Blackboard LMS

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs.

The learning management system concept emerged directly from e-Learning.

Blackboard, Canvas LMS, Moodle, D2L, and Schoology are popular Learning Management Systems used by top higher education institutions globally.

Sometimes, they are known as Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Some of these Learning Management Systems are customized by the various institutions giving them unique, exciting names.

There are different types of learning management systems.

This document will focus on Learning Management for Schools, and some universities have interesting Learning Management System names.

This paper reports the influence of the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) for e-learning and learning experiences of students that are regarded as late bloomers in Information Technology (IT). This is because the majority of them did not have exposure to elaborate IT systems until their first year at the University. A quantitative study that involved 120 students of Information Technology in a South African University was conducted using an online survey. The aim was to determine how the perceived self-efficacy of late bloomers in IT influenced their attitude and performance on Blackboard LMS, which was the platform for their e-learning and the overall learning experiences of the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of students (over 70%) believed that earlier exposure to e-learning systems aided their ability to use Blackboard and their e-learning experience. About 50% believed that late exposure to IT hindered their e-learning via Blackboard. 55% believed that Blackboard helped them to obtain a good learning experience, and a lack of prior exposure to similar e-learning systems was not a significant disadvantage. More than 60% believed that they generally attained efficiency and flexibility of learning through e-learning via Blackboard, which produced a generally good learning experience. The study found that three sources of self-efficacy, which are prior experience, vicarious experience, and social persuasion, correlate positively with the e-learning experience of LBIT via BB. The study also provides recommendations for process improvement in the use of Blackboard for e-learning for late bloomers in IT.

With the near ubiquity of online and hybrid instruction, learning management systems (LMSs) have been touted as a singular, often “one size fits all” mode of course delivery. Many departments and institutions, citing concerns over security and ease of student adaptation, have mandated specific LMSs for classes. Yet such directives often neglect the importance of pedagogy and, ultimately, academic freedom. Kimball (2005) and Palmquist (2006) both argue that technology is, in essence, pedagogy—the digital means of instruction is as much an expression of course (and instructor) values and goals as the course content and assignments. An LMS, therefore, constitutes a rhetoric. However, this relationship between LMSs and rhetoric has yet to be explored. For this purpose, I rhetorically analyze two popular LMSs used in the composition classroom, Blackboard Learn and Moodle, as a means for constructing each system’s vision of the instructor-student relationship and the “work” of the composition course. The goal of this analysis is to provide instructors and departments a basis for an informed, empowered, and productive dialogue about the adaptation of specific learning management systems.

Coronavirus is a widespread dangerous disease in recent months, originated in China but with a great impact at the global level. As a result, the education process is choked by shut down of college & universities and maintaining social distancing for reducing the outbreak from community transmission. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of Learning Management System (LMS) in higher education to support teaching and learning in this ‘new normal’ by providing a stand-alone platform for online & distance learning. LMS is a software application for administering, documenting, tracking, reporting, automating, and delivering educational, training, or learning and development programmes; which originated directly from the concept of e-learning. With the detailed conceptual approach of LMS, the study also associates with the practical implementation of Blackboard LMS in Chandigarh University. Additionally, the study also tastes a comparative analysis between Blackboard, Canvas & Moodle LMS.

This paper proposes an industry paradigm, called content strategy, for identifying data that has yet to be explored in learning analytics: student engagement data with individual online learning resources in a particular week of a course. Industry examples (including nine.com.au and Buzzfeed) suggest that adopting a content strategy approach to course design could increase student engagement with learning resources, making them more likely to achieve learning outcomes. Furthermore, this paper argues that there is no time left for blindness to content strategy data. Given the online context of curriculum, universities need content strategy to better align themselves with the student of today’s user-centred internet. Finally, this paper draws on a university case study to identify existing challenges with implementing content strategy at university, including the limited capabilities of university learning management systems, limited instructor knowledge and copyright issues.

INTRODUCTION
The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education has revolutionized learning
and teaching for decades. ICT is regarded as a means to promote learners’ and teachers’ creativity and
skills, so it should be paid more attention in learning contexts, especially in developing contexts (Zhou
& Purushothaman, 2018). In this regard, numerous articles, journals and books have been published
on ICT use in teaching and learning over the last 50 years. However, little is known how ICT impacts
learning (Rosén & Billore, 2019).
With the advance of ICTs in learning environments, the roles of learners and teachers have changed.
Students have spent their lives using a number of digital devices. These technologies have become part
of their daily life (Bax, 2011). In this sense, they are regarded as digital natives, who are naturally skilled
at using new and emerging technologies (Prensky, 2001). Still, this does not mean that students are able
to apply them freely in their formal learning. Therefore, students of today at the tertiary level, at the very
least, need to be aware of the potential effectiveness of these new technologies and their use in learning.
Shifting beyond the traditional mode of education, the integration of ICTs has become an advantage for
students at tertiary education when used for the right purpose to enhance language learning. Chapelle
(2001) emphasizes that the notion of ‘communicative competence’ has been transformed since the use
of computers in language learning and describes communicative competence as ‘electronic literacies,
i.e. communication in registers associated with electronic communication’ (p. 2). Furthermore, Shetzer
and Warschauer (2000) argue over learners’ autonomous learning and redefine autonomous learners
as the ones who ‘are able to take charge of their own learning by working on individual and collaborative
projects that result in communication opportunities in the form of presentations, Web sites, and
traditional publications accessible to local and global audiences’ (p. 176), as also reflected in this book.
Likewise, teachers’ role has changed. Teachers ‘who have access to an Internet computer classroom are
in a position to teach students valuable lifelong learning skills and strategies for becoming autonomous
learners’ (Shetzer & Warschauer, 2000, p. 176).
There is a general consensus that computers support the development of learner autonomy and motivation
through ICT tools in a technology-enhanced learning environment (Koruyan, 2016; Meri-Yilan,
2019) and the computers make learning more accessible as suggested by Warschauer (2000) claiming
that “learning to read, write, and communicate in the electronic medium as valuable in its own right”
(p. 46). Therefore, it is important that the use of ICT in learning environments should be reinforced in
a sustainable way with a range of pedagogical approaches taking students’ needs and interests into the
consideration to promote lifelong learning.
Policy makers and other stakeholders including parents very often take it for granted that environments
with high-tech tools or facilities would enhance learning. Accordingly, the focus needs to be more
on how to train our students and teachers to access consistent, reliable and authentic materials afforded
by the use of technology informed by pedagogy as some chapters in this collection attempt to do. Students
and teachers should be provided with appropriate support and guidance so that the integrating
of technology-supported language learning can be successful and help learners to gradually become
autonomous. Technology courses should be part of the integrating programs which are currently nonexist,
as nicely put by Thornbury (2011), it seems to be “fashion parade of gadgets and special effects
with no real discussion as to what principles might motivate their best use”.
Research on ICTs has indicated technology should not be seen as a core solution in a learning environment
(Zhang, 2019), but as a tool that should be used appropriately. The focus needs to be on learning
process, practice and products. Furthermore, there are many examples of good practice around the world
(e.g. Debski & Levy, 1999; Felix, 2001). However, there are still problems with the delivery and design.
That might be because teachers simply transfer materials, tasks and activities used in face-to-face settings
to online environments without adapting them to the new technological environment and they expect
success in language learning (Hampel, 2006). Or the problem is a genuine lack of “conceptualization of
how language learning could be enhanced in new, innovative ways with the assistance of mobile devices”
(Godwin-Jones, 2011, p. 7). Thus, methods, new pedagogical approaches and practices aligned with the
use of technology are necessary for success stories about teaching and learning, because technologies and
their applications have potential in contributing to learning, and teachers need guidance and training in
implementing and using digital tools with their students. Therefore, ICT-based assessment, methods, and
programs should be on the “intersections between content, pedagogy and technology” (Hockly, 2011, p.
212) and context. In this regard, ICT-Based Assessment, Methods, and Programs in Tertiary Education
contributes to the field with its valuable chapters from different parts of the world to provide solutions
to common problems in learning and teaching.

In 2005, the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) at the University of Pretoria implemented a compulsory module, Community-based Project (JCP), for all undergraduate students in the Faculty. Since service-learning was not included in the curricula of the Faculty’s existing modules, it was necessary to implement a new, separate module to centralise and coordinate community service initiatives.

Module assessment includes a project presentation in which students reflect on the outcomes of their service-learning engagement, the skills acquired in the execution of the project and lessons learnt during and upon completion of their projects. Due to the high number of students enrolled in the module (one lecturer to 1 795 students in 2015), students have been given the option of using Blackboard Collaborate for their final presentations.

In order to evaluate the students’ perspectives on service-learning reflection through Blackboard Collaborate, data was collected through an online survey. The survey enabled students to reflect on their experiences and preferences with regard to the format of the presentation. Blackboard Collaborate gives students and the lecturer more flexibility in terms of time to upload and watch the reflective presentations. The presentations are also recorded and can be archived for later use.

Most of the students who responded to the survey indicated that they found the Blackboard Collaborate option convenient for a presentation, but that they still preferred a face-to-face presentation. The students found that it is an easy and convenient tool, but indicated that they preferred face-to-face reflective sessions. The students thought that Blackboard Collaborate could best be used to record lectures, answer questions before a test and for online tutoring.

Learning management systems (LMS) are becoming an essential part of the educational process. The adoption of LMS is addressing multiple flows of the traditional education system. LMS became a crucial part of any educational process during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, as the circumstances made it unsafe to continue with the traditional face-to-face educational process. LMS made it possible for many students to carry on with their studies being far away from a university. At the same time, the introduction of LMS can also pose additional challenges for students from various backgrounds. There are wide masses of people without access to modern technologies, who will be excluded from the educational process without the right approach to the LMS adoption. Another concerning issue is that users of a system must pose necessary computer skills and knowledge to be comfortable using LMS. Thus, this paper attempts to highlight the challenges of adoption, usage and integration of LMS at South African learning institutions. It is important to understand these challenges as unadvised adoption of such systems can lead to exclusion of groups of students from the educational process. The present paper reveals and analyses such challenges. To address these questions, the research has put forth the following objectives: • To review users' opinion on the current state of LMS at their educational institution • To identify LMS features users use and require • To determine a range of factors impacting students' ability to successfully adopt LMS in their learning The research is based on a quantitative and deductive approach. In order to achieve the goal of this paper a questionnaire in digital format was distributed among the LMS stakeholders. The target population of the research consists of students at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. As a sampling technique, accidental sampling is used. Everybody completed the survey voluntarily. The sample size was 85 students as the saturation point was reached. To analyse data collected, a statistical analysis was used. The research showed that many students experience several issues with LMS. Even though, majority of the students, participated in the research, possessed necessary computer skills to successfully utilise LMS in their studies, they faced the South African reality of the lack of internet access and access to technology. Besides that, many students believe that existing LMS are too complicated and not user-friendly. They struggle to find necessary information about their course, as well as inability to participate in the collaborative learning. Another aspect the students pointed out was the infrastructural problems of LMS. It is not unheard that an LMS is down at the crucial time.

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the improvement of students' thinking skills using collaborative learning techniques Think-Pair-Share and Group Investigation. The research used was a quasi-experimental research design with non equivalent control posttest design. The data collection technique used critical thinking skills questions consisting of 5 essay test questions. Based on the research results of hypothesis testing using paired simple t-test , the results obtained were sig (2-tailed) <0.05, which means that collaborative learning of GI and TPS techniques is effective on critical thinking skills than the control class. Hypothesis testing is to see significant differences between collaborative learning. TPS and GI techniques used independent sample t-test and the results obtained were sig (2-tailed) <0.05, which means that there is a significant difference between collaborative learning of GI and TPS techniques on critical thinking skills. F...

Blackboard(以下 Bb)はインターネット上でオンライン教育や授業の開発を行うことができる 学習マネジメントシステム(LMS)です。Bb は玉川大学(以下本学)をはじめ、全世界で 20000 以上の組織、200 万人のユーザーが活用しており (Blackboard Inc., 2014)、本学では Blackboard@ Tamagawa という名称で、様々な学部、学科において活用されています。
2014 年 4 月に ELF センター(Center for English as a Lingua Franca, 以下 CELF) が新設されま した。CELF では教員・学生間のコミュニケーションツールとして Bb を活用しているだけでなく、 教員同士、学生同士のコミュニケーションツールとしても Bb を活用しています。

La experiencia que presentamos es fruto de una innovación realizada dentro de la Convocatoria de Mejora Docente, acción 9 del I Plan Propio de Docencia, para todos los cursos académicos de la Universidad de Sevilla (España). El objetivo es la promoción de iniciativas de innovación y mejora de la práctica docente en el ámbito universitario, que permita a éste experimentar nuevas técnicas de enseñanza coherentes con los objetivos marcados en el desarrollo de las asignaturas en las que se imparte docencia. Las líneas prioritarias en las que se enmarca nuestro trabajo son el estudio y la experimentación de nuevas metodologías docentes, orientadas al aprendizaje y la evaluación de competencias generales y específicas, en nuestro caso de la asignatura Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, así como el fomento y uso de metodologías activas y el trabajo colaborativo. La experiencia se ha desarrollado durante el curso académico 2011-12 y en ella han participado 111 estudiantes de p...

The aim of this large-scale study was to understand the technology acceptation of learning management systems (LMS) by secondary school teachers and to investigate the instructional use of LMS, distinguishing between informational use and communicational use. The predictive model further includes: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology, experience and internal ICT support at school level. Data were collected from 505 Flemish secondary school teachers. After performing satisfactory reliability and validity checks, the study was able to support all relationships among the 9 variables. Informational use was found to be a precursor for communicational use, perceived ease of use of the LMS is the strongest predictor in LMSacceptation. Internal ICT support has a direct effect on the informational use of the LMS and on subjective norm. Implications stress that secondary school managers in education should take into account the importance of a teachers’ efforts and performance perceptions and the
direct and indirect impact of internal ICT support on LMS adoption.

Blackboard Collaborate (BC), a synchronous, multimodal platform, has been incorporated into Open University Australia (OUA) students' online learning experiences. This study sought to investigate the perspectives of 134 interdisciplinary OUA students via an online survey and follow-up interviews. Findings revealed students' positive perceptions about BC as an engaging, real-time medium for feedback exchange, knowledge sharing, and virtual community building. Despite appreciating lecturers' telepresence, some students preferred not to show faces or use voice chat and queried the expediency of the BC technology and the timing of lecturer feedback, however. This investigation highlighted the pedagogical implications of synchronous teaching in distance education.

The purpose of this study is to determine students’ perception of the advantages, effects on language skills, suggestions for improvement, and limitations regarding the use of a VLE (Blackboard) and their differences according to gender, year, number of Blackboard courses taken, and computer literacy. The respondents of this study were 686 randomly selected university students enrolled in English classes at the University of Suwon in South Korea. An adapted survey questionnaire consisting of 33 items was administered to the students. The Mean was used to determine the students’ perceptions in the four areas followed by t-test and ANOVA to determine the differences in the students’ perceptions. The results showed that the students had a somewhat disagree rating in the areas of Advantages, Language, and Limitations and somewhat agree rating in the area of Suggestions. Significant differences were found in the students’ perceptions in the four areas when grouped according to gender and...

Computer-assisted language testing (CALT) offers language teachers the opportunity to transform the work they do in the language classroom. Apart from saving teachers time to mark and manage the grading process, the immediate feedback provided to students can have a powerful impact on their learning. In a review of Center for English as a Lingua Franca (CELF) teachersʼ use of the Blackboard content management system (CMS), however, Milliner & Cote (2016) identified that very few CELF teachers are making use of CALT. This article attempts to make a case for CALT and introduces two formats that teachers can adopt: (1) the Blackboard® CMS, and (2) Google Forms and Google Sheets with some helpful add-on applications.

This case study examines the use of online asynchronous discussions as part of a large professional practice class for primary mathematics teachers. Online forums within Blackboard are used to host discussions about video lectures, support assessments and to enable students to ask questions and receive advice about content. The realities of managing large scale online discussions are discussed, along with strategies for effective facilitation.

The current study aims at measuring the efficiency of Blackboard in developing the collaborative and individual learning skills of Taibah University students. Moreover, it has sought to unravel the differences (if any) in the effectiveness of the system in developing the above-mentioned skills according to the change of the user (student, staff member), gender (male, female), and the change of college to which the user belongs (scientific, humanitarian). The study adopted an analytical descriptive approach as it suits the nature of the study and its variables. Doing so, the researchers have built a learning tool which consists of two lists of e-learning skills; the first is for the individual e-learning skills and is divided into three main focuses including 45 statements, and the second is for the collaborative e-learning skills and is divided into three main focuses including 26 statements. The study sample consisted of members of staff, students (males and females) distributed across colleges of Taibah University (n= 17). The study came up with some results of which the most significant were: the Blackboard's efficiency in developing the individual e-learning skills and the collaborative e-learning skills for the students is statistically high. This reflects the importance of integrating the electronic systems within the learning and teaching processes and underlines its positive role in achieving the quality learning at low cost and effort. In addition, the study came up with the absence of indicative differences statistically in developing the individual and collaborative e-learning skills as per the user (student-member staff), their gender (male-female), or the college with which the user is affiliated (scientific-humanitarian). The study recommends the conduct of periodic assessment processes for the system's efficiency in developing students' various learning skills and calls for conducting similar studies to determine the necessary technological requirements for developing Blackboard on the basis of the individual and collaborative e-learning skills. Abstract The current study aims at measuring the efficiency of Blackboard in developing the collaborative and individual learning skills of Taibah University students. Moreover, it has sought to unravel the differences

Technology in Higher Education affects teaching and learning excellence while being a significant expense for universities. There is a need for evaluation of current instructional technology use when planning for renewal or adoption of a new learning management system (LMS). This study was conducted to understand the patterns of course tools used by faculty in a commercial LMS used at a large public research university. Course data was extracted from 2562 courses with 98,381 student enrollments during the Fall of 2016. A latent class analysis was conducted to identify the patterns of LMS tool use based on the presence of grade center columns, announcements, assignments, discussion boards, and assessments within each course. Three latent classes of courses were identified and characterized as Holistic tool use (28% of the courses), Complementary tool use (51%), and Content repository (21%). These classes differed in the mean number of students per course and whether courses were exclusively online. These descriptions provided data-based information to share with deans across the university to facilitate discussion of faculty needs for LMS tools and training.

The purpose of this study is to determine students’ perception of the advantages, effects on language skills, suggestions for improvement, and limitations regarding the use of a VLE (Blackboard) and their differences according to gender, year, number of Blackboard courses taken, and computer literacy. The respondents of this study were 686 randomly selected university students enrolled in English classes at the University of Suwon in South Korea. An adapted survey questionnaire consisting of 33 items was administered to the students. The Mean was used to determine the students’ perceptions in the four areas followed by t-test and ANOVA to determine the differences in the students’ perceptions. The results showed that the students had a somewhat disagree rating in the areas of Advantages, Language, and Limitations and somewhat agree rating in the area of Suggestions. Significant differences were found in the students’ perceptions in the four areas when grouped according to gender and...

With the increasing adoption of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in colleges and universities, research in exploring the interaction data captured by these systems is promising in developing a better learning environment and improving teaching practice. Most of these research efforts focused on course-level variables to predict student performance in specific courses. However, these research findings for individual courses are limited to develop beneficial pedagogical interventions at the student level because students often have multiple courses simultaneously. This paper argues that student-centric models will provide systematic insights into students' learning behavior to develop effective teaching practice. This study analyzed 1651 undergraduate student's data collected in Fall 2019 from computer science and information systems departments at a US university that actively uses Blackboard as an LMS. The experimental results demonstrated the prediction performance of student-centric models and explained the influence of various predictors related to login volumes, login regularity, login chronotypes, and demographics on predictive models. Our findings show that student prior performance and normalized student login volume across courses significantly impact student performance models. We also observe that regularity in student logins has a significant influence on low performing students and students from minority races. Based on these findings, the implications were discussed to develop potential teaching practices for these students.

This chapter reports on a survey of 304 Japanese university students who completed a range of formative computer-assisted tests while studying in an English as a foreign language (EFL) class. We consider students’ attitudes toward the use of computer-assisted language testing (CALT) for formative assessment tasks and, more importantly, whether automated feedback influenced their behavior and learning. In short, we discovered that students overwhelmingly (77.7%) prefer CALT (opposed to paper-based testing or homework), and if available, students generally retake the tests for revision purposes. The authors hope that this chapter can promote a more effective implementation of CALT for formative assessment, as well as provide practical insights into how language learners are interpreting and acting upon automated feedback.

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of collaborative learning through learning management system (Blackboard) in developing the skills of digital moving images design and a sense of community among female students of Taibah University. It was conducted on (20) students of the Faculty of College of Education, at University of Taiba, in the second semester of the academic year (1442). The study employed quasi experimental design (one-group pretest-posttest design), and an (Observation Card, final product evaluation card, and guide) for designing digital moving images skills were used as data collection tools. A number of statistical methods have been applied, including Paired Samples T-Test, Eta-Square, and Black's Modified Gain Ratio. The results of the study showed that there was effectiveness of collaborative learning through learning management system (Blackboard) in developing the skills of digital moving images design, it also showed that there were not statistically significant in developing the sense of community, and the level of students' mastery of digital moving images design skills reached more than (80%) after conducting the study experiment. Based on these results, the study concluded in a number of recommendations and proposals.

The internet-based learning management system (LMS) known globally as Blackboard (Bb), is an educational management framework at the forefront of online education and web-based course development. The Bb system adopted by Tamagawa University is "used by more than 20,000 organizations and more than 20 million users” (Blackboard Inc., 2014). Tamagawa University students and faculty are fortunate to have open access to one of the world’s leading edge educational software systems and one used by a colossal community of educators, researchers, administrators and students around the globe. With the establishment of the Center for English as a lingua franca (CELF) in April 2014, the CELF faculty and students are the latest community of users at Tamagawa University to employ this powerful, 21st century online educational platform.

Respondus is a powerful tool for creating and managing exams that can be published directly to Blackboard Learn, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle, and other learning systems. Exams can be created offline using a familiar Windows environment, or moved from one LMS to another. Whether you are a veteran of online testing or relatively new to it, Respondus will save you hours on each project. If you have a fully operating (licensed) version of Respondus installed on your PC, you can import multiple choice questions from Microsoft Office Word files to Moodle and Blackboard LMSs easily by following this step by step instruction.

European Conference on E-learning (ECEL 2011)10 November 2011University of Brighton
ISBN: 978-1-908272-23-2 CD
44-118-972-4148
www.academic-publishing.org

The comprehensive University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa, had to adapt to a fast growing student and academic community. Since 1998 a learning management system (LMS) has been introduced as to broaden the physical boundaries of classrooms over four campuses, student residences and residential areas (worldwide). The Centre for Technology Assisted Learning (CenTAL) was established to accommodate students, teaching and research staff and empower them to keep up with current and future trends in technology-assisted learning. Currently a blended learning approach, with direct face-to-face (F2F) contact with students, is followed and driven by the “learning to be” philosophy of teaching and learning. F2F contact is supplemented with a remote e-learning environment hosted in an LMS. Consequently, the implementation of technology in teaching and learning became an adopted phenomenon and promised increased success in higher education. However, changing curricula, staff turnover and increasing student numbers resulted in the efficacy of the LMS used, to be questioned. Moreover, the actual learning experiences of students are often dismissed as a new paradigm and statistical evidence leads to a contradiction about blended learning efficacy during annual course evaluations. This occurrence often causes confusion when effective use of an LMS is discussed. Subsequently, this inception forces the perception of key role players in two directions: managing virtual learning environments and managing learning within an electronic learning environment. Ultimately, learning management as viewed by the constructivist, and classroom management as viewed by the behaviourist, are aligned by presenting various examples from an LMS for operational e-learning. Therefore, this paper points out the different perceptions of lecturers towards the effective use of an LMS as remote component for blended learning at UJ. Emerging from the above rationale, this paper points out traditional perceptions of lecturers towards e-learning and further poses the question: Is learning management or classroom management the platform for effective blended learning design? Findings and conclusions further addresses the consolidated data substantiated over a period of three years in nine faculties during research in professional development of faculty members related to effective, blended learning. The data and examples are presented as qualitative and, where more clarity is required, substantiated by quantitative data. The actual examples presented, point out teaching practices where classroom management was used as point
46
of departure and then contrasted with examples where learning management was used as a starting point. This paper further reveals e-learning environments where this dichotomy becomes distinguishable but inseparable. An in-depth discussion extrapolates instructivist and constructivist approaches to be extremes of a continuum whereby ideal balance becomes a superlative teaching application for both F2F and online learning environments. In this case study this pedagogical paradigm escalates to an imperative for implementing effective technology-supported blended learning.

E-learning is a very promising way of delivering training and is broadly used in tertiary education.Although e-learning has a great potential, it is still at its starting point in Greece. The present paper describes the experiences we obtained from teaching the Human – Computer Interaction course in the Computer Science Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Blackboard has been used as the main platform for e-learning. The presented qualitative and quantitative facts reveal the power of e-learning and assure a greater level of success and efficiency after the enrichment of the current course and the development of new online courses.

This paper presents a cross-sectional study that demonstrates how King Abdulaziz University has responded to the lockdown imposed by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students and faculty towards assessment that had to take place online due to physical or social distancing rules and lockdowns. A descriptive mixed-method study was conducted with two different self-administered questionnaires that were developed for students and faculty, respectively. A total of 547 responses were received from undergraduate students and 213 from faculty. The main finding suggests the need for a multilevel approach to the problems of cheating and plagiarism, including raising student awareness and ethics, training teachers to detect cheating methods, and institutions activating their code of practice and applying severe sanctions on those who engage in such practices.

It takes more than course management software to create a successful online program.

I'm here to tell you that if you think it's all about the software, you've got your eye on the wrong part of the playing field. The really important story in technology-mediated education is not inside your laptops but in your minds.

It lives in the process you use to make your decisions. It lives in the choices you make about pedagogy. It lives in the design you use for instruction. In the training you give your faculty. In the preparation you provide your students. And in the attitudes of your very top leadership.

Of course the software is important. But it's not the real key to success. You have much larger issues, and much harder decisions, to think about when you go back to your own campus. And for the next few minutes I'm going to ask you, with all due respect, to put madDuck and Blackboard aside and turn your attention to the big picture.

In an attempt to provide a central repository of online services, offer services not currently being provided and, through some form of distance education, increase enrollment and therefore revenue, a small northern New York college investigates, recommends policy for, and implements an online course management system.  This paper details our procedures, challenges, and experiences with the implementation of Backboard 5.0.  Recommendations are made to help similar institutions avoid some of the mistakes we made when considering use of such a system.  We advocate a systematic reasoned approach to implementation

Από το 2008 η Έδρα Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών στο Freie Universität Berlin σχεδίασε και υλοποιεί στη διαδικτυακή εκπαιδευτική πλατφόρμα του FU Berlin (Blackboard) ένα εξ αποστάσεως πρόγραμμα υποστήριξης της διδασκαλίας της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας. Το πρόγραμμα e-Learning με τίτλο Spracherwerb des Neugriechischen προσφέρει στους φοιτητές ένα συμπληρωματικό εργαλείο για να βελτιώσουν με τη χρήση 2500 και πλέον ασκήσεων -στη φωνολογία, στη μορφολογία, στο λεξιλόγιο, στη σύνταξη, στην κατανόηση γραπτού και προφορικού λόγου- το επίπεδο γνώσης της γλώσσας και ικανότητας χειρισμού της. Το πρόγραμμα ηλεκτρονικής εκμάθησης των νεοελληνικών ευνοεί την εξατομικευμένη και την αυτο-μάθηση, καθώς οι ασκήσεις ανταποκρίνονται στα έξι επίπεδα γλωσσομάθειας του Κοινού Ευρωπαϊκού Πλαισίου Αναφοράς για τις Γλώσσες (Α1, Α2, Β1, Β2, Γ1 και Γ2) και οι φοιτητές επιλέγουν ελεύθερα τη στιγμή, τον βαθμό δυσκολίας και τη συχνότητα της πρακτικής εξάσκησής τους στη νεοελληνική γλώσσα.
Στην ανακοίνωση "Για τη διδακτική της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας στο Freie Universität Berlin" η Λουκία Στέφου και ο Bart Soethaert θα παρουσιάσουν το πρόγραμμα e-Learning των νεοελληνικών και θα συζητήσουν τις δυνατότητες και τις εμπειρίες με blended learning στη διδασκαλία της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας ως ξένης γλώσσας στην Έδρα Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών στο Ελεύθερο Πανεπιστήμιο του Βερολίνου.

(Βλ. σχετικά:
www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/we02/griechisch/neograezistik/e_learning/)

Ομιλητές:
Dr. phil. Λουκία Στέφου
Institut für Griechische und Lateinische Philologie
Professur Neogräzistik (FU Berlin)
Αποσπασμένη εκπαιδευτικός
lste@zedat.fu-berlin.de

Bart Soethaert
Centrum Modernes Griechenland (CeMoG)
Freie Universität Berlin
Επιστημονικός συνεργάτης
b.soethaert@cemog.fu-berlin.de

Nearly all colleges and universities are using some form of e-learning system, usually an expensive course management system (CMS), to create online course offerings or to enhance regular, classroom-oriented courses. Our university has invested a large amount of resources into purchasing and supporting one of the two most popular CMS vendors, and it has become imperative to understand what the effects from using this technology have been, as well as how we can improve the integration of this and other educational technologies into different instructional contexts. This project, through a combination of surveys, call-log analysis, and interviews, was used to investigate the following questions: How has the implementation of a CMS (Blackboard) impacted students and faculty at the university? What are the benefits and challenges from supporting this tool on an institution-wide basis? Our findings conclude that instructors and students are moderately satisfied with the course management tool, but only if it is stable. However, for all of the features available through the CMS, there are only four features regularly used, primarily to increase the efficient transfer of information from teacher to student. We discuss the benefits and challenges reported by students and faculty, along with the acknowledgment that the tool has become critical to many participants’ practices.