Stephen Gilfus (sgilfus@blackboard.net)
Thu, 21 Jan 1999 14:16:59 -0500
From: Stephen Gilfus <sgilfus@blackboard.net> Subject: RE: [ifets] Web-based Curriculum Development Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 14:16:59 -0500
Nicki,
Gina Roberts and I spent a year reviewing CMS (course management sytems)
packages for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We used an in-house
evaluation form that covered technical, instructional, and support
issues.
Between Gina and myself we reviewed not only popular packages, but the
not
so prominent ones as well. There are MANY out there and I know we only
scratched the surface. We narrowed our selections down to three, WebCT,
CourseInfo by Blackboard, and Lotus Learningspace. We reviewed all three
packages again and narrowed that field to two, WebCT and CourseInfo, to
present to a Faculty Focus Group.
The Faculty Focus Group consisted of 8 on-campus faculty members and 1
distant faculty member. The skill level ranged from advanced (current
CMS
users) to beginner (as in basic computer). We loaded demo copies of the
software on our server and took the group through the process of
creating
the course with mock files and media. We spent two 4 hour days on each
package. The faculty were asked to evaluate each package based on a
scaled
down version of the evaluation sheet we had used earlier. The vote was
9-0
in favor of CourseInfo.
We have been running CourseInfo for a month with a pilot group of
courses,
17 currently and a cap of 20-25. The faculty are very excited about
CourseInfo. The interface is very clean and instructionally sound;
knowledge of HTML is NOT required, but can be incorporated; it handles
native file formats beautifully; allows for synchornous and asynchronous
communications; is a dream to administrate; and the tech support at
Blackboard is very responsive and friendly.
As an instructional technologist supporting faculty integrating
technology
into their curriculum it was very important to find a package that was
user-friendly and pedagogically sound. We also wanted to chose something
that would grow with our University's efforts in online teaching and
learning. We see our current efforts as being "phases" of online
delivery.
CourseInfo supports Web augmented course design and complete online
delivery of material.
Blackboard, Inc. is professional company with a large support staff.
They
have improved on the product every year for the past three years. They
listen to their customers and have an academic focus. We were
disappointed
with other CMS packages that attempted to meet the needs of both the
business world and the academic world because the needs are so diverse.
They are also a major player in the IMS initiative and have a meta-data
component built into the content upload area. Our campus is an IMS
testbed
and we found CourseInfo to be a perfect fit on many levels.
The package is very flexible and allows for a variety of uses. Our
library
staff is going to pilot a "Virtual Reference Librarian" with CourseInfo.
Essentially they will use the chat feature of CourseInfo to assist
students
with questions via the Web. They will have virtual hours when they
monitor
the site and respond to questions. They will also upload their
instructional materials and HyperStudio stacks for students to access.
We
are looking forward to seeing this project implemented. There will also
be
traditional courses run through the interface with various levels of
interaction.
For more information about CourseInfo, visit http://www.blackboard.net.
Please feel free to contact me (information is below) with any questions
you have regarding our evaluation process or our use of CourseInfo.
Good Luck!
Rhonda J. Spearman
Web Instructional Technology Specialist
Innovative Technologies Collaborative
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
(423) 974-7912
spearman@utk.edu
********************************
http://www.it.utk.edu/~spearman
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