Learning Platforms
Denison U Adopts Social Learning Platform
Denison University in Granville, OH is replacing its learning management system (LMS) with a social learning platform.
More
than a year ago, the university's IT governance committee made the
decision to replace Denison's legacy LMS. The committee then
collaborated with students, faculty and administrators to develop a
list of requirements for a replacement system. After evaluating several
options, the committee decided not to implement another LMS and went
with the social learning platform, Notebowl, instead.
According
to information on the company's site, Notebowl is designed to provide
students and faculty with an online experience similar to the social
networks they use in their personal life. The system supports multiple
modes of real-time communication — such as group chats, private
messaging and video chat — between students and their instructors.
Students can keep track of their assignments and due dates through an
automated agenda and receive reminders on their smartphone. Instructors
can record and post video lectures on their course page and host
real-time question-and-answer sessions alongside the video, and they
can use the online grading tool to provide students with interactive
feedback.
Denison University is rolling out Notebowl in three
phases, with the first phase already in progress. So far, the response
has been positive. "Notebowl is much more user-friendly. I find myself
not dreading using it," said Bill Kirkpatrick, associate professor of
communications at Denison, in a news release. "The user friendliness
of the platform makes me more willing to try new things in the
classroom."
Denison's IT team expects to complete its rollout of
Notebowl by the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, and is
considering the possibility of expanding the platform to
extra-curricular activities in the future.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.