-225.  [pdf file (36 KB)]
• Interactive case studies in horticultural science. MacKay, B.R. 2005. Ann. Conf. Case Study Teaching in Science, Buffalo, New York. [pdf file (249 KB)]
• Subjective cognitive workload, interactivity and feedback in a web-based writing program. Emerson, L., MacKay, B.R. 2006. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice 3(1):1-14. [pdf file (327 KB)]

Manual

• Ramosus has an online manual and a pdf version available for download. [pdf file (2.8 MB)]

Author

• Dr Bruce MacKay
  Institute of Natural Resources
  Massey University
  Palmerston North
  New Zealand
  T: +64 6 356 9099 ext. 4423
  F: +64 6 350 5610
  E: b.mackay@massey.ac.nz