Savannah State University - University System of Georgia

OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
GeorgiaVIEW
Georgia Vista Implementation Enterprise-Wide
The University System of Georgia’s
Integrated Learning Environment
USG
Integrated
Learning
Environment
Integrated
Learning
Environment
Integrated Learning Environment
T
Bookstore
Bookstore
he Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT), a
unit of the University System of Georgia (USG), provides
Campus Portal
Campus Portal
comprehensive services that bridge applications and work
Parking Parking
(Luminis) (Luminis)
together to serve students, faculty, staff, and state residents.
EducatorEducator
Preparation
Data
Preparation
Data
Registration
Financial
Aid
OIIT’s objective is to build and sustain an
Registration
Financial Aid
Mart
Mart
(Banner)
(Banner)
(Banner)
(Banner)
(USG Data
Integrated Learning Environment (ILE) in
(USG Data
Warehouse)
Warehouse)
which administrative and instructional
Data Mart
Academic DataAcademic
Mart
Admissions Admissions
GALILEO GALILEO
(Data Warehouse)
applications, such as WebCT Vista, interface
(Data Warehouse)
(Banner) (Banner)
and coordinate seamlessly within the USG.
Course
Accounts
Course
Accounts
Management
Housing Housing
Receivable
Stable, tightly-coupled, reliable, secure
Management
Receivable
(Banner)
(WebCT/Vista)
(Banner)
(Banner)
(WebCT/Vista)
(Banner)
infrastructure and supporting enterprise
GALILEO GALILEO
Network Services
Human Resources
technologies and services must exist forHuman Resources
Network Services
Interconnected
Interconnected
(PeachNet)
(PeopleSoft)
(PeachNet)
Libraries (GIL)
the ILE to function effectively. Building (PeopleSoft)
Libraries (GIL)
and supporting that critical framework
Common Database
Financials/Payroll
Student Transfer
Common Database
Financials/Payroll
Student Transfer
successfully is one of OIIT’s main objectives.
(Oracle) (Oracle)
(PeopleSoft) (PeopleSoft)
(Banner) (Banner)
Some of the elements of the ILE and their
Human Resources
Class Scheduling
Human Resources
Class Scheduling
inter-relationships are illustrated by this Data Mart Data Mart
(Banner)
(Banner)
(Data Warehouse)
(Data Warehouse)
honeycomb. n
Financials
Financials
Reporting System
Reporting System
(Data Warehouse)
(Data Warehouse)
GeorgiaVIEW (Vista
Implementation Enterprise-Wide)
G
eorgiaVIEW provides USG institutions with an integrated academic
enterprise solution: WebCT Vista. It supports both on-campus and offcampus learning experiences through a framework offering communication,
resource access, testing, and management that serves the learning and
communication needs of faculty, students, and administration.
GeorgiaVIEW is the comprehensive implementation project to upgrade
all USG campuses from WebCT Campus Edition (CE) to WebCT Vista.
This project includes the management of the USG WebCT license; the setup
and maintenance of the regional WebCT Vista host centers; the migration of
each campus to WebCT Vista; and project management, planning, training,
and content conversion. GeorgiaVIEW develops resources to support campus
adoption and use of WebCT Vista including training and support materials for
students, faculty, and administrators. GeorgiaVIEW seeks to achieve a higher
standard of minimum hosting and application capabilities as well as achieve the
economies of scale associated with developing a critical user mass and leveraging
expertise across the System. n
Technical
Infrastructure
Technical
Infrastructure
Instructional
Applications
Instructional
Applications
Administrative
Administrative ServicesServices
Data Warehouse/Reporting
Data Warehouse/Reporting
User
Interface
User Interface
“Creating A More Educated Georgia”
w e l c o m e
f r o m
t he
VICE CHANCELLOR
The USG has a proud history of promoting innovation in e-learning
and has long had a vision of expanding access to outstanding
educational opportunities. Deployment of WebCT Vista systemwide will enable the USG to bring best practices and expertise to its
institutions, providing students across the entire System access to
educational opportunities, regardless of their physical location.
Randall A. Thursby
May 13, 2002
I
n the three and a half years since this
statement was made, the GeorgiaVIEW
project has developed from an idea to a
reality. Today, we offer nearly 8,000 different
courses in WebCT Vista, support over 164,000 active
users, and logged over 60 million individual student
actions last year. The USG boasts the largest number
of both Certified WebCT Trainers and Certified Vista
Institutional Administrators in the world.
GeorgiaVIEW provides communications, production
support, project management, strategic planning,
end-user support, training, and evaluation services
for the 27 institutions with WebCTVista users and
USG collaborative programs. GeorgiaVIEW continues to provide support to
institutions in the process of migrating courses from WebCT CE.
This document highlights the emerging impact that WebCT Vista has on
the USG teaching and learning environment. For instance, Savannah State
University uses digital content to improve quality in its courses and to encourage
connections between students and campus. For Georgia Perimeter College,
WebCT Vista is a mission critical application, providing convenient access and
flexibility for a diverse student body and allowing the campus to maximize
classroom space for its increasing enrollment. A growing urban institution,
Georgia State University faculty and students use WebCT Vista to communicate
ideas and opinions.
Stories such as those shared by Jay Forrester, a recent graduate of Georgia
Perimeter College, and Larry Bryant, a faculty member at Georgia Southern
University, illustrate the effect that WebCT Vista is having on retention,
progression, and graduation. With the number of courses and actions doubling
each semester, more and more faculty and students are identifying new
opportunities for teaching and learning using WebCT Vista.
Combining system level production support with institutional innovation,
GeorgiaVIEW is a model for strategic technology planning and implementation
for the USG. n
C o n t e n t s
Integrated Learning Environment . . . . . . . . . IFC
Vice Chancellor’s Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
U S G
H I G H L I G H T
Savannah State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
USG WebCT Certified Trainers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
WebCT Vista Certified Administrators . . . . . . . . 5
U S G
H I G H L I G H T
Georgia Perimeter College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Student Perspective: Jay Forrester . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Faculty Perspective: Larry Bryant . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
U S G
H I G H L I G H T
Georgia State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System-wide WebCT Vista Growth . . . . . . . . . . 12
GeorgiaVIEW Accomplishments 2005 . . . . . . . 12
Vista Visions: 2006 and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC
O F F I C E
Randall A. Thursby
Chief Information Officer and Vice Chancellor for Information Technology
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
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Savannah State Uses Digital Content
to Build Connections
W
hile nearly all public higher education institutions are pursuing e-learning
opportunities, few have decided upon the policies that best suit the
needs of their students and faculty. Savannah State University (SSU)’s
commitment to incorporating technology into teaching and learning is
demonstrated by its innovative policies and strategic use of online content.
Recently, the SSU Faculty Senate passed the Distributed Learning Policy
for online teaching that formalized the policies that govern SSU e-learning
initiatives. The resolution covered a wide range of issues, including the
definition and modes of distributed learning, policies related to curriculum and
instruction, academic integrity and intellectual property, fair use, and copyright.
In addition, the use of WebCT Vista in the classroom was included in the
faculty evaluation.
Danny Martin belongs to a team dedicated to increasing SSU’s e-learning
outreach. By encouraging faculty to use WebCT Vista, Martin believes SSU
gains a competitive advantage when attracting students, especially studentathletes, who often travel to sporting venues during the school year. It also
helps retain army and navy students who may be deployed to meet their military
obligations.
An important tool for Martin is the ‘course pack or e-Pack,’ digital content
provided by textbook publishers that can be augmented by faculty. Digital
content brings information to life for students. “The best example I use,”
says Martin, “is that textbooks are one-dimensional, while digital content
has simulations built directly into the content. This provides students with an
opportunity to read about a process, and
then repeatedly manipulate experiments
virtually, not just in a lab, but anytime.
The faculty who use them love them
because it enhances their courses
tremendously.” Martin recently received
an email from an SSU psychology
professor who credited an e-Pack with
helping students to achieve the highest
exam scores in 10 years.
Using digital content
can save 80 percent of
course development
time. Now faculty can
devote more time to
pedagogy and less to
content development.
Danny Martin, Instructional Designer
and WebCT Vista Administrator
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Savannah State University
SSU’s efforts have received national
recognition for three consecutive years as a
Digital Content Leader. WebCT honored SSU’s
achievements at the 7th Annual WebCT User
Conference in San Francisco, CA, in July 2005.
Course development with e-Packs will
continue to play an important role, asserts
Martin. “I anticipate an increasing need for
digital content as we move forward with our plans
for online degree programs. Using digital content
can save 80 percent of course development time.
Now faculty can devote more time to pedagogy
and less to content development.” Martin and the
other instructional designers are ready to assist
SSU faculty when needed. n
The Digital Content
Leaders Program recognizes
institutions that have
undertaken the policies and
principles necessary to achieve
excellence in e-learning.
This international award
acknowledges successful uses
of WebCT’s Digital Content
Solutions and institutional
commitment to its e-learning
mission. Savannah State
University has been named
a Digital Content Leader for
three consecutive years.
O F F I C E
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WebCT Certified Trainer Program: Helping Others to Use WebCT Vista
A
lthough most USG campuses offered some courses in earlier
versions of WebCT, the tools available in WebCT Vista provide
faculty and instructional designers with new opportunities
to enhance teaching and learning. To help campuses take full
advantage of these new tools, GeorgiaVIEW hosted the WebCT
Certified Trainer Program in June 2005 at Georgia Southern
University. Twenty-seven people from 21 University System
institutions and offices participated.
The WebCT Certified Trainer Program is an advanced professional
credential. It is designed for those who wish to train and support
others in online teaching and learning. The program offers trainers
a chance to collaborate with colleagues at other institutions that are
implementing WebCT Vista.
The two-part program promotes best practices and core
competencies. The first part of the training is taught online and
takes three weeks to complete. The online session teaches effective
training techniques and the characteristics of an effective trainer.
Dalton State College
Dalton
Participants develop a basic training agenda, then design and
develop supporting materials.
The second half of the program is an intensive three-day, faceto-face workshop. Participants apply the knowledge gained during
the online session by performing mini-presentations and sharing best
practices and lessons learned. “I found that
theGeorgia
WebCT
Certified
North
College
& State University
Dalton
State
College
Dahlonega
Trainer Program finally
got
me
deeper
into
WebCT
Vista
than I had
Dalton
time to do on my own,” reported one USG Certified Trainer. “The
College
Georgia Highlands
exposure to all the different
tools was
extremely helpful in bringing
Rome
me up to speed in WebCT Vista.”
Gainesville
Kennesaw State University
College
Kennesaw present theState
For their final project, participants
training
they University
Gainesville
of Georgia
Southern
Polytechnic
developed during the
online
portion.
“I
was
very
grateful
that
I had Athens
Georgia Perimeter
State University
College
Georgia Gwinnett College
Marietta
people with the same background
as myself finding
out the things
Decatur
Lawrenceville
Georgia Institute
of Technology
that I would need to know,Atlanta
” stated one workshop
participant.
Georgia
State University
Augusta State
Atlanta
Metropolitan
August
The majority Atlanta
of theCollege
instructional designers participating in
Clayton
State
University
Atlanta
Morrow
the program expressed satisfaction with the program
and found it
University of
Medic
West
Georgia
valuable. As one participantCarrollton
put it, “It was a great experience. I loved
the combination of online preparation and face-to-face evaluation.
Georgia College &
Gordon College
University
Excellent!” Nearly 90 percent of the new Certified
Trainers State
report
Barnesville
Milledgeville
integrating information from the program into their
institutional
East Ge
Macon State College
Sw
Macon
training sessions. Another Certified Trainer shared, “I have
incorporated training styles and techniquesFort
used
by State
my fellow
trainers
Valley
University
Geo
Fort Valley
Columbus State University
in my training classes on my campus.
ColumbusI also learned so much about
Georgia College
each tool within WebCT Vista that
I feelSouthwestern
I have more Middle
expertise
when
Cochran
Georgia
State University
S
offering training, answering questions, Americus
or brainstorming ideas.”
Skidaway
Since WebCT Vista is still a new product, few trainers have gained
Armstrong A
Collegethe largest group of
this level of certification. The USG Darton
now boasts
Albany
WebCT Certified Trainers in the world! n
North Georgia College
& State University
Dahlonega
Georgia Highlands College
Rome
Gainesville
State College
Gainesville
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw
Southern Polytechnic
State University
Marietta
Georgia Institute
of Technology
Atlanta
Atlanta Metropolitan
College
Atlanta
University of
West Georgia
Carrollton
Georgia Perimeter
College
Decatur
University
of Georgia
Athens
Georgia Gwinnett College
Lawrenceville
Georgia State University
Atlanta
Augusta State University
Augusta
South Georgia Coll
Douglas
Albany State University
Albany
Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural
College
STATE COLLEGES
RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES
Waycro
Tifton
Wa
Bainbridge
College
TWO-YEAR COLLEGES
REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES
Bainbridge
Clayton State University
Morrow
Medical College of Georgia
Augusta
Gordon College
Barnesville
Georgia College &
State University
Milledgeville
STATE UNIVERSITIES
East Georgia College
Swainsboro
Macon State College
Macon
Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley
Columbus State University
Columbus
Middle Georgia College
Cochran
Georgia Southwestern
State University
Americus
Darton College
Albany
Multiple WebCT Certified Trainers
Savannah State University
Savannah
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Savannah
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Savannah
“I have incorporated training styles and
techniques used by my fellow trainers in my
training classes on my campus. I also learned so
much about each tool within WebCT Vista that I
feel I have more expertise when offering training,
Valdosta State University
Valdosta
answering questions, or brainstorming ideas.”
USG WebCT Certified Trainer, 2005
One WebCT Certified Trainer
G E O WebCT
R G I A Certified
V I E W Trainers
A C C
Multiple
O
Valdosta State University
Valdosta
One WebCT Certified Trainer
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro
Coastal Georgia
Community College
South Georgia College
Brunswick
Douglas
Albany State University
Albany
Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College
Waycross College
Tifton
Waycross
Bainbridge College
Bainbridge
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WebCT Vista Institutional Administrator Certification Workshop:
Maintaining System Integrity and Validating Competencies
C
apitalizing on the success of the Certified Trainer
program, GeorgiaVIEW hosted a WebCT Vista
Institutional Administrator Certification Workshop
in November 2005. The workshop was offered
to each of the primary USG WebCT Institutional
Administrators; these are staff within an institution
responsible for WebCT operations, managing settings,
and assigning usernames and passwords to users.
Training and certifying administrators is beneficial
for the institutions that plan to distribute responsibility
for managing learning contexts under an academic
enterprise system structure. Further institutional
benefits include maintenance of USG integrity and a
validation of administrative staff competencies.
The Institutional Administrator Certification
Workshop is a self-paced curriculum and was offered
completely online using the WebCT Vista user
interface. Through readings, simulations, self-tests,
scored assessments, and hands-on exercises, participants
gain an understanding of the administrator role and its
responsibilities.
The workshop generally requires 10-20 hours
of online study. Participants learn about templates,
learning contexts, and roles within WebCT Vista. They
develop the skills needed to create and manage learning
contexts and to configure the Tool and Administration
settings available to the Institutional Administrator.
Other skills include adding and enrolling users and
managing templates, files, and folders. Administrators
are also given the opportunity to examine options
for migrating courses from WebCT Campus Edition
(CE) to WebCT Vista 3.0—a critical skill needed for
institutions currently hosting courses in older versions
of WebCT.
Forty-one USG staff from 28 institutions
were recognized as WebCT Vista 3.0 Certified
Administrators. The University System now boasts
nearly half of the Certified Adminstrators in the
world. n
Number of WebCT Certified Trainers and Administrators
Certification
USG
United States
International
Certified Trainers
35
350
50
Certified Institutional
Administrators
41
42
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Georgia Perimeter College Provides Convenience
With Mission-Critical WebCT Vista
G
eorgia Perimeter College’s (GPC) commitment to providing life-long educational
opportunities for its diverse constituencies places it on the leading edge of
technology and innovation. To meet the needs of its students, faculty, and staff
on six regional campuses, GPC uses various collaborative and developmental
programs. Whether offering WebCT Vista online or hybrid courses, GPC offers
students the ultimate flexibility to simultaneously attend college, work, and care for
family. These courses also create a springboard for first-time faculty members to
collaborate, create, and communicate completely online. GPC’s innovative use of
this technology offers a wealth of possibilities and allows students and faculty to
maximize the advantages the technology brings to education.
For GPC, faculty recruitment, course adoption, student retention, student
engagement, and increasing enrollment test campus resources. GPC meets these
challenges by fusing its unique mission statement and vision, its committed faculty
and staff, and the multiple and unique opportunities afforded by WebCT Vista’s
enterprise model. GPC addresses these concerns with programs such as WebCT Vista
training, IT Scholars, Hybrid Fellowship Program, and other formal and informal
programs.
GPC’s WebCT Vista Administrator, David Robinson—a former ESL instructor,
faculty fellow, and current instructional
technologist—is the quintessential early
adopter, having experienced and incorporated
technologies from various levels of the
educational experience. Robinson recounts, “At
first WebCT was a small component of studentfaculty interactions. A few interested faculty
members including online instruction as one of
many instructional tools. Now WebCT Vista is
obviously mission critical.”
How mission critical? New full-time and
adjunct faculty members constantly stop
Robinson in the hall, eager to enroll in the
next WebCT Vista training course or adopt a
colleague’s course template. “WebCT Vista will
be the catalyst for some of that collaboration
and growth.”
At first WebCT was a
small component of
student-faculty
interactions—a few
interested faculty
members including
online instruction as one
of many instructional
tools. Now WebCT Vista is
obviously mission critical.
David Robinson, Instructional
Designer and WebCT Administrator,
Georgia Perimeter College
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By Spring 2006, GPC expects more than 200 full-time
and adjunct faculty members will be using WebCT Vista.
Training programs occur every day on at least one of GPC’s
six campuses.
Among the most successful of GPC’s programs is
its Hybrid Fellowship Program which reduces classroom
space needs by 50 percent and maximizes quality through
controlled course templates. It also provides a springboard
for new faculty members entering into the online world.
This innovative project was recognized as Board of Regent’s
Best Practice in the area of Academic Affairs in 2004
(more information can be found at: http://www.usg.edu/
bestpractices/).
The Peer-to-Peer Mentorship program, an informal
program pairing volunteer full-time and adjunct faculty, has
emerged as seasoned online instructors share their course
templates on the college’s Template Warehouse. The full-time
faculty member assists the adjunct faculty with customization,
course management, and various pedagogical and instructional
issues throughout the semester.
Overall GPC has emerged as a leader in embracing the
potential of distance and distributed learning. Through
the efforts of GPC faculty and dedicated staff like David
Robinson GPC remains determined to discover and meet the
needs of its students. n
A TEMPLATE is a set of
easily reusable content, tools,
and settings.
Templates can be shared
across departments,
faculty members, and
institutions.
A HYBRID COURSE uses
technology to deliver 50
percent or less of class
sessions, but at least
one class session is
replaced by technology.
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Student Perspective: Jay Forrester, Georgia Perimeter College
T
his past fall Jay Forrester completed his associate’s degree in
business, a degree that he began 27 years ago. After dropping
out of Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) [then Dekalb College]
in the 1970s, Forrester yearned to finish his degree. In 1997, he
began taking courses as a hobby. Forrester recalled, “I decided that
I would just take one class at GPC and see how I liked it. Then one
class turned into two.”
Shortly after Forrester re-enrolled, GPC adopted WebCT CE
for its web-delivered courses. Forrester was first motivated by the
convenience afforded by online study: “For the first year, I drove to
my classes,” said Forrester.
“However, with a full-time
job at the Fox Theater that
requires flexible work hours,
I found it hard to attend
regularly scheduled classes.”
His initial concerns about
his lack of computer literacy
and his status as an older,
non-traditional student were
overcome by the democratic nature of digital learning. Forrester
explained, “In every face-to-face class, the alpha characters and the
people who never say a word are established in the beginning. In an
online class, everyone is equal. It’s amazing, no matter where you are
from, or how old you are, or what you look like, within online courses
everyone is equal. It [WebCT Vista] gives people a better environment
to communicate. I was amazed how much communication goes on in
an online class versus sitting in class. Everyone has an opportunity to
say what they want to say.”
With each new online course Forrester gained confidence and
control of his learning. He lost 30 pounds in his online health class,
researched current law cases and prepared briefs, and even passed his
most dreaded classes—mathematics.
Now a veteran distance learner, Forrester acknowledges that
successful online students must be disciplined self learners and
skilled time managers. In fact, Forrester often assists other students
with WebCT Vista tools, organizes online study sessions, and
promotes under-used WebCT Vista tools. Forrester admits that he is
sometimes in the course more often than his instructors, taking self
tests, checking his progress, and posting to discussions. His favorites:
student self-management tools (My Progress and My Grades) and a
customizable homepage (My WebCT). “What I like about WebCT
Vista, from your homepage you can access your classes,
announcements, calendar, and resources. You can
organize your homepage so that all of the resources
that you like are right there at the click of a
button. I don’t think a lot of people realize that
“WebCT Vista gives people
this is THEIR page.”
a better environment to
Future plans? Forrester proudly exclaims,
“I’ve
got to continue. I can’t stop now! I’m 45,
communicate. I was amazed
and I can turn 50 with my bachelor’s degree
how much communication
or not. I think I’d rather do it with a degree.
I’m going to go on to Georgia State and
goes on in an online class
I don’t think I’ll do anything but online
classes from now on because it’s such a
versus sitting in class. Everyone
better way of learning. Now that I’ve
has an opportunity to say what
tried online classes I’ll never go back. I
love it.” n
they want to say.”
Jay Forrester, GPC graduate
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Faculty Perspective: Larry Bryant, Georgia Southern University
A
t Georgia Southern University, we have incorporated a programmatic
implementation strategy to WebCT Vista. One area that we believe will have
tremendous impact on our students is the recent conversion of the entire
Healthful Living course program within WebCT Vista. The Healthful
Living course is designed to increase students’ awareness of important health
issues and provide strategies for them to cope with and improve their wellbeing.
As part of the University Core Curriculum, every incoming freshman,
and every current student who has not yet taken the course, is required
to participate. By combining the power of a classroom lecture with the
asynchronous WebCT Vista environment, the course reaches out and engages
students in a whole new way. Assessments, surveys, and supplemental resources
are provided to students via a customized WebCT Vista course pack from
Thomson Learning. In addition, a Center for Disease Control (CDC) health
risk behavior survey is available in the course for students to gain further insight
into their lifestyle choices, both past and future. Not only do these various
assessment tools reinforce the course content, but they allow the students to
gauge their own health awareness and lifestyle.
Yet another benefit of the course’s migration and adaptation to WebCT
Vista’s feature-rich course management environment is that important and
anonymous, data can be collected for faculty research projects directed towards
the population of our university. This information also periodically guides
adjustments in the curriculum offered within the course. Since so many students
take the course at any given time, the course has been subdivided into a large
number of sections, often taught by graduate assistants or adjunct faculty. The
consistency and ease of management of WebCT Vista has made the course
migration a smooth transition and a positive experience for everyone. n
Selected Results of the Faculty Use of CMS Survey:
USG Survey of Faculty
Course Management
System Usage
• Nearly half (46.3%) of all USG faculty currently use
a CMS in their instruction.
In FY 2005, as part of
• More than 72% of CMS users have been using a
CMS two years or longer.
USG faculty responded
• Almost two-thirds of users have increased their
usage over time.
collecting information on
• More than two-thirds of users believe that a CMS
has provided important advantages in improving
student engagement in learning.
• More than two-fifths of non-users would use a
CMS if their concerns were addressed.
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GeorgiaVIEW, over 3,228
to a survey aimed at
their current use of course
management systems
(CMS) in teaching and
learning.
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Georgia State University Improves Campus
Communication with WebCT Vista
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f Georgia State University’s (GSU) instructional technologists named all of
the innovative uses of WebCT Vista on campus, the list would fill pages. In
Fall 2005, GSU exceeded the usage of other USG institutions with 970 active
sections. Veteran instructional designers, Paula Christopher and Zoë Salloom,
are a part of this success. Quips Christopher, “Our director has nicknamed us
the M.O.D. Squad— Miracles On Demand. This reflects the way we approach a
project—always pushing and trying new techniques.”
“WebCT is student driven on this campus,” says Christopher. Uses of
WebCT Vista include orientations, online student government association
voting, biology labs, environmental research, and creating online communities
for various campus constituencies. “We’ve pretty much pushed the envelope with
WebCT Vista,” Salloom adds. “We have faculty members on this campus that
have done some amazing stuff.”
Our director has
nicknamed us the
M.O.D. Squad—
Miracles On Demand.
This reflects the
way we approach
a project—always
trying new
techniques.
PAUS (Public Administration and Urban Studies) Orientation Class
One of the heaviest GSU users of WebCT Vista, the Andrew Young School of
Policy Studies teaches its Masters of Science in Urban Policy Studies almost
fully online. Yet faculty found attendance of its required on-campus orientation
class declining. According to Salloom,
“Getting students on campus on Saturday for
graduate orientation was a nightmare.” Creating
an online orientation was an ideal solution.
The online orientation course introduces
PAUS students to campus policies, services and
resources. The multi-media rich, interactive
content modules also guide students through
commonly used WebCT Vista tools.
The PAUS orientation has been active
for six semesters. PAUS faculty report that
orientation participation has increased.
Additionally, helpdesk questions have
decreased. Other GSU departments are eager
to implement similar strategies for their
programs.
Zoë Salloom and
Paula Christopher
Instructional Designers and
WebCT Administrators,
Georgia State University
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Georgia State University
GSU Student Government Association Elections
Four years ago, the GSU Student Government Association (SGA)
experienced a dilemma common to many commuter campuses. Each
year only 200–300 students out of more than 18,000 enrolled
submitted paper ballots for SGA elections. SGA wanted to increase
voter participation. The solution: use WebCT Vista content modules
to post each candidate’s position and platform. All enrolled students
were invited to cast their votes through the online assessment tool.
The result: a ten-fold increase in voter participation. Now, between
2,000 and 3,000 students representing GSU’s diverse student body
vote in annual SGA elections. Even graduate student turnout has
increased!
GSU continues to use WebCT Vista to expand educational
boundaries. A history professor is teaching the first two weeks of
his course online from Jordan; students in a graduate IT course
partner with their counterparts in South Carolina to complete virtual
projects; and a journalism professor engages a large lecture class with
a real-time Jeopardy-inspired game, later posting additional questions
online. Who knows? Perhaps next year’s SGA candidates will conduct
stump speeches in WebCT Vista’s chat rooms! n
CONTENT MODULES
A Content Module organizes a
number of online pages of content.
It also supplies navigation between
those pages, allows for student and
page tracking; and provides a way
to associate each individual page
with other WebCT tools such as
discussions.
ASSESSMENTS
The assessment tool is comprised
of four components:
assignments, self-tests,
surveys, and quizzes.
Surveys especially allow
for anonymous and
authenticated responses
essential for voting.
O F F I C E
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GeorgiaVIEW Significant Accomplishments 2005
GeorgiaVIEW Functional Sub-Team (FST) (2005)
Implementation of WebCT Vista Version 3.04 (August 2005)
The FST enables GeorgiaVIEW to draw on WebCT Vista expertise
from volunteers at eight USG institutions Augusta State University,
Dalton State College, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia Southern
University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University,
Medical College of Georgia, and Savannah State University).
This year the FST assisted with creating functional scripts to test
new (pre-production) versions of WebCT Vista, assisted with
testing emerging, adjunct instructional technologies (Elluminate,
Secureexam), and participated in testing evolving OIIT emergency
notification protocols (text messaging/pagers).
OIIT designed and implemented a new infrastructure for
centrally hosted WebCT Vista services. The team created and
implemented individual institutional URLs to access the WebCT
Vista service.
VAT-TRAIN-L Listserv (August 2005)
The VAT-TRAIN-L listserv was released to promote discussion on
curriculum development, pedagogy, and training.
USG Annual Computing Conference at Rock Eagle (October 2005)
Multiple presentations were given on WebCT Vista. A meeting of
the WebCT Vista Institutional Administrators was also held. More
information regarding the sessions can be found at: http://www.usg.
edu/oiit/re/re05/.
WebCT Vista 3.x Training Environment (VIEWTrain) (June 2005)
VIEWTrain, the USG WebCT Vista 3.x Training Environment was
made available at Georgia Southern University to provide for faculty
and staff training in WebCT Vista.
GeorgiaVIEW Resource Gateway (November 2005)
!MPACT 2005: 7th Annual WebCT User Conference (July 2005)
The Resource Gateway was launched to provide secure web-based
access to key information resources for Institutional WebCT Vista
Administrators.
Seventeen presentations were made by USG representatives. More
information regarding the sessions can be found at: http://www.
webct.com/2005.
Growing Use of WebCT Vista
A
t the end of Fall 2005, 22 USG institutions were active in
WebCT Vista. Every semester the number of active sections in
WebCT Vista has increased dramatically. The total number of
sections in Spring 2005 was more than 1,800. In Fall 2005,
this number had increased 34 percent to more than 2,400 sections.
In addition to growth in sections, the amount of usage within each
section has increased 100 percent. The average number of actions
performed in a course section was 5,556 in Spring 2005, nearly
doubling to 11,087 in Fall 2005.
While there is always a great deal of activity, WebCT Vista is
most active during the middle of the semester (probably due to
midterms—the traditional finals period is the next most active).
The most active month in 2005 was November, with over 102,000
unique visitors and over 51 million hits. November 14th was the
most active single day, with over 19,000 unique visitors and over
three million hits.
Somewhat counter to expectations, most use happens during
‘normal’ class hours. Monday was typically the most active day of
each week (Tuesday was a very close second) and 10a.m. to 1p.m.
were the most active hours. Friday was the least active day of the
‘work’ week and Saturday night was the least active time overall.
The typically low weekend numbers begin to reverse around 8pm
on Sundays when a number of users log back in to ‘hit the books’ in
preparation for Monday classes. n
Spring
2003
Summer
2003
Fall
2003
Spring
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Summer
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Fall
2004
Spring
2005
Summer
2005
Fall
2005
Number of Sections
117
26
187
483
448
1,208
1,852
1,175
2,487
Number of Actions
98,777
69,294
1,218,866
3,370,225
3,633,005
8,147,499
10,289,818
5,843,556
27,594,654
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Vista Visions: 2006 and Beyond
O
GeorgiaVIEW Project Staff
Amy Lyn Edwards
Jeanne Davidson
George Hernandez
Doug Hyche
Jill Hyche
Rann Rudisill
Editorial Acknowledgements
Catherine Finnegan
Jess Bloomingdale
Hilliard Gastfriend
Gina Papa
Penny Overcash
Linda VanSickle
Jen Williams
Board of Regents
University System of Georgia
270 Washington Street, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
www.alt.usg.edu/gaview
ver the past year we reached a new level in our
support of technology enhanced education
in Georgia. You have read just a small set of
examples of the many innovative uses of WebCT
Vista in the USG. Several trends have emerged which
we believe will continue. Savannah State University’s
innovative uses of publisher materials and Georgia
Perimeter College’s Template Warehouse both
demonstrate the power of shared content. We believe
USG faculty will continue to innovate in this area,
sharing materials within WebCT Vista with colleagues
on their local campus and across the entire System.
Nevertheless the content is a minor portion of the
Academic Enterprise System (AES); the true value of
the AES is the interactive capabilities for faculty and
students and the tools it provides for informed learning. New tools
like gradable discussions and improved student collaborative groups
introduced in WebCT Vista 3.0.5 give faculty new ways to allow
students to interact while facilitating their evaluations.
The next year will be an exciting one for the USG. In January
2006, Kennesaw State University and Gainesville State College
have integrally tied WebCT Vista into all of their campus systems,
providing a single entry point for all of the web services. Other
institutions will be adopting similar approaches and others will tie
WebCT Vista into their campus portals. The next year will see WebCT
Campus Edition phased out across the USG.
Successful programs described in this report will be expanded in
the coming year. We plan to double the number of Certified Trainers
in the System and triple the number of Certified Administrators.
Shortly, we will provide institutions with a tool that will allow them
to extract data easily and to create reports about exactly how WebCT
Vista is used including which tools are used, which sections are
active, and how shared content is used. The tool will also allow easy
comparison of usage data from other institutions.
In the early part of 2006, we will roll out WebCT Vista Version 3.0.6.
This version with its tighter integration to our institutions’ Student
Information Systems will make it easier for faculty teaching multiple
sections of a course to offer unified student experiences. During the
same period, we will plan for the next major upgrade to WebCT Vista
to Version 4.0.
In the year ahead, you will hear more about WebCT Vista
Version 4.0 and its new features. You also will hear more about
how the Academic Enterprise System integrates tightly with other
campus systems such as student information systems, portals, and
e-portfolios, as well as its role in assessment and accountability.
However, the real advances in 2006 will come from USG faculty and
students and how they use the system to enhance learning.
Dr. Brian K. Finnegan
Director of Emerging Instructional Technologies
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
“Creating A More Educated Georgia”
www.alt.usg.edu/gaview