The new online learning tool eLearning Commons—essentially an online learning environment for posting class materials, communicating with class members and assessing student learning—will fully replace WebCT by January 2010.
The implementation of eLC, which uses the Blackboard Vista 8 platform and offers more teaching and learning options, is easier to use and will help UGA stay current with campus technology developments. This upgrade from the course management system Blackboard WebCT 4.1 officially kicks off at an event March 19 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in Reception Hall of the Tate Student Center, with an online session via Wimba Classroom to follow at 3 p.m. The kickoff presentation will showcase some of the new features and offer help in converting old WebCT courses to the new system.
The first thing users will notice is a more current look and feel in eLearning Commons, said Sherry Clouser, an academic professional in UGA’s Center for Teaching and Learning and head of the committee that oversaw the upgrade.
“The interface is clean and options are easier to find. Upon digging into the toolset, faculty members will see a number of new options, such as blog-style discussions, grading forms (rubrics) and group sign-up sheets,” she said. “Faculty also will appreciate how tools are integrated with one another throughout the course. For instance, students and faculty alike might enjoy “Who’s Online,” which allows them to see when a class member is online and invite them to chat.”
Diane Bales, an associate professor and human development specialist at UGA’s Cooperative Extension, has already begun using the new system and can report that her students are pleased with several of the new features.
“It took some time and exploration, as any new system does,” said Bales of the learning curve associated with eLC. “Overall, I think the way you build a course in Vista/eLearning Commons is more intuitive and clear-cut than WebCT. This is my second semester, [and] overall I have found it a very usable program.”
Hugh Ruppersburg, an associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, concurs.
“Anyone familiar and comfortable with WebCT will find the transition to eLC relatively easy,” he said. “The learning curve is slight—it took me at most an hour to learn the new system, and there are additional features, especially a much smoother, more intuitive, better integrated interface that facilitates use of the program. The program is a distinctive advance over WebCT—it is easier to use, faster, better organized, more user-friendly.”
The upgrade brings UGA on par with other institutions of higher learning in Georgia, according to Nelson Hilton, CTL director.
“Blackboard Vista, the program behind eLearning Commons, is used by most institutions in the university system,” said Hilton, adding that migrating to an application that is being adopted through most of the university system allows for better development and collaboration and could defray costs to the university through a system site license. In addition, discomfort usually felt with migrations and upgrades is mitigated by the ease with which users can move their courses to the new system.
The new system and the efforts employed to implement it are is representative of the next generation of systems and applications in support of UGA’s students, faculty and staff, according to Barbara A. White, chief information officer and associate provost.
Formal training workshops will be held in April. Visit iTunes U (http://podcasting.gcsu.edu/4DCGI/Podcasting/UGA/Episodes/10327/5563.mov) for an introductory video or visit eLC’s FAQ page at http://elc.uga.edu, send an e-mail to elc@uga.edu.
