Have You Outgrown Your Homegrown

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Have You Outgrown Your Homegrown? Lessons
Learned in Converting from a Successful Homegrown
Course Management System Dan Volchok,
WebCT Bruce Landon, WCET and Douglas
College Susan Smith, Weber State University Rene
Weston-Eborn, Weber State University
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Agenda

• Introductions
• A few questions
• Edutools
• Weber State
• Considering Strategic Options
• Q A

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A Few Questions

• Who is here today
• Designers, Faculty, Administrators
• How many are currently using a homegrown CMS?
• How many are thinking of, or are in the process
  of converting to a new CMS

4
Help Selecting from EduTools

• Local Experience is Helpful
• EduTools decision framework
• A quick example
• http//www.edutools.info

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Experience with a Homegrown

• Leads to better understanding of issues
• Helps to clarify what is important
• All major vendors grew from homegrowns

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Edutools Comparative Analysis

• Provides a framework of product features
• Some of the features are locally important
• Feature schema (handout) http//www.edutools.info
  /course/compare/byfeatures/index.jsp
• Learner Tools
• Communication Tools
• Productivity Tools
• Student Involvement Tools
• Support Tools
• Administrative tools
• Course Delivery Tools
• Curriculum Design
• Technical specifications
• Hardware/Software
• Pricing/Licensing

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Quick EduTools Example

• Select products by feature
• Eliminate down to the shortlist
• Comparable products to homegrown
• Use the Edutools Decision Engine
• Add the homegrown to the shortlist
• Add in additional important features
• Weight the features by importance
• Rate each short listed product by feature
• Calculate the weighted average winner

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Review of the Decision Process

• Use local experience to determine what is
  actually important to have in the course
  management product based on homegrown
• Use the EduTools site to see how other products
  compare on important features
• Use the Edutools decision engine to help select
  the rational choice for the institutional course
  management system

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Have you Outgrown Your Homegrown?

• Rene Weston-Eborn
• Susan Smith
• Weber State University

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WSU Online History

• 1997
• 20 classes
• 162 students

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WSU Online History

• 2003-04 Fall Semester
• 300 Courses
• 9000 students

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WSU Online Course Growth
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Our Mission - Impossible
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Why the new system?

• Because the existing WSU Online course management
  system is at or beyond maximum capacity.
• Migrating to WebCT Vista will enable more faculty
  to integrate more technology into their WSU
  courses.
• Increasing our course management system stability
  and reliability.

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Central Challenges

• Change Management
• Communication
• Integration

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Challenge Change Management

• Why a Challenge?
• Legacy Systems
• Relationships
• Faculty/Staff Resistance
• Other Projects

• Meeting the Challenge?
• Solid Project Management
• Communication Strategy
• Involving Vocal Resistance
• Mentorship

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Challenge Communication

• Why a Challenge?
• Organizational Structure
• Integration
• FUD Factor

• Meeting the Challenge.
• Steering Committee
• Cross-functional Project Teams
• Inclusive Partnerships

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Challenge Integration

• Why a Challenge?
• Legacy Systems
• Multiple Technology Projects
• Dual Learning management Systems

• Meeting the Challenge.
• Student Portal
• Solid Project Management
• Communication

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Challenge for Students

• Change is the only constant
• Dual systems
• Communication

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Change is the Only Constant

• What the challenge was
• Constant updating of old system
• Evaluations indicate a need for improved course
  management
• Student comment
• I thought the old system worked fine for
  beginners. Now we are trying to be more
  effective, so out with the old and in with the
  new.

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Change is the Only Constant

• How we overcame it
• No additional courses or updates on the old
  system
• Student comment
• It was just old. I didnt see it having the
  ability to expand or have the potential for all
  faculty users to help the students with it.

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Dual Systems

• The Challenge
• Converting slowly for Quality
• Students may have courses in both systems for a
  couple of years.
• Student comment
• Get together and decide on a universal format to
  avoid confusion.

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Dual Systems

• How we addressed it
• Communication
• Pilot faculty in WebCT Vista are working extra
  hard to make sure students are satisfied.
• Student Comment
• Use VISTA its the BEST!!

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Communication

• The Challenge
• WildCat Account Official means of
  communication
• How to let students know about how to access
  courses in different systems
• Student expectations
• flexibility, easy to communicate with
  instructor, support through the online system and
  instructor

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Communication

• How we addressed the problem
• WSU Online newsletter to all online students
• CD
• Vista students packet
• Orientation materials on Web

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What the students Like about WebCT Vista

• I like the up to date look.
• Very convenient and efficient.
• WebCT seems more intelligent and advanced.
• I like the Calendar and the overall way it is
  put together.
• The MyWebCT page where you can get a glimpse of
  all that is due.

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What they dont like

• Everything is slower to load and how everything
  keeps changing because it is new.
• Very hard to navigate. Going through so many
  steps to get where you need to be.
• The Assessments having to click save after
  EVERY question on an assessment!!!!

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Lessons Learned

• Faculty
• Solid Project Management
• Cross-functional Project Teams
• Communication Strategies
• Inclusive Partnerships
• Pilot / Focus Group

• Students.
• Communicate
• Be Flexible
• to treat your online students as you would
  students in the classroom.
• Be prepared
• Anticipate problems
• Feedback is essential.

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Contact Information
Rene Weston-Eborn Weber State University 4005
University Circle Ogden, UT 84408-4005 801-626-6
091 reborn_at_weber.edu
Susan Smith Weber State University 4005
University Circle Ogden, UT 84408-4005 801-626-7
218 ssmith_at_weber.edu
Wsuonline.weber.edu/vip
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Considering Strategic Options

• Planning with Standards as a hedge bet that
  sometime somehow you may need to switch
• Current Open Source possibilities
• 16 open source products reviewed by Edutools
• 11 more reviews somewhere in progress
• MIT Open Knowledge Initiative
• Comprehensive Academic Interface structure
• Interfaces are the plugs and sockets that will
  allow the different component parts to play well
  together to in able mix and match.

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OKI example CourseWorks

• Started out as a homegrown at Stanford
• Rewritten to work with OKI APIs
• This enables CourseWorks to talk to the
  registration system in a standardized way
• CourseWorks becomes a set of components that can
  be independently upgraded and or replaced with
  other open source components

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OKI API References

• Specifications
• http//web.mit.edu/oki/specs/index.html
• SourceForge
• http//sourceforge.net/projects/okiproject
• APIs are written in Java for portabilty
• http//sourceforge.net/projects/harmoni/
• Most open source activity is in PHP
• The Open Knowledge Initiative offers a framework
  for long term development without vendor lock-in
  and the creativity of open source developments
  unbundling!

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Q A