Campus Briefs

:: NEWS

NEW COLLEGE AT WGU

To meet workforce demands, nonprofit online university Western Governors University is forming a new College of Health Professions, offering competency-based degrees in healthcare management, health informatics, public health, and health education. Through its accredited, online program, the college’s focus will be on working adults who need access to education to further their career goals.

NOODLING OVER MOODLE

Humboldt State University (CA) researchers wanted to know how Moodle, the open source CMS, stacked up against Blackboard, so they ran a side-by-side comparison. They reported that Moodle1.3.2 held advantages over Blackboard 6.0 Basic Edition in providing individualized feedback and the ability to track a student’s activity in class. Blackboard had the edge over Moodle in appearance, gradebook, and threaded discussions.

PENN STATE WORLD CAMPUS JOINS THE MARINES

US Marines can now enhance their leadership and management skills through two Penn State online degree programs available to them via the Marine Corps branch of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC). More than 177,000 active-duty Marines and eligible family members can enroll to work toward degrees in Organizational Leadership or Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management.

MORE MUSIC AT MARYLAND

The University of Maryland-College Park is expanding its offerings of legal music downloading for students and staff. Joining in a multi-institution agreement with the University System of Maryland, discounted rates with download provider Cdigix will be available this spring.

FOOTPRINTS AT OBERLIN

At Oberlin College (OH), the IT department wants to disconnect students who have violated copyright law when sharing music, videos, or other copyrighted files—and quickly. IT has begun a port-disconnect project that can associate a student name with a port and automatically disconnect that port. The project is based on FootPrints from UniPress Software, a software product that manages several areas of IT service and support.

A WEALTH OF MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE

Through a series of live and on-demand Web casts, the Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health (MD) is communicating its latest medical and research discoveries, to help healthcare providers treat and prevent infectious diseases in remote areas of India, Thailand, Africa, and other global regions. The telemedicine programs have been made available via Sonic Foundry’s MediaSite ML Rich Media Recorder and content hosting and management services, and with Polycom’s VSX 7000 and 3000 video conferencing systems.

READY2NET?

Of course you are. Sponsored in part by Campus Technology, the free, simultaneous satellite and Web cast series resumed March 1 with a program on “The Future of eLearning” moderated by Campus Computing Project founder Casey Green. Panelists from several campuses discussed the attributes of successful eLearning initiatives and offered their projections about ubiquitous access. View the archived event at www.csumb.edu/ready2net.

:: PEOPLE

VALPARAISO GETS NEW CIO

Dennis A. Trinkle will become executive director of Electronic Information Systems and CIO at Valparaiso University (IN) on July 1, upon J. Michael Yohe’s retirement. Trinkle moves to Valparaiso from DePauw University (IN).

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