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The Interactive Campus: Administrative and Course Management System Vendors Take Up the Challenge
6/3/2002
WebCT CTO Chris Vento explains that enterprise academic
software infrastructure is key to his company's strategy. "It's important to
build an enterprise academic application infrastructure as a flexible platform,
not only so that we can provide the technologies that WebCT builds, but more
importantly, to leverage the variety of technologies that are already available,
or that will become available externally." WebCT will offer a platform that will
provide this type of integration, whether the technologies are built by WebCT or
available from outside sources. The platform will take advantage of Web services
and XML messaging to allow different systems- such as WebCT and other learning
platforms, communications systems, media servers, and VoIP servers—to
interoperate much more easily. For example, on the administrative side,
XML-based messaging will allow interoperability with calendaring, collaboration,
content management, and mail systems. WebCT is just beginning to provide
interoperability via XML messaging or Web services. "It's a great way for
systems to interoperate without having to have perfectly aligned architectures-
something that is never going to happen," adds Vento.
WebCT will focus
on technologies that map to learning in useful and functional ways, says Vento.
Interactive messaging, instant messaging, and peer-to-peer communications
technologies will extend the reach of the learning experience. There is also a
set of applications that may best be delivered via a mobile device—course
calendars, assignment listings, or any communications or messaging related to a
course will be enhanced as mobile offerings. Role-based access and student data
points now allow students and advisors to tailor a learning experience for the
student. In the future, additional profile and learning context information will
enable further personalization, e.g., a tailored curriculum can be made
available to a student based on a profile correlated with various other
administrative data.
WebCT is working toward a distributed content
management learning object framework that allows the sharing of all types of
content objects. WebCT Vista, released this past April, is a scalable enterprise
technology framework with significant content management capability built in.
Rich sources of learning object content, both local or external, can be managed
and integrated into multiple learning contexts. "WebCT Vista is an
enterprise-level platform that drives highly scaled, distributed learning
implementations. It provides the integration capabilities with these extended
technologies that allow us to broaden the functional base both internally and by
working with partners and other external technology vendors," says Vento. "It is
a critical step toward moving forward and offering new, interactive technologies
that are varied and useful in the learning context."
Element K has its roots in content development and instructional design rather than in content management systems or administrative systems. Although the company communicates that its 20-year heritage and primary focus is in teaching, instruction, and workforce training, it has built a substantial learning management system and provides a number of different eLearning products.
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