Course instructors at the University of Saskatchewan have several tools available for managing courses, distributing course materials, and communicating with students on the Internet. The U of S Course Tools (Blackboard Learning System) are specifically designed for use with courses. As of September, 2011, all courses on campus are available in the standardized template of U of S Course Tools.
The U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) provide a simple set of standard tools for communication, grading and assessment facilities, and content provision that can be expanded as the need arises.
More on the Blackboard Learn System
Blackboard Learn is the full-featured course management system at the U of S. It provides a wealth of student assessment, communication, course management, and course development tools. This added functionality also adds complexity and it takes time to learn how to use the Blackboard Learn system effectively and to monitor its use in a course.
Note:The basic template for each course contains very basic tools, making it easy for anyone to use the system. Adding options, tools and functionality increases the complexity of the system and instructors can choose to build this complexity or not.
Course Tools Included in the Basic Template:
Content Builders (file attachments, folders, internal and external links), Syllabus, Announcements, Assessments, Assignment Hand-in and Hand-Back, Grade Centre, Groups, Mail, Media Library (YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, RSS feed), Bookstore, Library Resources, Podcasting as well as others.
Advantages:
- Courses are linked to from within PAWS My Courses.
- Students are pre-populated into the course and the class list is automatically updated as they add/drop the class.
- Grade Center allows management of grades for assignments.
- Assignments can be graded easily and returned to individual students using the system.
- Students can see their grades in the course.
- Quizzes can be automatically graded or used for anonymous surveys.
- Search capabilities are available for discussion topics, course content and images.
- Navigation links can be added between webpages (build "Content modules").
- Content such as discussion topics or lecture notes can be easily compiled and downloaded.
- Students can work together in groups.
- Discussion board sends notifications if there are new messages waiting, and can hide messages that have already been viewed.
- Multiple chats can occur simultaneously. Chat sessions can be archived.
- Whiteboard within Virtual Chat allows the sharing of freehand drawings among course participants.
- Course material can be exported easily to other courses in the system and can be backed up/restored or archived as .zip files.
- Multiple files can be uploaded or downloaded at once.
- Students can resume the course where they left off the last time they were in the system.
- Information can be released to students only if certain conditions are true (e.g. show Unit 2 only after they pass the quiz for Unit 1).
- Student activities in the course can be monitored (how they participated in discussions, what content has been viewed, the time spent in different areas of the course, etc.).
- Quiz effectiveness can be monitored (how well students do on specific questions, which questions are consistently answered wrong, etc.).
- File storage space is available for individual use and for course files. Course storage space currently does not have storage restrictions. Individual file storage is available as follows:
- 3,000 MB of storage for non-learners (instructors, course builders, etc.).
- 100 MB of storage for learners.
- Largest file size that can be uploaded is 1,500 MB.
Disadvantages:
- Blackboard Learn provides numerous course management tools that can simplify creating and operating online courses. However, the added functionality provides added complexity. Learning to use all the tools to their full potential may take more time.
Learn more about the Blackboard Learning System.
Other Tools Available for Use in Courses
In addition to the U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), there are other tools available for use in courses.
Websites – Websites are good for distributing public information and can provide additional functionality with enough programming. However, many people do not have the appropriate web development skills or necessary time to build a website that will do everything they want. Access to material can be public or restricted. Learn more about individual webpages.
Blogs – Blogs are frequently updated websites used for online journals or newsletters. Multiple authors can collaborate on the same blog. Access to material can be public or restricted. Learn more about blogs.
Clickers – Clickers enable instructors to create a more active and participative learning environment, in both large and small classrooms. Clickers enable students to express their opinion or demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter anonymously. Clickers can also be registered to students so that they can be used to quickly and efficiently quiz them on the material delivered during a lecture; clicker registration is managed through PAWS. Learn more about clickers.
Web Conferencing – Web conferencing allows virtual meetings or lectures on the Internet. Meeting tools are available to assist with
collaboration.
Wikis – Wikis are a mass collaborative authoring tool. They can be used for variety of tasks such as taking personal notes, collaborating with others online, creating an internal knowledge base or forming an online community. Access to material can be public or restricted.
Training for Course Tools
ITS Training Services provides training for course tools and other tools that can be used in courses.
