MERLOT MAKES
HISTORY
TWO YEARS, TWO COLLEGES, AND
THREE COURSES
William A. Paquette, Ph.D.
Professor of History, TCC & Merlot History Co-Editor
Merlot replaces Extra Credit
 Open to all students.
 Merlot assignments must be done in
sequence.
 One Merlot assignment per course unit.
 Four Merlot assignments per semester.
 Each assignment worth 25 points.
 Total Merlot points equals 100.
 Merlot grade replaces lowest test grade of
four.
Western Civilization: History 101
Sample Merlot Exercises
 Unit One: The Ancient World
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Tutankhamun
Death and Burial in Egypt
Virtual Mummy
 Unit Two: Greece & Rome
 Cultural Map of Hellas
 Ancient City of Athens
 Roman Empire
 Unit Three: Middle Ages
 Virtual Pilgrimage
 Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
 The Middle Ages
 The Walled Town of
Carcassonne
 Unit Four: Renaissance
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European Voyages of
Exploration (Spain)
European Voyages of
Exploration (Portugal)
Tudor History
Medicis Godfathers of the
Renaissance
Western Civilization: History 102
Sample Merlot Exercises
 Unit One: Absolutism
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Chateau Versailles
The Glorious Revolution of
1688
The Age of Exploration (Spain)
The Age of Exploration
(Portugal)
 Unit Two: Revolution
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Liberty, Equality, Fraternity:
Exploring the French
Revolution Napoleon
 Unit Three: Victorian Age
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The Victorian Web
Karl Marx Interview
Queen Victoria’s Empire
The Empire that was Russia
 Unit Four: Modern Era
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The British Empire
Holocaust Survivors
D-Day: Penetrating the Atlantic
Wall
For European Recovery:
The Marshall Plan
World Civilization: History 111
Sample Merlot Exercises
 Unit One: India
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The Indus Civilization
The Sikhism Homepage
 Unit Four: Islam
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 Unit Two: China
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The Song Dynasty
The Mongols in World History
Marco Polo and China
 Unit Three: Japan
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Edo, Japan, A Virtual Tour
Treasure House of Japanese
History
The Art of the Samurai
Ancient Japan
The Islamic Calendar
Muslims
King Abdullah of Jordan
(descendant of the Prophet)
WORLD CIVILIZATION: HISTORY 112
SAMPLE MERLOT EXERCISES
 Unit One: Europe
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Chateau Versailles
The Glorious Revolution of 1688
The Age of Exploration (Spain)
The Age of Exploration (Portugal)
 Unit Three: Imperialism
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 Unit Two: Africa
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West African Instruments
African Music and Dance
African Art at University of
Central
Oklahoma
Imperial Ethiopia
Ancient Manuscripts from the
Desert
Libraries of Timbuktu
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Black Ship and Samurai:
Commodore
Perry and the Opening of Japan
Queen Victoria’s Empire
Women Hold up Half the Sky:
Women in China
Rising Sun: A Cultural Portrait
of Japan
 Unit Four: 20th Century
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The British Empire
Afghanistan
Kwame Nkrumah
King Abdullah of Jordan
China in the Red
U.S. History: History 121
Sample Merlot Exercises
 Unit One: Exploration
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MesoAmerican Ballgame
The Vikings
European Voyages of Exploration
(Spain)
European Voyages of Exploration
(Portugal)
The Plymouth Colony Archive
Project
Salem Witch Trials
Virtual Jamestown
Jamestown Rediscovery
 Unit Two: Revolution
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The Raid on Deerfield
Revolutionary War Battles:
Lexington and Concord
The Martha Ballard Case Study
 Unit Three: Republic
Jefferson’s Blood
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Star Spangled Banner
Hancock Shaker Village
The Papers of Stanton and
Anthony
The Lowell National Historic
Park
 Unit Four: Civil War
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The Valley of the Shadow
Crisis at Fort Sumter
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and
American Culture
Africans in America
U.S. History: History 122
Sample Merlot Exercises
 Unit One: The Gilded Age
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Finding Precedent: The
Impeachment of Andrew
Johnson
The Old West
The Dramas of Haymarket
Like a Family: The Making of a
Southern Cotton Mill World
Lizzie Borden Murder Case
 Unit Three: Depression/War
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 Unit Two: Progressive Era
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Theodore Roosevelt
The Triangle Factory Fire
Great 1906 Earthquake Fire
On the Homefront
FDR Library
Holocaust Survivors
D-Day: Penetrating the Atlantic
Wall
Voices from the Dust Bowl
North by South: The African
American
Great Migration
 Unit Four: Modern Era
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The Cold War
For European Recovery: The
Marshall Plan
Teaching Brown
Cuban Missile Crisis
MERLOT ASSIGNMENTS
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PAPERS
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5-10 pages based on Site Topic
Use of primary sources
Bibliography creation
Use of footnotes
Critical Thinking Skills
Paper format: intro, content,
conclusions
Evaluation of site content
reliability
Develop writing skills
Develop skills in determining what
constitutes a good website
Content used in testing
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INFORMATION BASED
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Expands content beyond the text
Use of primary sources
Provides visual to supplement
text
Develops critical thinking skills
Develops writing skills
Evaluation of site content
reliability
Develop skills in determining what
constitutes a good website
Information collection
incorporated into testing
developing better essay content
and multiple choice testing skills
Offers supplemental resources
COLLEGES/COURSES
 Tidewater Community
College Portsmouth
Campus
 Northern Virginia
Community College
Manassas Campus
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Western Civilization,
History 101/102
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Western Civilization, History
101/102
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World Civilization,
History 111/112
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World Civilization,
History 111/112
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U.S. History,
History 121/122
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U.S. History,
History 122
NOVA – MANASASS
2004 – 2005
SEMESTER
Fall 2004
Spring 2005
Summer 2005
COURSE
# of students
# in Merlot
# higher grade
with Merlot
History 101
36
29
16
History 101
27
18
18
History 111
33
13
10
History 102
24
2
2
History 112
25
4
3
History 122
25
3
2
NOVA – MANASASS
2005 – 2006
SEMESTER
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Summer 2006
COURSE
# of students
# in Merlot
# higher grade
with Merlot
History 101
24
23
17
History 111
27
8
5
History 102
23
10
8
History 112
21
14
12
History 111
25
7
5
History 112
18
8
5
TCC – PORTSMOUTH
2004 – 2005
SEMESTER
Fall 2004
Spring 2005
Summer 2006
COURSE
# of students
# in Merlot
#higher grade
with Merlot
History 101
34
12
7
History 111
32
18
11
History 102
21
1
1
History 112
27
5
5
History 101
13
6
6
History 121
20
7
6
TCC – PORTSMOUTH
2005 – 2006
SEMESTER
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
COURSE
# of students
# in Merlot
# higher grade
with Merlot
History 101
31
19
16
History 111
31
19
13
History 121
22
8
7
History 102
22
4
4
History 112
27
10
6
History 122
28
12
8
Student Withdrawal from Merlot
 Students withdraw within the first two weeks of the course
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because the work/course load was too great.
Merlot was too much work.
Students determined exam grades were consistent and
they did not continue after one or two Merlot assignments.
During the six-week summer session, the amount of time to
do Merlot was considered too short by students.
Students withdrew from the course after the first two weeks
because of illness.
Students withdrew from the course after the first two weeks
because of work related issues.
Students withdrew midway through the course because of
family issues.
SUCCESS WITH MERLOT
NOVA – MANASASS 2004 – 2006
Grade
Change
Fall
2004
Spring
2005
Summer
2005
Fall
2005
Spring
2006
Summer
2006
B to A
15
2
2
10
8
8
C to B
22
2
0
8
11
1
D to C
5
1
0
4
1
1
F to D
2
0
0
0
0
0
SUCCESS WITH MERLOT
TCC – PORTSMOUTH 2004 – 2006
Grade
Change
Fall
2004
Spring
2005
Summer
2005
Fall
2005
Spring
2006
B to A
4
3
8
21
9
C to B
9
2
3
10
3
D to C
0
1
0
4
6
F to D
0
0
0
1
0
SUCCESS WITH VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN MERLOT
2004-2006
NOVA-MANASASS
(% of total class increasing
grade by ONE grade level)
 Fall 2004
 Spring 2005
 Summer 2005
 Fall 2005
 Spring 2006
 Summer 2006
46%
10%
10%
41%
44%
23%
TCC-PORTSMOUTH
(% of total class increasing
grade by ONE grade level)
 Fall 2004
 Spring 2005
 Summer 2005
 Fall 2005
 Spring 2006
20%
13%
39%
42%
23%
MERLOT RESULTS
 All students who completed all four MERLOT assignments
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achieved a final grade ONE level higher than without Merlot.
Student writing improved on essay and identification
components of examinations.
Student critical thinking skills improved on multiple choice,
essay, and identification exam sections.
Students gained discriminatory skills in determining good
HISTORY content websites.
Students learned research paper skills.
Students could distinguished between primary and
secondary sources.
Merlot history content transferred to exams and class
discussions.
STUDENT COMMENTS
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Merlot is a wonderful place full of fascinating information.
Merlot continued became a resource in my other history classes.
Merlot became a resource in my nursing curriculum.
I learned and understand how the past connected.
I acquired a better understanding and knowledge of Western
Civilization.
I learned how civilization began and why our ancient historian ancestors
believed all the things in which they believed.
I enjoyed the Meso-American Ballgame.
Merlot is a lot of work.
I like the challenges that you placed on me to use my learning abilities
and to research other cultures which I never forced myself to do not
even my own culture. Thank you for the pleasure of a new experience.
I am forced to do more thinking.
What I am learning in history connects to my other courses (i.e.
Philosophy, Humanities).