AMERICAS Simulation at UTEP > Tools > Online Tools

Home
ICONS at UTEP
Research Library
Sample Scenario
Contact
Downloads
Tools
       Communication
          Chat
          E Mail
          Instant Messaging
       Online Tools
          Courseware
          Quizzes & Surveys
       Participation
          Discussions
          Presentations
          Simulations
          Student Web Pages

Courseware

Course Management Tools are...

...integrated, comprehensive suites of IT tools and functions that allow instructors to create and manage online courses or course components. Such Web-based tools include functions for making announcements; posting materials; enrolling and dropping users; calendaring; generating quizzes, tests, and surveys; grading; receiving and reviewing student work; generally communicating with students; etc.

Sometimes these tools are purely Web-based, and instructors create one or more course sites hosted on the vendor's machines. In other cases, institutions adopt a vendor's "enterprse" edition of the software, hosting it on the institution's own servers, and often integrating it with other institution-wide computing services and functions.

Text/HTML

Below are overviews of two of the most-widely used course managment tools. You should check to see if either one has already been adopted and deployed by your institution:

Blackboard is a comprehensive suite of e-learning software products and services developed for and offered to schools, colleges, universities, and other education providers. Blackboard offers course management systems, customizable institution-wide portals, and online communities. The company offers a free Web-based course creation and management system with up to 5MB of storage space. For $295 a year, Blackboard will increase the storage capacity to 25 MB and provide technical support.

WebCT is an integrated course management tool designed to deliver online learning. It is used by faculty to deliver courses that are taught purely online, as well as to enhance traditional courses. WebCT supports discussion, e-mail, glossaries, calendaring, conferencing, student tracking and evaluation, grade maintenance, etc. WebCT's services include implementation and technology planning, software training, faculty and course development, integration and technical consulting, and premium support, all of which are customized to meet an institution's particular needs. Last we looked, it did not offer a free version of its tool.