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Management, Integration & Organisational Alignment of Blackboard at CBS. Gordon Cunningham Academic Development Curtin University of Technology Curtin Business School. Overview. History of LMS at Curtin Implementation History Organisational Overview Online Teaching & Learning, IT Services
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Management, Integration & Organisational Alignment of Blackboard at CBS Gordon Cunningham Academic Development Curtin University of Technology Curtin Business School
Overview • History of LMS at Curtin • Implementation History • Organisational Overview • Online Teaching & Learning, IT Services • Strategic Position • Online Development • Strategies for Adoption • Support • Technical Infrastructure of Bb • Integration • Management of Online Units • Building Blocks • Lessons Learned • Future Directions
History of Learning Management Systems at Curtin • Multiple LMS (5) across Curtin • 1997 – WebCT • 1997 – Staff Web Sites • 1998 – Lotus Learning Space (CBS) • 2000 – Blackboard (CBS), migrated from WebCT • 2004 – Lotus Learning Space decommissioned
Implementation History • 2000 – Implementation CourseInfo 4 • 2000 – Upgraded Bb 5 Level 1 • 2002 – Implemented Bb 5 Level 3 (Snapshot) • 2004 – Upgraded to Bb 6.1 • Blackboard is now seen as true corporate application
Organisational Overview • 31,000 Students (Total) • 11,928 Business Students • 600 F/T and P/T Academic Staff • Curtin Business is the largest of 5 teaching divisions • 7 sub schools – B.Comm • Accounting • Business Law • Economics & Finance • Information Systems • Management • Marketing • Graduate School of Business (MBA)
Organisational Overview (Cont’d) • Bentley in Perth WA is main campus • Partners in 33 locations spread across 10 countries (40% are international students) • Australia • China and Hong Kong • Singapore • Malaysia • Indonesia • Mauritius • Sri Lanka • Vietnam • Pakistan
Online Teaching & Learning Facilityand IT Services • 3 Bb User Support Staff • 2 instructional designers • 1 Graphic/Web Designer • 1 Web Programmer • 1 Project Manager • 3 Systems Engineers • 2 Database Administrators • 1 Manager OTL IT Services
Strategic Position • Level 1: Strategically focused complete online courses • Level 2: online units and components of units • Level 3: infrastructure and services
Online Development • Master of Accounting (12 units) • Bachelor of Business Administration (25 units) African Virtual University • Master of Business Admin. (12 units) • Grad Certificate in Marketing (4 units)
Strategies for Adoption • Online Learning Essentials (Students) • Online Teaching Essentials (Staff) • Online Creation Pack
Strategies for Adoption (cont’d) • 1 to 1 training for staff • Classroom based training for Bb • “New Features in Bb” • “Voyage of Discovery” – Intro • “Forget the Bush Telegraph” – BBS • “Tips and Strategies for Teaching Online” • Email and phone based support • Template for Bb courses • “How to”/FAQ Movies for Bb
Technical Infrastructure of Bb Scalable Mode Failover Mode Application Server V440 (16Gb) Application Server V440 (16Gb) DB Server V440 (16Gb) Chat Server V440 (16Gb) Storage Array /global data Cluster Framework Sun Cluster 3.0
Integration • Student One – SIS • Novell Directory Services (NDS) • SAMS – Student Account Management System • PHP Web Application • Data-warehouse • On the hour updates from SIS • Student No, FName ,LName, DOB, Course ID, Location, Mode, Study Period, Start Date, End Date
Management of Online Units • Over 650 courses taught annually • 522 course entities in Bb • 360 days a year operation (4 days) • Over 35 Study Periods in a year • Over 33 locations • Rolling Study Periods, many overlap • Bb sites can be combined or separated by study period or location
Management of Online Units • Staff request courses according to requirements • SAMS manages ALL student/staff accounts • 3 clear out periods per year • Staff are too busy to manage students • Staff are too busy to manage staff • Access is dependant on Enrolment • Who is teaching what? and where?
Building Blocks • Advanced Group Management (modified) • Online Categorisation Tool – Modes • Informational • Supplemental • Essential • Fully Web Enabled • Online Journal Tool • Seneca Who's Online
Lessons Learned • Senior Management support for e-learning • Find academic mentors in schools • LMS is now treated as core application and underscores business continuity • Never skimp on hardware. Plan for expansion • Provide incentive for staff in development • Deploy fully online courses strategically • Ease of Use of Systems is paramount for success • Resource support staff adequately • Too much flexibility can be unmanageable
Future Directions • Voice Over IP Applications with Bb? • Content Management with Bb? • E-Portfolio? • Single Sign On with OASIS (Online Access to Student Information System) – Student Portal/Email - SunONE • Mobile Web - HP iPAQ – trials in 2004/5 • Wireless Implementation 2004