Copyright 2002 UT System The Ever-Changing Courseware Landscape Migration Strategies and Lessons Learned Copyright Michael Anderson and Rob Robinson, 2001.

Copyright 2002 UT System

The Ever-Changing Courseware Landscape

Migration Strategies

and Lessons LearnedCopyright Michael Anderson and Rob Robinson, 2001. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared

for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Rob Robinson, Associate Director

Michael Anderson, Technology & Corporate Development Manager

University of Texas System TeleCampus


Today’s Agenda

• The TeleCampus

• Courseware Defined

• The Technology Challenge

• Standards – Help on the Way?

• The Ever-Changing Corporate Landscape


"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the

belief that one's work is terribly important.”

Bertrand Russell


The TeleCampus

• Distance education coordination unit of the UT System

• Collaborative programs– Complete graduate degree programs– Certificates & undergraduate courses

• Deep courses, 100% web-based• Heavy faculty interaction• Success & growth


TeleCampus Recent History

• 1997 – Selected VCampus

• 2001 – RFP process to select new courseware platform

• Prometheus chosen

• 2002 Prometheus acquired by Blackboard


Instructional Delivery

Classroom Centralized

– Synchronous time/place

Uniform– Mass communication

Short development Low initial investment High delivery cost Not scalable

WBI Outreach

– On-demand

Individuality– Mass-customization

Long development High initial investment Low delivery cost Scalable


WBI System ComponentsContent Management(Prometheus, WebCT,

Blackboard)

Hardware/Telcomm(Cisco, RBOCs,

hosting)

Services (e-commerce,

tutoring)

Content(faculty, publishers)


Content Management Systems

Characteristics• Assessment

(computer-graded tests)

• Tracking• Communication/

services integration• File Manager– serves

HTML files composed of learning objects

Benefits• Immediate feedback

and faculty assistance• Effort monitoring• Infinite diversity for

users and integrity for faculty

• GUI for faculty and an organizing tool for students


Modular Content

• Learning Objects– Self-contained

– Internally consistent

– Referenced from outside (MERLOT)

• HTML page is NOT a L.O.– Sentence Syntax

• An object on a single HTML page can be a L.O.– Sentence Animator


Mapping Functions


Mapping Content


Corporate Context

Prometheus


Why Standards?

Text +Graphics

Inter-activeVideo

CD-ROM LAN-Based

WEB-HTML/

Database

WEB-XML/

Objects

Legacy “Here andnow”

Emerging Future

WEB-HTML

E-Learning technology moves increasing toward Standards-based implementations


The Movement Toward Standards

• Beyond pure technical standards (XML, J2EE, etc)

• Accrediting Standards Bodies– IEEE, ANSI, ISO

• AICC, SCORM, IMS– Developing specifications toward

standardization


Progress

• IMS– Development & promotion of specifications

leading to interoperability

• SCORM– Project of the Advanced Distributed Learning

Network, part of the Department of Defense– Plug-Fest


Vendor Participation

• WebCT –– Participant in IMS

– Claims to be SCORM compliant

– Participated in ADL Plugfests 3, 4,5

• Blackboard –– IMS Participant

– Partnership with Microsoft means ability to influence standards adoption.

• Others


The Vision

– Modular, interoperable content– Seamless across platforms & courses– “Best of breed” modules tied together in a

single course– Until then…………


Lessons Learned

• Plan for migration – develop an exit strategy

• Expect migration – keep copies of your content, all of it

• Modularize your content

• Establish your pain thresholds


The University of Texas TeleCampus

1-888-TEXAS-16

www.telecampus.utsystem.edu

[email protected]

Rob Robinson: [email protected]

Michael Anderson [email protected]

Further Information

Copyright 2002 UT System The Ever-Changing Courseware Landscape Migration Strategies and Lessons Learned Copyright Michael Anderson and Rob Robinson, 2001.

Documents

standards adoption

elearning technology

single html page

rob robinson

written permission

scorm compliantparticipated

html files

imsdeveloping specifications