Foundation elements
blackboard > about blackboard > blackboard vs. webct > foundation elements
Are the tools built into the products adequate?
Smooth integration of elements is necessary.
Use of external collaboration tools can be implemented with both products.
The tools used in the class portion do not need to be the same as the ones used externally.
The collaboration tools need to be functional outside of the courses by August.
Chat
Good for logistics, not depth
Could be used for online office hours, especially in conjunction with a white board program
Needs to support student creation of chat rooms for study sessions, group projects, and social interaction
Needs to support logged chat
Threaded Discussion
The user interface defines most of this tool's functionality
Supports in-depth communication better than chat
Calendar
Least important of functions
It must be able to integrate with Microsoft Exchange
WebCT
- Chat program cannot handle more than 50 users at once
- Threaded discussion allows creation of separate areas (multiple forums per class)
- Can make bulletin board conform to accessibility standards
- Allows discussions to be compiled
- Collaboration tools are stronger and more robust with a wider range of functionalities
- Authentication with external tools may be a problem
Blackboard
- The chat does not currently work in Netscape on the Macintosh
- There is only one chat per course
- Better interface for discussion
- Has a slight edge on the tool integration aspect
- Its calendar's back-end is in Oracle, adding flexibility
Conclusions
The collaboration tools were the focus of the discussion. Neither product has
tools robust enough to extend outside the classroom. Both products seem able
to support external chat and discussion tools within the course environment.
If the tools are hosted within the system, authentication can be maintained.
While it is necessary to provide collaboration tools external to the class sites,
that does not mean that the group cannot and should not control the functionality
and use of the tools outside of the courses. Use in all areas should be monitored,
and access should be controlled. It was decided that policy concerns regarding
legal and ethical use of the chat rooms (necessitating such technical solutions
as logged chat rooms) were outside the scope of the meeting.
Outcome: WebCT wins on chat; tie on discussion board; the calendar was removed from consideration.
Support materials for Bb 9 are available at:
https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/bbsupport/
Blackboard is a campus-wide initiative of:
comments about the site to: Malaika Boyd: mboyd@mail.utexas.edu.
