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VIEWPOINT

• What It Really Takes to Support a Learning Management System

NEWS & PRODUCT UPDATES

• OutStart Joins PeopleSoft Partner Connection Program
• Electric Paper Broadens Product Portfolio
• NC State University First Institution in NC to Adopt WebCT
• WebCT Vista and SunGard SCT Real Time Integration
• VCampus Corporation Completes $5.3 Million Financing
• Wittenberg U. First G'es Live Real Time Data Exchange

TECH NOTES

• MIT Releases Free Software for Creating and Managing Distance Ed Programs

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What It Really Takes to Support a Learning Management System

Samuel G. Scalise
Chief Information Officer
Sonoma State University

Supporting Learning Management Systems requires a well integrated IT team with strength in many support layers. Without that strength, the results could render LMS a distraction rather than a benefit. Institutions with small IT units should consider using the LMS services of a larger institution.

The tasks for any one of the layers of support may seem undemanding by itself. The coalesced tasks for all of the layers is much more complex. All layers need to be well integrated. If any layer is not optimized, it puts stress on other layers. Institutions thinking of doing Learning Management Systems in a serious manner should consider having a director of LMS whose job is to integrate all of the layers.

Let's examine a few of the layers and how they are viewed at different institutions.

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OutStart Joins PeopleSoft Partner Connection Program

OutStart, a content-centric software product for (course management software) announced that it has joined the PeopleSoft Partner Connection Program.

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Electric Paper Broadens Product Portfolio

Electric Paper (eLearning Company), part of Irish company ThirdForce, launched a courseware for the New CLAIT (Computer Literacy and Information Technology) qualification, which is accredited by OCR, one of the UK's leading awarding bodies.

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NC State University Adopted WebCT

North Carolina State University has selected the WebCT Vista academic enterprise system to bring its eLearning programs enterprise wide and foster increased eLearning cooperation across sections, courses, faculty, and departments. The decision foreshadows a new era of online collaboration that may someday involve members of the 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina.

WebCT Vista and SunGard SCT Real Time Integration

WebCT announced a solution for real-time data exchange between the WebCT Vista academic enterprise system and SunGard SCT student information systems. The solution dramatically eases customers' administrative burdens, fosters scalability, and gives students seamless access to their important campus systems.

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VCampus Corporation Completes $5.3 Million Financing

VCampus, a provider of end-to-end, Web-based eLearning solutions completed a $5.3 million private equity placement through the issuance of a combination of common stock and fixed-price convertible debt to a group of institutional investors.

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Wittenberg U. G'es Live Real Time Data Exchange

Wittenberg now gains real-time data exchange capabilities that simplify eLearning administration and enhance student information access.

MIT Releases Free Software for Creating and Managing Distance Ed Programs

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed course-management software that it is giving away free to help institutions create and run distance-education programs.

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