Blackboard Moves out of the Classroom

When Blackboard was first launched as a pilot program in fall 2000, the new software was tested on three courses from each college. Michael Lieberman, dean of UCit-Instructional & Research Computing, says that now over any quarter, nearly 80 percent of UC’s students take at least one course that utilizes Blackboard, which supports more than 3,200 courses per quarter. UC was one of the early adopters of the system, and Fred Siff, UC Vice President for Information Technology, serves as a member of their corporate advisory board. Siff notes that Blackboard provides the foundation upon which professors can build to offer coursework of increasing levels of technological variety, sophistication and reach.

Other distance learning technologies at UC include:

Videoconferencing

Cameras, monitors and microphones in UC’s campus classrooms can reach students in distance-learning classrooms miles away. Students at the off-campus sites can still ask questions by using a microphone to contact their UC instructor. The instructor can see who’s asking the question by watching the signal on a monitor.

UC’s Addictions Studies program began partnerships offering completion of a bachelor’s degree through this technology in 1998, with its first hookup with Columbus State Community College. The program in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services celebrated its first graduates in 2001. Now, a need for more highly trained professionals to treat addictions has led to partnerships with numerous community colleges across the state of Ohio and for the first time, the program is now expanding beyond Ohio borders. Academic Director Lawrence Anthony says UC began offering courses to students at Southeast Community College in eastern Kentucky last fall, and in fall 2006 will launch the bachelor’s degree completion program for the entire Ivy Technical Community College system in Indiana.

In Ohio, the Addictions Studies Program now allows associate degree students to complete their bachelor’s degrees by joining the UC videoconferencing classroom from James A. Rhodes State College in Lima; Terra Community College in Fremont; North Central State College in Mansfield; Jefferson Community College in Steubenville; Columbus State Community College; Hocking Community College in Nelsonville; Sinclair Community College in Dayton; and Shawnee State University in Portsmouth.

The College of Business also offers courses through interactive videoconferencing in its MBA program delivery to Wright Patterson Air Force Base personnel, and last fall launched a bachelor’s degree completion program with Raymond Walters College and Clermont College.

The College of Engineering uses a combination of Blackboard and videoconferencing to help accelerate completion of degrees by graduate engineering students and engineers in the workforce.

Telecourses

Telecourses combine a video component (broadcast, video tape or CD-ROM/DVD) and self-directed study with a few on-campus classroom meetings. Under the direction of an instructor, professionally produced video series, textbooks, study guides, study activities, quizzes and examinations are used to achieve course goals and learning objectives.

Telecourse learning experiences include viewing video programs, reading assignments, taking examinations and participating in various learning activities. The video component of some courses will be available for viewing on demand via the Web. Others will be offered on a non-broadcast basis with tapes or DVDs available for home or on-campus viewing.

UC’s Addictions Studies distance learning program includes telecourse support.

Streaming Video

Audio and video is streamed over the Internet. It can be live or prerecorded. The Early Childhood Learning Community offers streaming video as an option for content support as well as videos in multiple formats, including VHS, CD-ROM/DVD.

New Technology: Elluminate

This product is a new distance-learning resource for UC faculty that creates an online conference room for as many as 25 people to use at one time. Lieberman says he has used the technology to meet with colleagues from around the state, saving all of them the time of traveling to different cities.