Category: Assessment

The fourth of four posts about the options we have assessed: Blackboard 9, Moodle, Sakai and the Decentralized Option.

Definition

In this option, there is no central LMS; instead, instructors use distinct standalone tools based on what fits their need or goal. Such an option would likely be centered around existing OIT services such as: Blogs for announcements and course info, UDrive for sharing documents, and OWL for surveys and quizzes.

In early discussions exploring this option, the committee felt that it does not provide enough structure for instructors and students who wish to have the simplicity of a single “place to go” for online course materials and activities. However, some instructors will be interested in pursuing this option because of its flexibility. While most of it is possible using current tools, and will be possible no matter what LMS is chosen, it is important that any future LMS does not prevent instructors from exploring this option. In addition, an ideal future LMS should be able to integrate with other tools and provide some of the “centralized” functions that will help instructors tie together their activities on separate tools.

Interface and Features

The key benefit of this option is that instructors are free to select whatever tool(s) best meet their needs. As an institution, if a tool on campus ceases to be effective, we can replace it without affecting all the other tools. The biggest concern about this option is that it lacks a central “place” for instructors and students to coordinate activities. For instructors, this option also lacks a central location to collect, calculate and post grades from all the online activities. Key question:

• Could a tool be developed that provides a single login and gradebook features?
• We assume that the majority of faculty would prefer a centralized solution to the complexity of decentralization, is this true?

Transition

Most basic tools we need are already in use and supported on campus. However of all our options this would require the greatest amount of redesign by the greatest number of faculty. Everyone would need to rethink their courses and figure out how to communicate the new structure to students. Key questions:

• Could we develop tools to assist with the conversion of course materials?
• Would the redesign required by this option be too much work for instructors?

Behind the Scenes

The basic tools are already on campus. Tools can be added or removed without affecting the overall structure. Faculty with special needs can use off-campus or departmental services if central on-campus services don’t provide needed functions. FERPA and security are a key concern with this approach (especially if faculty shift to off-campus tools). Integration of multiple services would be added to the maintenance and modification requirements of each tool.

• What would it take to provide provisioning and course rostering for all these tools?
• What would it take to develop an on-campus service that would provide basic content delivery, gradebook, roster, and other missing functions?

The third of four posts about the options we have assessed: Blackboard 9, Moodle, Sakai and the Decentralized Option.

Definition

Sakai is an open source LMS that is available for free and can be customized by programmers at an institution. There is an official version of Sakai that is maintained and supported by a consortium of institutions (mostly large universities). There are also commercial providers who will host and maintain Sakai instances for a fee. Courses are structured by activity or tool. (i.e. click Discussions to participate, rather than have discussions associated with a week or a topic.)

Interface and Features

Course structure in Sakai is oriented around activity; for instance, all online discussions are accessed within the discussion tool space. This is especially different from Vista because all content is delivered through the “course content” tool rather than on customizable pages with headers and footers. While the simplicity and consistency will mean students will find it easier to shift from course to course, some faculty will feel limited by this structure. The current Sakai tool set is limited in some areas, but a significant rebuild of Sakai (Sakai 3) may be coming out in 2011. Key questions:

• What does it take to modify or add features in Sakai?
• What will change in Sakai 3?

A direct and detailed comparison of LMS features will appear in upcoming blog posts.

Transition

Because Blackboard Vista courses are encrypted, there is no official method for transferring courses from Vista to Sakai.  Even if we can locate a tool or process that makes the transfer easy, the difference in course structures will require most of the instructors using Spark to redesign their course sites in some way.

• Is there a migration tool available to us?
• How much work would this change require from instructors to adapt their courses?
• Would a switch to open source help us have better control over future transitions?

Behind the Scenes

Sakai is an open source tool that was developed by several large universities, and thus may be more suited to the scale of campuses like UMass Amherst. In our initial installation of a test server, Sakai proved to be difficult to install. Also, some of its administrative functions lack an easy interface (requiring in some cases direct manipulation of the database to make simple changes). This leads to concerns that maintaining and manipulating Sakai may be more difficult than the other open source options. Key questions:

• Could we learn enough about how it works to make improvements?
• Is Sakai’s small base of user institutions enough to keep it self-sustaining?

Get a Preview of Sakai

If you are interested finding out more about Sakai yourself. We recommend reviewing the handouts and tutorial videos at UCLA: http://www.oid.ucla.edu/units/tlc/tectutorials/sakaihttp://help.asu.edu/search/node/bb9

Comments are welcome! Please comment below and share any questions, concerns or things you like about Sakai.

The second of four posts about the options we have assessed: Blackboard 9, Moodle, Sakai and the Decentralized Option.

Definition

Moodle is an open source LMS that is available for free and can be customized by programmers at an institution. There is a “core” version of Moodle that is supported by a community of institutions and programmers who create modules and submit improvements. There are also commercial providers who will host and maintain Moodle instances for a fee. In Moodle, course content and activities are structured around a single page with a sequence of blocks down the center (typically organized by week, but other options are available).

Interface and Features

The Moodle interface is simple and easy to learn. Its all-in-one-page structure will provide consistency between courses and make it easier for students to find what they need. However, some instructors will see this as a limitation on their ability to customize and create hierarchical “pages” of content. Out of the box, the Moodle tool set looks more limited than Blackboard’s; however, because Moodle is open-source and customizable we would have be ability to make changes as we see fit. Key questions:

• Are there modules available that add the features we need?
• How would we structure our own process for making improvements and fixes?
• Does UMass Amherst have the resources to maintain, modify, and improve Moodle?

A direct and detailed comparison of LMS features will appear in upcoming blog posts.

Transition:

Because Blackboard Vista courses are encrypted, there is no official method for transferring courses from Vista to Moodle (although we have heard that some exist).  Even if we can locate a tool or process that makes the transfer easy, the difference in course structures will require most of the instructors using Spark to redesign their course sites in some way. Key questions:

• Is there a migration tool or process available to us?
• How much work would this change require from instructors to adapt their courses?
• Would a switch to open source help us have better control over future transitions?

Behind the Scenes:

Moodle is based on PHP-MySQL, which is familiar to our current technical staff. It also runs on servers that are roughly equivalent to our current arrangement for Blackboard Vista. Schools like LSU have shown that Moodle has the capacity to work with large populations of students. Key questions:

• Does OIT have, or could it build, the resources necessary to maintain, improve, and even add to this system?
• What do we need to do to Moodle to make sure it can work with Spire to create, populate and provide the right roles in courses?

Get a Preview of Moodle

If you are interested finding out more about Moodle yourself. We recommend reviewing the handouts and tutorial videos at Louisiana State University: http://moodle.grok.lsu.edu/http://help.asu.edu/search/node/bb9

Comments are welcome! Please comment below and share any questions, concerns or things you like about Moodle.

The first of four posts about the options we have assessed: Blackboard 9, Moodle, Sakai and the Decentralized Option.

Definition

Blackboard 9 is the latest version of the core LMS product offered by Blackboard Inc.. When Blackboard purchased WebCT in 2006, WebCT’s Vista LMS became Blackboard Vista. Vista is being discontinued, and Blackboard is asking all their Vista customers to switch to a new “hybrid” product that contains aspects of Vista and the original Blackboard LMS. Blackboard 9 is organized around a flexible template: links to content and activities can be accessed from a list of tools, or can be grouped on “pages” within the course.

Interface and Features

Because Blackboard 9 is based in part on Vista and follows a similar interface philosophy, many users will find it to be familiar to use. However, like Vista, Blackboard 9 has a complex interface that allows maximum flexibility, but that can make it inefficient to use and difficult to figure out. Some features have been improved over Vista (such as the Gradebook) but there are other Vista features that are simply gone (such as Grading Rubrics).

A significant question is if Blackboard will continue its track record of not providing timely fixes and improvements. The interface does not take advantage of many more modern Web 2.0 features that students and instructors are familiar with from other tools such as Google and Facebook. Key questions:

• Is there any evidence that Blackboard service will improve once we are on their core product?
• Will Blackboard provide updates and improvements and keep pace with changing technological needs ?

A direct and detailed comparison of LMS features will appear in upcoming blog posts.

Transition

Although it was not available right away, there is a tool that converts courses from Vista to Blackboard 9. This should make it relatively simple to move instructors from one system to the other. Some reworking of course materials will be necessary because not all features are supported in the new system.

Because the system is complex, and not identical, instructors will need to spend time learning the new system and a few will be required to redesign their courses. Key questions in this area are:

• What are the most significant changes faculty should be concerned about?
• Will Blackboard offer better support for open standards and make it easier for  content to be migrated in and out of future versions?
• When (or how often) will Blackboard force us into another transition?

Behind the Scenes:

Because Blackboard runs on familiar hardware, our current support group and infrastructure should be adequate for this system.   Our primary concern in this area is that Blackboard, in the past, has not been very responsive to bug reports and requests for technical assistance. Key questions:

• What will it take to rewrite roster and grade interfaces with SPIRE?
• Do we really get what we pay for from this company?

Get a Preview of Blackboard 9

If you are interested finding out more about Blackboard 9 yourself. We recommend reviewing the handouts and tutorial videos at Arizona State University: http://help.asu.edu/search/node/bb9

Comments are welcome! Please comment below and share any questions, concerns or things you like about Blackboard 9.