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Timeliner
What is it? 
Timeliner is a web application that lets students collaboratively make and edit timelines. Instructors create and edit student groups. Students then use an animated interface to place events on the timeline; they can annotate the events with text, images, and YouTube videos. Once the assignment is finished, instructors can see a grading view that summarizes each student's contributions
Timeliner
What are the educational uses and benefits?
Collaboration
- Students interact with their groups for a richer, more community-driven experience.
- Can alleviate feelings of isolation common in online learning.
- Students can learn from their peers.
Visualization
- Timelines help students clarify and structure historical information.
- Students can view multiple timescales simultaneously; larger scales provide context, while smaller ones allow zooming in for greater detail.
Efficiency
- Instructors can create groups automatically and edit them by hand.
- It's easy for instructors to track each group's progress by quickly paging through timelines
- Instructors can select a grading view that lists contributions by student
Timeliner
How do I get started?
- Get an instructor access code and create your Timeliner course. You can get an access code by emailing us at CITT. Setting up your course is as easy as logging in and entering your course's name.
- Create and publish the assignment to your students. The Timeliner site includes tutorials for students, so you don't need to explain how to use the application itself. It's important, however, to explain to students:
- exactly how they'll be graded,
- what their group will be responsible for,
- a link or url to timeline.citt.ufl.edu, and
- two deadlines: the first for signing up to Timeliner (to start their project) and the second finishing their timelines.
- Once the signup deadline has passed, set up student groups, using Timeliner's group manager. Let students know they can begin working with their groups (you might want to remind them of the final deadline here, too).
- Login to Timeliner from time to time to track students' and groups' progress
- When the timelines are finished, use Timeliner's grade view to see lists of students and their contributions.
Timeliner
Where can I learn more?
- Teaching and learning about time lines (.doc). An article suggesting strategies for using timelines; focused on K-12, but with some useful ideas.
- Issues in the teaching of chronology (Google Books sample). A more academic discussion, from the book Issues in History Teaching (2002).
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