 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
AROUND THE QUADS
An online course management system launched this spring, CourseWorks@Columbia.edu, allows faculty to publish course syllabi online, regularly update and post online course materials, and even create a course bulletin board, easily and on their own using their desktop computer, without knowing HTML or referring to a Web expert. CourseWorks is intended as a kind of one-stop shop for online course management tools, where faculty have the option to activate applications that suit their needs. CourseWorks is provided by Academic Information Systems (AcIS) and Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL), in close coordination with Columbia University Libraries and Health Sciences Center for Academic Information Technology. It is a customization of a software platform originally developed at George Washington University. "We brought improvements to an already good system and also vastly improved the technology that we had before in terms of capabilities and ease of use," said Vace Kundakci, deputy vice president of AcIS. "The introduction of CourseWorks is like the introduction of the word processor, which freed many faculty from reliance on secretaries for typing and allowed them to focus more energy on the substance of their writing," said Frank Moretti, executive director of CCNMTL. "So, too, will CourseWorks reduce the reliance of faculty on specialists to produce basic Web sites for courses and allow them to direct more energy to the construction of learning modules that make purposeful use of digital media." When faculty log on, they find a list of their courses and a number of available options. Faculty can publish course information and content; communicate with students via bulletin boards and e-mail lists; maintain digital assets, such as text, slides, video and audio; deliver and receive files, such as readings and assignments; manage group projects and maintain an archive of past courses on their own and with relative ease. Faculty can also link to library reserves and online resources that apply to the course. "The main feature of CourseWorks that faculty will enjoy is independence. With a bit of creativity, it can be made into a powerful educational tool that students and teachers can use to share ideas and information. Its flexibility can reinforce the intellectual vitality of the learning experience," said Lia Maryam May-Landy, lecturer with the American Language Program. The new system moves the development of course Web sites into the hands of faculty. Before CourseWorks, when Web sites needed changes or updates, faculty would have to call CCNMTL technologists, who made those adjustments. Similarly, if a faculty member wanted to remove a message from their online bulletin board, they would call AcIS for assistance. Now it is a matter of a few clicks online. "We expect more Web sites to be developed at Columbia this semester than in any other, because these tools are now so easy to access and can be so helpful to faculty in the day-to-day management of their classes," said Dan Beeby, associate director, CCNMTL.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
