CourseWork at Stanford University
CourseWork (http://aboutcoursework.stanford.edu/) is an open source, modular
course Web site development and distribution system, commonly termed a course
management system (CMS), that was developed by Stanford University and is the
primarily CMS in use today at the University. CourseWork is designed both for
faculty with little Web experience, who will be able to develop their course
Web site quickly, and for expert Web-users, who can organize complex, Web-based
materials and link them to Coursework's communication, authorization, and assessment
tools. Using CourseWork, instructors and TAs can set up a course Web site that
displays announcements, online readings, a dynamic syllabus and schedule, online
assignments and quizzes, a discussion forum for students, and a grade book.
CourseWork was developed as part of the Open Knowledge Initiative. In undertaking
this project, Stanford's goal was to create a system for developing and managing
academic Web sites that:
- Offers a scalable, extensible, and supportable option for hosting course
materials and activities.
- Allows full system access to simplify integration with enterprise campus
functions such as authentication, file servers, and student information systems.
- Allows integration with other elements of educational support, including
the Libraries.
- Provides faculty with a platform on which discipline and course-specific
activities (e.g., simulations, tests, visualizations, tutorials, etc.) can
be developed and hosted.
- Supports non-teaching academic functions (e.g., advising, tutoring, course
evaluations, residential education).
- Provides students with a common point of access for course activities and
course materials.
CourseWork was developed to meet the needs of Stanford faculty, as well as
to offer an open source alternative for other schools.
The next generation of CourseWork will be developed as part of the Sakai Project.
The components of the CourseWork, CHEF (Michigan) and Oncourse (Indiana) projects
will be redeployed into a modular course management and portal environment.
