Registration for winter session ended yesterday. 28 students, so 3 over the usual cap of 25. For the online classes, more students (up to a point) is better; creates more buzz in the class. A few students I recognize from previous classes, but mostly new students (although may not be new to taking online classes).
Still no word from eCampus on how Blackboard log in instructions will be sent, when students will be added to the class, or how to add students to the class website if they haven't pre-registered.
Chapter 1 in the class text discusses how the power base in organizations has shifted from tangible assets to information: "By the second half of the twentieth century, information resources replace tangible resources as a measure of power" (p. 20). I've been especially aware of this when using PeopleSoft. Often, staff know more than adminstrators and faculty about how to access information (such as student enrollments) because the PS system is nonintuitive and has its own vocabulary. Another example is the switch from WebCT 4.1 to Blackboard CE 6. In this case, Blackboard developers, with their specialized knowledge of the system, have more power than those who use the system.
-Prof. Cyborg
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4 comments:
Does using Application Service Provider like Blackboard Hosting mean the organization loses one of its most valuable assets? The information resources are no longer in house but exists at the vendor.
Using a vendor such as Blackboard is an issue. For example, SJSU is currently switching from WebCT 4.1 to Blackboard CE6 (Blackboard bought webct 2 years ago). Faculty are losing information that doesn't transfer over to CE6. And the university has no control over this data loss. Many universities use Moodle, which is open source rather than proprietary. I hope I've answered your question.
I don't quite understand why Moodle would not also result in data loss. The issue of data loss between CE 4.1 and CE6 is the lack of a 1:1 translation of tools between source and target. If the target doesn't have a discussion board, then how can a programmer ensure data will be put into one? In my opinion a graceful failure of making data unable to be added seems like a given. Also, WebCT, Blackboard, and Moodle all use the IMS standard to transport data which still doesn't cover every tool in every product.
I was hinting that SJSU has outsourced the running of CE to Blackboard Hosting (based on the address being http://sjsu6.blackboard.com/) and linking that to your statement about the value of information resources. A simplistic way of putting the statement is what the organization knows is its greatest assets. By outsourcing CE, does the organization no longer consider understanding the internals of CE important?
You're right, there would be data loss with any transfer. For me, the issue is far more than data loss. Blackboard CE6 just doesn't do what I need it to do.
Two issues with the SJSU blackboard URL. One is that it's .com. Other universities keep .edu with their learning management system (typically blackboard). Putting the .com in the URL for SJSU's LMS symbolizes the corporatization of education--especially distance ed--at SJSU. The second is consistent with your point--the university has outsourced the LMS. Here we are in the middle of Silicon Valley and we don't have our own LMS. We should want to know how CE6 works and more important we should be using something developed in house (a joint project involving all the CSU campuses) or at the very least, hosted on our campus.
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