My students love using Blackboard.com
Sandy Croswaite faced a typical issue with trying to create her own web site. She had no time to build it from scratch. So she started using Blackboard, which is a free service online that allows you to quickly input your information into a pre-made template. It also has features that would be hard to create on your own, such as discussion threads, quizzes, and chat rooms.

"Once my students get on it, they love it", Sandy says. "They're hot about it! They really like the ability to see their grades and use the course calendar, but they also initiate the use of the communication tools on their own." At the beginning of the quarter they make a list of everyone's email addresses then they go on their own and use the email and chat room features of Blackboard. "This type of communication wasn't happening before. I assign group work but they came up with meeting online themselves. I didn't have to initiate it, they're taking advantage of the resource on their own and it's been a great learning tool for them." Sandy says.

Blackboard as a teaching aid
"The nice thing about using a web site like Blackboard is that I can pick and choose how much of it I want to use. It's just an adjunct to my teaching. The time it takes to use it is minimal. The payoffs definately out weigh the time spent to create it." says Sandy.

"Using Blackboard has gotten rid of much of the superfluous things I had to do. I don't have to spend as much time dealing with the people that missed class and want to know their assignment, or want to know their grade. Now I just send them to the website. All that stuff was just eating up time that is better spent teaching."

Sandy started out by just using Blackboards' online gradebook and announcement section. She found that the students really liked the ability to see their grades at anytime on the web as the quarter progresses (No one else can see their grades but the individual student). "This way I hear right away about any contradictions they may have about their grades, instead of having to deal with it at the end of the quarter. It just helps with communication.", Sandy says.

The announcement page also helps with communication. "I post messages to remind them about things or tell them where they can find out other information on the web", she says.

As she started getting more comfortable with the technology, Sandy expanded into using Blackboard's discussion threads, calendar and online quizzes. She finds them to be easy to learn. "I have used different online platforms, such as Unilearn and WebCT, but Blackboard beats them all. It's more intuitive to use and the students like it better." The discussion threads are very useful for her. She says that students often say things online that they don't say in class. " I can monitor student discussions from my office or home. I can see if people are freaking out about something and can get involved before it becomes a big issue for them. I like the ability to be able to access this from home. It's an option I didn't have before. Sometimes at home I will address potential problems students are having and it saves class time later on."

The course calendar has been a great organization tool for her students. "It keeps them more on top of things and more on track. I've seen a shift with students meeting their deadlines better, since I've been using this tool", Sandy says.

"Using Blackboard has gotten rid of much of the superfluous things I had to do. I don't have to spend as much time dealing with the people that missed class and want to know their assignment, or want to know their grade. Now I just send them to the website. All that stuff was just eating up time that is better spent teaching.", says Sandy.

Frustrations with technology
"You don't even want to ask me what I think about Washington Online (WAOL)," Sandy says. "I have never been so frustrated in my entire career as I was when I went through that required course." Washington Online provides full online classes and trains faculty across the state in how to create a course through their system. They require a 5 week training course that you take online. "It's all I did for 5 weeks," says Sandy. "The software for the UniLearn platform was difficult to use, and the assignments were extremely time consuming and frustrating. To make it even worse, the class doesn't teach you enough about the platform technology to comfortably teach online; it's mostly pedagogy, not use of the software. I haven't talked to anyone that has gone through that course and liked it, " she says.

She says WAOL is now going through the process of changing its software to Blackboard, which should make it a lot easier on people. For her, though, teaching a class only on the web has been a very time-consuming and frustrating experience. "I would never have survived and kept my sanity teaching a WAOL class this quarter if Ed Bachmann and his crew hadn't been so helpful," Sandy says. For now, Sandy says, it's much easier using online tools as just that….tools to use with her class whenever she wants. Instead of being a "slave to technology" in order to teach the class, she can just use them as she wishes in ways that help enhance the learning.

The Web gives students an advantage
Sandy doesn't require her students to use the web but she does strongly encourage it. "They can get the vital information in handouts that I give, but they miss out on the learning experience that the other students are getting. I help the students do research on-line. Some do an online personality test then write about what they learned from it. I also give bonus points for some online work." she says. They do net searches and learn where some big sites are that are important to their profession. "To not use the web puts the student at a disadvantage", she says.

In one class this quarter, 21 of 24 students were using her Blackboard site. This is more than ever before. Sandy uses Blackboard in almost all of her classes now. Students are catching on to the technology and finding it useful and Sandy is enjoying it too.

"The bottom line is I use this technology because it's fun and the students really seem to like it and learn from it. ", Sandy says.

If you would like to see any of her sites, Sandy says she'll be happy to show them to you. If you are interested in starting your own Blackboard website you can contact your Lava Java support crew, or go try it out yourself at www.blackboard.com
You can click here for some basic instructions on how to get started.

by Brian Benedetti, May 14, 2001