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As we explained several years ago when we published the Bargain Hunters Guide to Building Your Own Course Web Site, you don't need course management software in order to integrate the use of technology into your teaching. However, over the years, the companies that have been trying to shove CMS tools down our throats have actually come up with a tool or two that makes the teaching life a little easier.
Besides, many schools have picked a CMS and are now trying to coach, cajole, or bully faculty into using it. The simplest way to get a good return on your investment in a CMS is to create the conditions for buy-in and enthusiasm at your school. The best way to do that is to start by asking teachers what they want or need in the way of technology.
If you're at one of those schools trying to implement a CMS from the top down (Here it is. Now use it!) it's still not too late to create buy-in and enthusiasm. FutureU has developed a very successful approach to faculty development that results in faster, smoother, happier adoption of course management software.
Some of the cool things a CMS makes easier include:
- Uploading and sharing materials.
- Automating the creation, management, distribution and collection of quizzes, tests, and surveys.
- Automation of the grade book and submission of grades to the registrar.
- Distribution and collection of assignments.
- Use of discussion forums and real-time chats.
- Creation and management of learning units (lessons, modules, topics, etc.).
- Integration of student journal keeping into the course.
- Collaborative authoring and presentations by student learning groups.
- Glossary and flash-card building.
Finally, there are several practical reasons to try to maximize the payback from course management software:
- Student Expectations. Each new year brings a new crop of learners that are more technically savvy than their predecessors. New students frequently make availability of classroom technology a key part of their choice of college. More and more, students expect, even demand, that they be given access to technologies that make study and learning easier.
- Campus Growth Requirements. In this age of government cuts to education spending, campuses frequently find themselves driven to increase enrollments. Many campuses are already utilizing the full capacity of their facilities. New buildings and infrastructure can be prohibitively expensive. With technology-mediated learning additional enrollments are possible with much smaller investments in infrastructure.
- Better Instruction. When used correctly, technology can improve the quality of the teaching and learning experience. Some course management software, Moodle for example, builds specific learning theories and instructional design criteria (pedagogy) into the tools themselves, making it easier to build and deliver pedagogically sound instruction.
Copyright © 1997-2006 by Claude Whitmyer and Gail Terry Grimes. All rights reserved. Published by The University of the Future, LLC.