Courseware Online Education Software: Delivery Applications and Authoring Packages Abstract This paper compares and contrasts features that are inherent in fourteen different software programs that are currently in use for developing online course materials. Each program must be examined to discover important features that may be necessary in any given situation. Once a learning situation is defined and a prioritized list of features is developed, an institution can begin to search for the appropriate package. The information concerning the features outlined in this paper should help an institution begin their search. Many different software packages are currently available on the market to help instructors and designers design and present materials to be used in online teaching applications. Two different ways now exist to develop content.
One way is to use third party editors to create HTML and other formats. The other way is to have a desktop component that allows the user to develop and automatically convert the content into HTML and Java. Currently all of the programs discussed below have some merit but each program must be examined to discover important features that may be necessary in any given situation. While selecting a software package for an institution, many different factors should be considered. It is imperative that the type of learning situation is defined. The types of learning situations that could occur include combining the traditional classroom setting with the use of the Web for supplemental materials and learner support services using the course supplemental model as discribed by Steven Saltzberg and Susan Polyson (1999, p.1).
The 'virtual classroom' is a situation where all learning takes place on the World Wide Web and can be described in the 'Virtual Classroom Model' (Saltzberg, Polyson, 1999, p.2). A third situation defines computer-based learning with tutorials and self paced learning as the main components, it can be linked to the 'Resource-based Course Model' described by Dr. Lawrence Ragan (1999, p.5). The next situation concerns corporate training models for large audiences. This situation can work in conjunction with the 'Wrap Around Model' described by Robin Mason (1998, p.6), that allows existing corporate materials and online activities to equally share importance.
Models must also be carefully selected as they rely upon the possibilities that are available and inherent in an institution's infrasturcture. The available packages can be compared and contrasted according to the features that are innate to their program. One application that is inherent in these programs is their ability to view HTML documents. However, the way they can use Web browsers to accomplish this task differs from one package to the next. Features linked directly to Web browsers are accessibility, bookmarks, multimedia, and security. Accessibility is a feature that is available for persons with disabilities. It provides a universal text version and does not use frames, tables or images.
Packages that include this feature are Blackboard and eCollege.com. Blackboard provides a text only version while eCollege.com provides core features that are compatible with leading screen readers for the blind. Bookmarks are used to identify Internet locations. TopClass supports bookmarks using a standard Web browser. Virtual-U lets the user link anywhere from within the syllabus, assignments, and a conferencing message. ECollege.com has a 'Webliography' feature that allows the instructor to list resources in a centralized location. WebCT uses bookmarks that allow students to return to the most recently visited pages.
Other tools that include this feature are Blackboard and Lotus LearningSpace. Multimedia features support images, audio, video and other types of files. This is a very important feature in my eyes as I feel that media-rich content is motivating and interesting to students. Each package allows for different types of multimedia to be added to the course. TopClass and Web Course in a Box embed multimedia links in their courseware. Virtual-U has a tool that allows the instructor to upload text, graphics, video and audio into the course content area. Students are also able to upload these types of files via a 'Submission Box'.
The Virtual-U Conferencing area also allows multimedia content to be included with conference messages. Browser security is an important feature to insure secure transactions on the Web. TopClass secures the standard password, username, and privileges. Web Course in a Box does the same but the latest version also allows for an anonymous login option. Like WebCT, Virtual-U secures the login, username, password, and allows users to change their password's online. Also in both programs, administrators can control access, allow opening Web pages for the public to view, and provide different views and privileges to students and instructors.
Another important feature that is paramount in the design of these courseware programs is their ability to allow the student and instructor to communicate. Communication tools will allow for asynchronous and synchronous sharing. Most of the applications have an E-mail function but they support this function in different manners.
Beyond the basic E-mail function, TopClass also supports an optional picture file. Web Course in a Box, ToolBook, WebCT, Virtual-U supports intraclass E-mail.
Virtual-U also allows the use of the E-mail system that is inherent in the browser. And, WebCT has an E-mail search function integrated into the student tracking and grade maintenance tools. Blackboard uses the Push System. LearningSpace E-mail can notify students of assessments, work assignments, review assignments, and announcements. WebCT and eCollege.com allows the instructor to E-mail an entire class or an individual directly from a central location by clicking on the students name and it will be sent to the students regular E-mail program. Synchronous sharing, or real time communication tools also vary greatly among the different programs.
Chat features that allow Internet Relay Chats and other text exchanges in real time are very popular. Chat tools are included in Web Course in a Box, Blackboard, ToolBook, Lotus Learning Space, eCollege, and WebCT. An integrated whiteboard is available in Version 4 of Web Course in a Box. ToolBook has a feature called 'ToolBook Librarian' that manages online discussions and third party collaborations with ichat's ROOMS, Microsoft Netmeeting and more. WebCT and eCollege.com are similar in that they allow instructors to archive chats and create separate chatrooms. These archived chats can later be reviewed by both students and instructors.
The voice chat feature that allows users to communicate by using a microphone and speaker conference type call over the Internet is not widely in use although it is a very valuable tool. Blackboard uses Horizon Live as their voice chat program. Currently Lotus LearningSpace supports audio conferencing, but it will only work on high speed lines. This is definitely a feature that should be added to upgrades of these types of programs in the future.
Synchronous sharing can also be accomplished through a white board that includes shared text like as seen in the chat function. However, a whiteboard may allow users to share drawings plus text.
Blackboard incorporates the Tutor Net whiteboard. Lotus LearningSpace offers the whiteboard feature through the companion product, DataBeam Learning Server 2.0. Web Course in a Box offers a whiteboard with software from Link-Systems International that is achievable and therefore can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous communication. Application sharing allows the user to run an application on one machine, and share the view of the running application by putting it up on the Web.
Sometimes with application sharing, mouse control of the application can also be shared. This tool is very useful if an instructor is trying to teach a new software package to students. Blackboard supports application sharing through 'Group Pages' and 'Virtual Chats'. As with the ToolBook chat feature, ToolBook uses the ToolBook Librarian to manage third party collaborations of companion software such as Microsoft Netmeeting to allow application sharing. LearningSpace uses the companion product DataBeam Learning Server 2.0 AppShare for the task. The only one of these courseware programs that supports virtual space is Blackboard with Virtual 'real time' Chat.
This feature is a virtual meeting room for the instructor and the students. Group Browsing is a feature that allows all of the class members to take a group tour of Web sites with a shared browser window. The tour leader and sometimes the members are allowed to interact with the window. Blackboard supports group browsing by their whiteboard feature within their virtual chat. ToolBook Librarian and Lotus LearningSpace uses the companion product, DataBeam's Learning Server 2.0, to offer group browsing.
ECollege.com takes a different approach and uses their chat tool to allow users to follow links to Web sites provided by each other. Teleconferencing, a type of audio conferencing for fast speed modem lines, is also an available feature for ToolBook Librarian and LearningSpace as they use the companion product DataBeam's Learning Server 2.0. Videoconferencing is a feature that allows video to be broadcast to those users who do not have a video input device. Again ToolBook Librarian and LearningSpace use DataBeam's Learning Server and Microsoft's Netmeeting to provide users with the videoconferencing feature. Lotus LearningSpace also allows the instructor to control the floor. Instant feedback can occur during real time question & answer periods. Student tools can include self-assessing tests and quizzes, progress tracking, searching, motivation building, and study skill building among others.
Self-assessing tests, quizzes, and surveys allow the students to assess their own skills as they proceed through the course. Although these types of activities do not need to be recorded as part of a student's grade, they can often be automatically marked and reported. Web Course in a Box also allows students to take self-scoring quizzes that can be timed and scored. Version 4 of Web Course in a Box also allows for a self-assessing data set for item analysis. ECollege.com has a feature called 'Exam Builder' that allows an instructor to design materials that include answers and explanations so users can perform self-assessments and work at their own pace. Other packages that include self-assessment are TopClass, Lotus Learning Space, WebCT, and Blackboard. These programs support self-scoring quizzes.
Students can check their progress/grades with programs that offer a progress tracking feature. Surprisingly eCollege.com does not have such a feature available. TopClass uses a discussion/ class announcement area to post coursework, test scores, and messages. Web Course in a Box 4 only lets users view their own submissions. Blackboard lets instructors provide comments both numerically or by using text comments that can be seen by the students. In addition to grades, WebCT allows the instructor to decide if they want to give the student the option to view student centered information such as the first and most recent access dates.
It can also grant access to content centered information such as the number of accesses to a page and the average time spent on a page. Toolbox lets the instructor relay marks back to the student after they have taken an automatically recorded test. Lotus Learning Space uses individual student folders so each student can track their assignments and grades. A searching feature lets students locate parts of course materials by typing in words to find in a certain location. Blackboard supports this type of word search through meta data. It also supports a content search through a course map.
WebCT allows the user to search course notes and discussions. Lotus LearningSpace also has a search feature. Motivation Building can be described as a feature that allows the instructor to provide customized cousework to individual students, self-help tools, an area for personal portfolios or Web pages, or other materials that are meant to keep the student on track. Web Course in a Box allows students to create Web portfolios that can be linked to Web projects and used in one or more classes.
Lotus LearningSpace also supports portfolios for students. WebCT has an area for students to build their own homepage without knowledge of HTML. Students can also have their own home page for the course. Other programs that have motivation building features include TopClass, and Blackboard. The study skill building feature includes simple review materials, tools, or short tutorials that help students develop effective study habits. TopClass, Virtual-U, Blackboard, WebCT, and Lotus LearningSpace all have some type of study skill building.
Support tools are those primary elements that allow instructors and designers to create and build materials that will be used in an online environment. These features are considered the most important to users who do not have a working knowledge of HTML. Because they may be lacking this knowledge, they will surely select a package that insures the user the automatic transformation of information to HTML or Java. Although HTML knowledge is helpful in using all these programs, it is required for several programs we reviewed. All of the programs we reviewed differ in the way that the support tools are managed.
The course planning features provide the tools for the initial course layout and structuring. TopClass supports remote authoring, but has an hierarchical outlining tool for course planning and creation. Web Course in a Box uses multiple templates and allows for customization of these templates. Virtual U allows the instructor to define units, topics, assignments, and resources by using what they call a 'Course Structuring Tool'.
It also enables instructors to upload text and links to their file system. Blackboard uses templates for menu pages, instructional pages, site maps, schedules, and glossaries. Instructors must have knowledge of HTML to use WebCT, but two features called 'Course Look and Feel,' and 'Course Welcome Page,' help instructors begin the initial course layout.
Lotus Learning Space uses templates and a hierarchal outline style for course planning. ECollege lets instructors build their course in the 'Author mode'. It has tools to create a course home page, announcements, syllabus, and calendar.
Course managing tools enable instructors to control access to course resources, to gather information concerning students, and manage tracking and progress of students. In TopClass, instructors can use the information that they gather about their students to determine if additional coursework need be assigned based on test scores. Instructors control access to course materials and make it only available to registered users. Web Course in a Box lets multiple instructors manage and edit a class. The instructor also has control of the gradebook facility and the threaded discussion forum.
Virtual U also allows instructors to manage the gradebook facility and supports numerical or text comments. The instructor decides if the student has access to the gradebook. In the conference area the instructor can assign groups or decide to have a conference with an individual. Instructors can also manage different types of multimedia by using an upload tool for the 'Course Space' area.
Blackboard allows instructors to add and delete users and E-mail addresses, modify conferences, and assign students specific lessons. Instructors also manage the gradebook facility and student tracking. WebCT lets instructors manage student accounts, the grade facility with statistics of the grades, division of students into groups, the student presentation area, chat forum, calendar and scheduling. In Lotus LearningSpace, the instructor uses 'The Schedule' to manage course assignments, course development tools, links, and assessments. ECollege requires an administrative setup and only allows the instructor to manage things like enrollment options. The course customizing feature allows instructors to design a class that is special and unique. This feature lets instructors/designers change the look and structure of the course and materials within the course.
As TopClass 4 supports 100% remote authoring, the courses can easily change their look and structure. This software also boasts easy course transfer from one server to the next. Web Course in a Box is limited to templates that can provide six basic looks. Virtual U uses online Web based forms for revisions and file upload capabilities.
Blackboard has a centralized page that allows the instructor to make fast revisions by using a control panel. WebCT has a standard look and structure, but easy revisions to content can be accomplished via the Web. ToolBox uses an 'Open Library Exchange' in order allow instructors to enter third-party content. Lotus LearningSpace uses a 'Customization Library' to use existing LearningSpace graphics or instructors can import their own. It also offers a variety of page layouts.
Course monitoring features provide information about grades and usage of course resources. TopClass, Web Course in a Box, Blackboard, WebCT, Toolbox, and Lotus LearningSpace all contain course monitoring features. WebCT contains the greatest number of course monitoring features including student centered progress tracking, content centered progress tracking, grades, statistics for grades, and tools for the site administrator.
The site administrator can monitor course number, size, creation, modification, and enrollment. Lesson tools allow the instructor to create assignments, modules, units, topics and more. TopClass uses a course outlining tool. Web Course in a Box has templates, calendar, and syllabus tools. Blackboard uses templates that insure no HTML knowledge is required. WebCT also uses templates for course outlines, assignments, and more, but a knowledge of HTML is required.
The lesson tools are great in ToolBook as it has templates, wizards, and objects. The Digital Video Producer and Recorder allow instructors to capture and edit video files for lessons. Lotus LearningSpace uses templates but in addition allows instructors to embed multimedia, simulation programs or external Web sites. Tools for formatting and displaying course materials over the Web also vary greatly among the different programs. TopClass uses navigation buttons to move throughout the course. The course can include streaming audio and video, Shockwave, Java and more.
Web Course in a Box uses template driven presentations. WebCT can present information by showing single pages of content, multi-page content with the use of frames, common icons and shared functions, and more. ToolBook supports graphics, animation, audio, video, Java, PowerPoint, cascading style sheets, Adobe Acrobat, and a variety of other file formats.
Lotus Learning Space uses base documents that can easily show text, video, links, and the same types of files as ToolBook. ECollege can show text, exams, multimedia, and threaded discussions. The testing features help instructors design tests, quizzes, exams, and other assignments. All of the programs listed here except eCollege, also support marking student generated material online. TopClass facilitates multiple choice, file attachment questions, essay questions with a comment box, fill in the blanks and others.
It has a test bank for random generation, and optional self testing. Web Course in a Box 4 has a quiz builder for multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay.
Besides the types of quizzes available from Web Course in a Box, Blackboard also has ordering and timed quizzes. WebCT allows for surveys, practice, lab, and timed quizzes. Lotus LearningSpace uses an 'Assessment Manager' for the design of multiple choice, essay and surveys. ECollege supports multiple choice, matching, true/false, fill in the blank, short answer, essay, and oral exams. Administration tools are found on the server side of the application and extend to the setup/configuration of the client side software.
They include setup and maintenance tasks. Authorization tools allow the system administrator to grant access and other privileges to individual users or groups. TopClass4 allows the administrator to assign all privileges, guest accounts, and registration, via a Web browser. Blackboard and Web Course in a Box support batch handling of accounts.
Blackboard CourseInfo Enterprise also supports registration and online fees handling. The administrator of WebCT can authorize courses and access. LearningSpace has an extensive authorization system called Domino that ensures only registered users have access to courses. This system also supports registration. The Virtual U system administrator can use a table to designate privileges.
TopClass, Web Course in a Box, Virtual U, WebCT, ToolBox, Lotus, do not currently support online fees handling. All these programs have some type of server security and remote access, except eCollege with no remote access. The server platforms also vary among programs. TopClass, can run on Windows NT, Mac OS, or Unix. Web Course in a Box, ToolBook, WebCT, Virtual U, and Blackboard works with Windows NT and Unix servers. ECollege uses Windows NT.
Lotus LearningSpace uses Domino. CyberChalk integrates both course authoring with course delivery features. The Continuing Education course option allows instructors to manage registration, online fees handling, course progress, and test grades. In a course database they can control course numbers, test items, and evaluations. The system works with Windows NT or a PowerPC with 32 MB.
The demo course was not available at this time to learn more about the authoring features. An institution thinking about using one of these packages should create a prioritized list of features applicable to their situation to select the best package. Pricing for these packages often depend on features and number of users. An institution should directly contact the vendor for pricing.
In addition to these full-blown programs, multimedia authoring packages exist. The software reviewed included three from Macromedia, CourseBuilder for Dreamweaver, Authorware, Director, Allen Communications' Quest, and MaxIT Corporation's Dazzle. CourseBuilder is a dynamic course authoring tool that can be run on Windows 95/98/NT, or Mac OS with 32 MB RAM. As an extension program for Dreamweaver, it uses templates, drag/drop, and wizards to help instructors design truly interactive activities. It easily allows for inclusion of Authorware, Flash, Fireworks, and more.
Knowledge of file and folder structure is imperative. It claims that the user does not need HTML knowledge, but I would strongly recommend it. Authorware also allows for the creation of a media-rich interactive environment. Using Lotus Pathware, Authorware can automatically track and store student results. It uses templates, drag/drop and wizards to help create more than ten types of interactions. This also claims that the user does not need HTML knowledge, but it is helpful.
It can easily incorporate Flash 4, Quick Time 4 & VR, and animated gifs. Director allows the designer to blend graphics, sound, animation, text, and video to create streaming interactive Web content. The Shockwave Studio components allow editing and control of materials in a centralized area. Fireworks 3 is included in the Director 8 studio. A publish command allows the instructor to deliver Shockwave content. It also uses templates, drag/drop and wizards.
Dazzler is an intuitive development tool that can be used to create materials that can be published to a disk, CD-ROM or the Internet. It includes a 'Dazzler Java Player' that is an applet for delivering materials over the Internet or on an Intranet. It has a template library, style sheets, question wizard, spell checker, and a file conversion utility.
A feature I found particularly interesting was 'Movie Layering' that allows text to be layered on top of video files. It can run on Windows 95/98/NT with 16 MB Ram and a color graphics card with 4MB of video memory.
Of the authoring packages discussed, this is the one I would like to learn extensively. Quest 6.0 is for users who wish to design multimedia training materials. It has a WYSIWYG environment that also uses templates, drag/drop and wizards. It is unique in that it can show a type of course map, as a visual outline of the entire structure of the course, with a thumbnail view of frames and how they relate to each other. It has ActiveX support that allows for third party tools to be used inside Quest. A master resource list controls the file and folder structures.
It requires a 32-bit Windows operating system, Windows 95/98/NT, Pentium 200 or higher recommended, 128 MG RAM recommended, and an SVGA graphics card. All of the programs discussed above are viable means for creating materials to be used in an online environment. My personal favorites include Blackboard, Lotus LearningSpace, and Director.
I liked Blackboard because it was very easy to use, Lotus LearningSpace and Director because of the media-rich environments they can create. I would select to use Blackboard for the course I wrote about in CAE 500 for many reasons.
Blackboard has a text only accessibility feature, archiveable voice chat, whiteboard, application sharing with group pages and virtual chats. The virtual real time chat feature acts as a virtual meeting room for both instructors and students. It offers a variety of testing features including self assessment, self scoring quizzes. Instructors can create multiple choice, true/false, short answer, ordering, timed quizzes and essays. They can give grades numerically or provide text comments. Other features include word search with metadata, motivation and skill building for students. The main reason I would use this software is the easy to use authoring features that can be accessed from a centralized control panel to create, edit, and revise course elements.
Templates exist for menu pages, instructional pages, site maps, schedules, and glossaries. No prior knowledge of HTML is required for using this program. Course managing features also allow instructors to manage student accounts, the grade facility including statistical analysis, division of students into groups, a student presentation area, chat forum, calendar and scheduling. Blackboard CourseInfo Enterprise supports online registration, online fees handling, and batch uploads of accounts.
It works with both Windows NT and Unix servers. This software offers a complete package with many useful features.
I would have to say that each package has merit and I would not mind using any of them to create materials. References Allen Communications. Quest 6.0 Software. Available: 2000, April 4. Blackboard, Incorporated.
Blackboard CourseInfo: Products & Services. Available: 2000, March 22.
Click2learn.com, Inc. E-Learning: ToolBook II. Available: 2000, April 14.
CyberChalk Learning Network. CyberChalk Learning Network: About CyberChalk.
Available: 2000, April 12. ECollege Products and Services: eCourse. Available: 2000, March 22. Landon, Bruce., Bruce, Randy., Harby, Amanda. Online Educational Delivery Applications: A Web Tool for Comparative Analysis.
Available: 2000, April 12. Lotus LearningSpace. Available: 2000, April 4. Lotus Total Campus Option for K-12. Available: 2000, April 4.
Authorware 5.1: Visual Rich Media Authoring for Web and Online Learning. Available: 2000, April 4. Director 8 Shockwave Studio Product Info.
Available: 2000, April 4. CourseBuilder for Dreamweaver Product Info. Available: 2000, April 4.
Mad Duck Technologies. Web Course in a Box Version 4. Available: 2000, March 16. Mason, Robin.
Models of Online Courses. Available: 2000, March 12. MaxIT Corporation. Available: 2000, April 4. Models of Online Courses.
Available: 2000, March 13. Staltzberg, Steven, & Polyson, Susan.
Distributed Learning on the World Wide Web. Available: 2000, March 12. Virtual Learning Environments Inc. Highlights of Virtual-U version 2.5.
Available: 2000, March 22. TopClass 4: What's new in TopClass 4. Available: 2000, April 6. What is WebCT? Available: 2000, April 10.
This comparison is part of an on going search for the perfect courseware package for grades K-12. Any additional information you may have concerning this topic would be greatly appreciated. Please E-mail your questions, suggestions or comments.
Sidney Pressey's Teaching Machine In 1924, Pressey invents the first 'teaching machine.' The machine resembles a typewriter carriage with a window revealing a multiple choice question with up to four responses to choose from.
Attached is a box with four keys - one for each possible answer to the question. When the student presses a key, the machine records that selection. If the student's selection is correct, the machine increases the student's score by one displays the next question. If the selection is incorrect, the student must choose again. The machine will not display the next question until the student presses the correct key.
Any Tools Similar To Click2learn Toolbook For Mac Mac
Skinner's Teaching Machine Instructional 'disks' are placed inside the machine along with a strip or roll of paper. When the machine is closed, the student reads a question through a window and writes their response on the strip of paper. The student then compares their answer with the answer on the disk and presses the lever one way if their answer is correct or the other way if incorrect (the machine keeps score and advances). Skinner proposed the machine improves learning by 'taking into account the rate of learning for each individual learner.'
With this, Skinner formalizes 'self-paced instruction' as part of programmed instruction. Self-Adaptive Keyboard Instructor (SAKI) In 1956, Gordon Pask and Robin McKinnon-Wood release SAKI, the first 'adaptive' teaching system to go into commercial production. SAKI allows users to learn and practice keyboard skills on a 12-button keyboard. SAKI is an adaptive teaching machine – as the student's performance level increases, the machine self-calibrates to decrease the instructional support. Pask and McKinnon-Wood propose this adaptive nature mimics the relationship between a human teacher and student, as the instructor adapts their instruction to the student's performance level.
Teaching Machines, Inc. (TMI-Grolier) Grolier is an educational publishing company started in the early 1900s. Most of their sales were made through their door-to-door sales force, who sold encyclopedias and other educational books.
In 1960, TMI-Grolier added the first mass-produced teaching machine to their door-to-door offerings. The 'green machine' was partnered with a wide variety of self-tutoring books ranging in topic from mathematics and electricity to foreign languages.
The student loads a stack of self-study sheets into the box and scrolls through the sheets one block at a time, writing their answers to questions as they go. Note: The machine isn't much different from Skinner's machine in functionality, but it is easier to mass produce and far more portable. (By the way, several of the books and sheets can be found on eBay, although the machines themselves are a little harder to come by these days.). Apple II and the Personal Computer The Apple II and the PC are combined on this timeline because together they mark a revolution in the teaching machine industry. Over the next several years software companies will sell billions of dollars worth of educational software into the home and school personal computer markets, limiting dedicated 'teaching machines' to the children's toy market. Note: In middle and upper class homes, you'll find the growing trend of pre-school age children being given the 'old' technology to play and learn with as their parents acquire newer technology.
Starting with Windows-based PCs and Macs, and later the same trend will follow with smart phones and tablets. Transition The personal computer (along with derivative technology like smart phones and tablets) will continue to serve as self-tutoring learning machines. However, from this point on the timeline on, the personal computer also becomes the primary delivery platform of the LMS.
So in it's stand alone mode running its own software, you can consider the computer a teaching machine. But once you connect the computer to a network (including the Internet) in order to create, manage, access, and/or complete courseware, you can think of it as part of the LMS, and we'll cover further advancements in the Learning Management Systems branch of this timeline. Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC) By 1988, there are hundreds of companies creating computer-based training courseware. Some of the courseware runs on Mac platforms, some runs on DOS machines, and some runs on the new Windows platform. Because of the open architecture of the PC and Windows machines, a course may run fine on one machine, but won't play on a similar machine that has a different sound card. This hurts large purchasers of CBT courseware because they must either pay to have each course modified to play on their primary platforms or purchase additional platforms. In 1988, Boeing, Airbus, and McDonnell Douglas form the AICC in order to address the lack of standards at a critical point of growth in the CBT market.
In 1989, the AICC publishes their computer platform recommendations (selecting the PC as their primary delivery platform). In 1992, they publish their digital audio specifications, allowing major players in the sound card industry to use AICC certified drivers. It is in 1993 that the Committee publishes CMI001-AICC/CMI Guidelines for Interoperability. This specification is considered to be the first true interoperability standard for Learning Management Systems, and compliance with AICC specifications (regularly updated, of course) is still considered a requirement for most LMS selection committees twenty years later. Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) Just as AICC was driven by concerns of the airline industry, SCORM was driven by a mandate from the White House (Executive Order 13111 signed in 1999 by President Bill Clinton) to create a set of standards for Federal Training Technology. The Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL) was formed under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, working with the White House Office of Technology and the Department of Labor, as well as key advising partners in the CBT and education industries.
In 2000, SCORM version 1.0 is published. Based directly on AICC's specifications, SCORM worked to 'fill in the gaps' in areas related to reusable content, client to host communication, and runtime packaging. By 2004, SCORM would become more robust and more popular than its counterpart AICC, and becomes the leading LMS standard (although critics of SCORM point out that the AICC standard is more stable and AICC courseware requires less 'tweaking' than SCORM to run on an LMS). In 2006, the Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) requires all DoD courseware to comply with the SCORM standard. Flanagan's Project PLAN Project PLAN (Program for Learning in Accordance with Needs) starts with a survey of more than 400,000 high schools (Project Talent) to define students' learning needs, and transforms into a project to meet those needs through curricula and testing.
Project PLAN finds its way onto this timeline because the solution includes a set of computer-based tests using an IBM 360 MODEL 50 computer that allows individual students to demonstrate their mastery of the curricula's objectives. In the conclusion of his 1968 paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Dr.
Flanagan writes, 'The most gratifying aspect of the program in the last few months has been that in each month since September, distinct and noticeable progress has been made in the direction of full operation of the program as conceived. If the teachers and staff are able to make as much progress in the next year of the project, Project PLAN should be well on the way to demonstrating the possibilities of an individualized system of instruction using the computer as an aid and resource to the teacher.' Havering Computer Managed Learning System An applied research project is conducted in the London Borough of Havering to devise and implement an approach for using computer managed learning. The experiment compares the performance of students working under the direction of teachers to that of students whose instruction is individually assigned by a computer based on each student's performance on previous work. The experiment finds that although teachers initially fear computer managed learning will deprive them of their personal contact with their students, in actuality by freeing them from being the primary source of information in their classroom, they find a new more professionally rewarding role in tutoring individuals with common needs in smaller groups, thus creating closer contact with the children in their classroom.
Note: The word 'system' in this case refers to an approach or method, not to computer software or hardware system. Asymetrix In 1984, Paul Allen (one of the co-founders of Microsoft, founds Asymetrix - the creators of ToolBook, which will become one of the most popular CBT authoring languages of the 1980s. Asymetrix will later change their name to click2learn.com, inc., keeping their CBT authoring tools and adding LMS capabilities, supporting access to their courseware via the Web. Click2learn.com eventually purchases Docent, a leading LMS vendor, and becomes SumTotal Systems, Inc. SumTotal is considered one of the global leaders in strategic human capital management (HCM), tying the tracking and reporting functionality of an LMS with the performance management capabilities of an HR system.
Interactive Learning Network In 1997, CourseInfo creates a set of tools supporting computer based instruction, including a course site generator, announcement generator, quiz generator, survey generator, etc. Later the same year, they release the Interactive Learning Network (ILN), which is installed at Cornell, Yale Medical School, University of Pittsburgh, and other academic institutions. The ILN was the first LMS of its kind to leverage MySqL, the relational database. Note: CourseInfo is one of the two companies that would later form Blackboard. Moodle Moodle is a free open source LMS. Moodle's business model encourages the global education community to contribute improvements.
Moodle can run on FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, Windows, and many other platforms. It is also compatible with a huge range of databases, and can integrate content in a wide range of different formats, including SCORM, Flash, MP3s, and RSS feeds. If Moodle is not compatible with a particular environment, a developer can be hired to 'code up' the integration (a benefit of the open source nature of Moodle). Because of its functionality and low implementation costs (even though the software is free, there are always costs involved in an implementation of an LMS), Moodle has quickly become a major player in the LMS arena.
VirtualOnDemand In 2005, NACON Consulting releases VirtualOnDemand, an LMS based on Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections to 'virtual machines' (dedicated space on a server behind the firewall that acts as a computer). The advantage to this approach is that no special hardware is required on the student side of the interaction; the student can access and complete fairly robust eLearning modules using a browser. The US Army soon starts using VirtualOnDemand to train IT support personnel in the field. Assessment Assessment refers to demonstrating mastery of a course's or curriculum's instructional objectives through a series of scored interactions. Early teaching machines could present multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank or short answer interactions.
More sophisticated machines supported sequencing and matching. With the addition of personal computers, there's little limit to what can be presented as assessment, including high-fidelity simulation of the end task. Assessment as a function of the LMS must also include capturing and storing learner performance data. We can break this down into three hierarchical levels: Basic: Tracking and reporting of the student's performance (pass/fail, score/grade, not started/started/completed) Intermediate: Time per item, comparison of performance to class or population norms Advanced: Item analysis, predictive validity, adaptability, prescriptive learning Note: If your tool can only deliver assessments and track the results, it is an Assessment Management System (AMS), not an LMS. CMS (Course Management System) CMS is one of the most misinterpreted acronyms in the history of eLearning. This is because the acronym has been used to discuss multiple inter-related concepts: Course Management Software (Authoring): A licensed software tool or suite of tools that enables an instructional designer to create ('author') online courseware, or modify commercially available lessons. (By 1997, this use of the term CMS is largely replaced by 'authoring software.'
) Course Management System (Administration): A tool that supports a subset of Computer Aided Learning (CAL) functionality, namely utilities that allow instructors to store, maintain, and access student records; administer (i.e., allow or restrict access) courses, supportive materials, assessments, and surveys; and reserve facilities for face-to-face instruction (e.g., reserve rooms and equipment, assign personnel). Note: In this classic use of the CMS acronym, CMS is synonymous with a basic LMS. Course Management System (Authoring and Administration): In some cases, a Course Management System may include functionality of authoring courseware as well as administering it (PLATO is an example of such a tool). Note: When you review LCMS, note the difference between being able to author a course and being able to manage the production elements of a collection of courses and reusable learning objects. LMS (Learning Management System) By the late 1980s, usage of the term Course Management System (Administration) shifts to Learning Management System (although there are still some pockets where the term Course Management System is still used).
LCMS (Learning Content Management System) An LCMS is more than a mere authoring tool (i.e., CMS (Authoring) is not synonymous with LCMS). An LCMS truly 'manages' the content of a course, including graphic, video, and audio elements; page templates; interactions; etc.
Once a courseware developer creates a course in an LCMS, any aspect of that course is available to other developers for re-use. For example CISCO creates a generic online course on how a router works.
The course includes an explore-it interaction; as students roll their cursor over components of a network diagram, pop-up text appears explaining the function of that active component. The course also includes a narrated animation describing the flow of data across a network. A developer in a different division is putting together a course on network basics; they can actually use the LCMS to pull the router course into their course in its entirety (they can even make modifications to it with or without changing the original version), then build additional instruction as needed. Yet another developer is creating a refresher course for network administrators; they don't really need such a basic course on routers, but decides to leverage the narrated animation in their course.
Note: In the corporate LMS vendor arena, many LMSs include a native LCMS. If they don't have a native LCMS, most will offer a package deal, including an LCMS product sold by a business partner, with the guarantee the LCMS product seamlessly integrates with their LMS. Talent Management In recent years, many LMS vendors have supported full integration with a company's talent management suite or HR management software. LMSs have long been able to communicate with HR systems to automate maintenance of a corporation's available student list (imagine manually adding, deleting, and changing status of each student within a corporation of 40,000 plus employees!). However, the expansion into talent management includes the following functionalities of an LMS:. Make your LMS available to an external audience to develop your external talent pool (e.g., contractors, temporary workers, consultants, and interns). Make your LMS available to an external audience to grow your candidate pools (e.g., current or targeted candidates and prospects).
Tie employee competencies (education, certifications, test scores, etc.) to job postings to identify potential matches. (This functionality can be extended into your succession planning strategies.). Associate employee goals with learning plans and available off-the-shelf courses. Associate employee performance data (i.e., performance evalations) with learning plans.