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Opinion
A Graduate's View of the Course Management System
7/10/2006
By Ryan Tansey, Recent Graduate, University of Puget Sound
(Two years ago I asked my son Ryan to review his university’s use of the campus CMS. At the time he issued an “Incomplete” with the comment, “my teachers are finally learning how to Blackboard.” With his recent graduation, I asked him to issue a final mark to his professors. -- Frank Tansey)
Two years ago when I wrote my first viewpoint for SmartClassroom (then eLearning Dialogue), I issued my university an “Incomplete,” with the suggestion that faculty spend more time developing their Blackboard skills. Now as a recent graduate of the University of Puget Sound, I am ready to issue a final grade, with one notable change to the primary criterion for the evaluation. For this viewpoint, evaluation is primarily based on how the campus use of Blackboard added value to my education.
The Good
Those faculty who actively put material online and clarified assignments made it easier for everyone to maximize their time in class. The instructional time in these classes began sooner and lasted longer. We were not burdened with handout distributions and assignment clarifications. I found the classroom discussions in these courses broader and livelier.
Faculty who created assignments that required Blackboard participation had students who came to class better prepared to participate in classroom discussions. For example, one of my professors who was enthusiastic about Blackboard required all students to generate at least one question and two comments for every reading assignment. As a result, the classroom discussions were among students who had their passion for the topic kindled by the Blackboard assignment.
During my time at the university, I went from printing out my classroom assignments to quickly and easily submitting them online. A side benefit was the archiving of both my submissions, as well as easy access to all of the faculty-generated course materials. To me it was also fantastic to get immediate feedback – including grades on any of my assignments and information about where I stood vis-à-vis my classmates.
As a busy, involved student, it was easy to communicate with my professors who used Blackboard. My schedule was packed with both extracurricular and academic requirements, along with work. Likewise, my professors’ schedules were full. Rather than hoping to find a professor during office hours, students could instead communicate online at our own individual convenience. I got more feedback and help through Blackboard than I did from face-to-face meetings during office hours.
The Bad
It would be easy to say that the negative features were found in classes that did not use Blackboard at all. Interestingly, it was those classes where the professors only partially used Blackboard that were the most frustrating. In these situations, professors would sporadically post material, would occasionally respond to online queries, and would redundantly distribute materials both online and in class. I would never know if new material had been posted unless I checked regularly. It was frustrating to not be able to rely on regular updates.
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