According to stories in today's Chronicle of Higher Education and another in InsideHigherEd, Pearson Publishing is now providing a free learning management system that will allow institutions to focus their limited technology funds on purchasing educational content rather than paying to license and customize an information platform. In lay terms, they have developed a beta-version of a free learning management system that will go head to head with the industry leaders including Blackboard and Desire2Learn.
OpenClass is a free commodity marketed directly to individual faculty members whereas most universities implement learning management systems on an institution-wide basis. Pearson's self-stated intent is to encourage the purchase of "products that the company’s higher ed division sees as the future of its bottom line: e-textbooks, e-tutoring software, and other 'digital content' products." The learning platform acts as a type of gateway drug that leads users to want electronic resources sold by Pearson. Although Pearson is open to the idea of allowing other publishing companies to upload resources onto the OpenClass system, Case Western Reserve University’s Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick notes that it is somewhat analogous to expecting Microsoft to team with Apple in order to sell its products. Whether or not the competition will “play nice” is unclear at this point. That issue will likely be the limiting factor for a publisher-based management system. Often, faculty members demonstrate loyalty to a particular publisher. For some, that publisher of choice is Pearson. For others, it is not. If OpenClass attracts products from a variety of publishers, then it may indeed steal market share from Blackboard and Desire2Learn. If not, it will be another technical solution with limited potential.
Personally, I am hoping that this new system takes off because my co-worker and I are currently in early negotiations to author an e-textbook of the type described in the InsideHigherEd article. Rather than a traditional textbook, the e-text would include links, videos, and other resources that students could engage with in whatever manner they deem most useful to learning the topic. Whereas a traditional textbook is provides the reader with the author’s version of what is required to learn, an electronic textbook is interactive and somewhat customizable to each individual student’s learning style. For some students, reading the text may suffice. For others, learning would be enhanced significantly by having an opportunity to delve into a video of the real-life applications of a theory or equation.
The idea of being able to use the online systems to engage students rather than just transmit information, does have merit. From other classes I have participated in and taught, it is difficult for both students and instructors to easily navigate the Blackboard system. Many believe it to be too time consuming and frustrating, therefore such as with the Current Issues class, instructors choose a different route of technology to convey the message or create the interactions. Even using GoogleDocs is more involving and interactive than the posting on Blackboard can be. As much as I am adverse to proprietary software, if the e-text is useful to grab and keep a student’s attention and focus, then so be it.
ReplyDeleteLike Janella, I too have experience with Blackboard as an instructor and a student. It's not my favorite tool to say the least. I love the idea of offering students the opportunity to learn through videos, links, and other resources. I know that some professors are currently using these resources but they are usually not in one convenient location for students to access.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be awesome for students to be able to upload their own videos and resources and share them with their peers (as it relates to the course).
Technological platforms or Learning Management Systems (LMS) in a teaching-learning environment may have advantages and disadvantages. However, their purpose, as Janella indicates should not only be to transmit information but most importantly to provide a forum for the interaction and engagement of instructors and students.
ReplyDeleteIn this era of technological advances, I agree that we should maximize the use of technology so we can enhance the teaching-learning process. However, we should always remember that one of the purposes of education is to provide an opportunity for students to have access to knowledge. If possible, in a socially interactive and engaging environment where acquired abilities and skills can be shared
I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when working from Blackboard in a course. I agree with the concept of advertising to individual faculty members, as Pearson is discussing. Some professors use Blackboard to full-extent. Others don't use it at all. Some "try" to use it, but end up posting nonfunctional links and unprintable power points. I currently use Blackboard quite a bit...but only one course within my fifteen credits requires me to do so.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the e-textbook idea you are describing. I agree, allowing a student to further explore the content of material by following links, videos, and other resources could be very beneficial for well-rounded learning, especially in the technological times of today. I see it as similar to blogging--this is entirely new for me, but within a handful of clicks on hyperlinks, I am able to access a wide range of articles and materials instantly.