Upgraded system to replace WebCT

PSU is planning a switch from WebCT to an updated online-coursework system at the start of spring term that will keep closer track of student participation in online classes and improve accessibility for faculty members, administrators say.

The new system, Blackboard CE6, will keep track of student participation by date and time, like the current WebCT, but it will also watch how long a student works on online assignments. Instructors will be able to see exactly how much time students are spending logged on to Blackboard.

Students will be able to link between sections of the website, such as from discussions to lesson content, which was not possible with the old system. Faculty members will also be able to give private grades on discussion posts for classes.

Other impacts on students at this point are still unknown, said Carol Holdt, a senior instructor in the sociology department. Holdt was one of three PSU staffers who discussed the change at a meeting Tuesday, which was held to inform faculty of the change.

A second meeting will be held today in Cramer Hall, room 307, at noon. Students and faculty can attend to ask questions about the new system.

Most of the key differences between Blackboard and WebCT will be on an administrative level, Holdt said, making the system more accessible than WebCT. Faculty will be able to see the course as it appears to students, which was not possible with WebCT.

WebCT is Portland State’s current online-coursework system. It gives instructors the option of posting assignments, lecture notes and other materials on the Internet, without classroom restrictions. All online classes are administered through WebCT, and a growing number of faculty members are using it for classes.

Administrators are currently teaching staff how to use, design with and train faculty on the new Blackboard software. Blackboard was a competing company with WebCT, but the two companies merged in 2006. PSU has been looking for a new system to replace WebCT for more than a year, and had been wavering between Blackboard and another company, Samla.

PSU acquired copies of Blackboard last week, and are in the early stages of installation and implementation.

Holdt said a group of fully trained instructional designers should be trained by Dec. 14. Faculty training workshops and online-training environments, as well as hands-on student training, will be held throughout winter term, said Sharon Blanton, the associate chief information officer of PSU Information Technologies.

Holdt said that the administration hopes to train as many people as possible on the software before the spring term launch.

Professors will still have the option of using the soon-to-be defunct WebCT software through spring term 2008. However, the school’s license for the version of WebCT currently in use expires June 2008. The staffers said PSU would like to avoid paying for a license renewal on the product.

For additional information about Blackboard, visit www.blackboard.com.