Integration of a course management system with interactive educational multimedia

With the recent emergence of open source course management systems, learning support infrastructures have received increased attention. More and more organisations adopt these systems to provide their educational services. Often, existing, locally developed learning support software – ranging from delivery support to multimedia content – have to be integrated into these new systems. We will report here on approaches to integrate educational multimedia into a (open source) course management system. We will use our own courseware environment – IDLE, the Interactive Database Learning Environment – and its integration into Moodle – an open source course management systems – to illustrate our experience

Bringing Global Sourcing into The Classroom: Experiential Learning Via a Global Software Development Project

The growing trend in offshore software development has imposed new skills requirements on collaborating global partners. In the U.S. this has translated into skill sets that include communications, project management, business analysis, and team management. In a virtual setting, these skills take on a complex proportion. This paper describes an educational initiative in offshore software development between undergraduate students enrolled in a project management course at Marquette University, USA and graduate business students enrolled in an Information Systems Analysis and Design course at Management Development Institute, India. The course replicated an offshore client/vendor relationship in a virtual setting. For faculty considering such initiatives, this paper describes the setting and factors critical to success of this initiative and cautions against others that can be detrimental to such an effort

Course management systems in higher education: understanding student experiences

The course management system, as an evolving tool and innovation, is increasingly used to promote the quality, efficiency and flexibility of teaching and learning in higher education. However, the ways that course management systems can support and enhance the quality of teaching and learning needs further investigation. This paper describes findings of an exploratory study into undergraduate and postgraduate students’ experiences of course management systems, and aims to provide insights into issues concerning the implementation of such systems in higher education. The exploration focuses on the following aspects: perceived usefulness of technologies for study; usage pattern of course management systems; students’ perceptions of course management systems; user support preference; and self-reported experiences. Significant differences between academic levels of students are evident. Findings of the study shed light on issues concerning technology, pedagogy, and implementation strategies of course management systems in higher education.postprin

Resident database interfaces to the DAVID system, a heterogeneous distributed database management system

A methodology for building interfaces of resident database management systems to a heterogeneous distributed database management system under development at NASA, the DAVID system, was developed. The feasibility of that methodology was demonstrated by construction of the software necessary to perform the interface task. The interface terminology developed in the course of this research is presented. The work performed and the results are summarized

Becoming more systematic about flexible learning: beyond time and distance

Changes in higher education frequently involve the need for more flexibility in course design and delivery. Flexibility is a concept that can be operationalized in many ways. One approach to conceptualizing flexibility within courses is to distinguish planning-type flexibility, which the instructor can designate before the course begins and which needs to be managed when the course is offered, for interpersonal flexibility, which relates more to the dynamics of the course as it is experienced by the learners. Course management systems (CMSs) offer options that can support both of these sorts of flexibility, if instructors use the CMSs with a systematic frame of reference. The instructor faces challenges in managing both types of flexibility, but the experience at one institution shows that being systematic about flexibility choices and ways to support those choices in the institutional CMS can help in meeting these challenges

Migrating existing multimedia courseware to Moodle

Open source course management systems offer increased flexibility for instructors and instructional designers. Communities can influence the development of these systems and on an individual basis, the possibility to modify the system software exists. Migrating existing courseware to these systems can therefore be beneficial, sometimes even required. We report here about our experience in migrating an existing courseware system consisting of multimedia content and interactive, integrated infrastructure functionality to an open source course management system called Moodle. We will assess the difficulties that we have encountered during this process and, discuss the importance of standards in this context, and we aim to provide other instructors or instructional designers with guidelines and assessment support for other migration projects

An interactive learning environment in geographical information systems

The Unigis Learning Station is a computer‐based learning management tool for the Postgraduate Diploma in Geographical Information Systems by distance learning (correspondence). Unigis is an international network of universities co‐operating in the delivery of such courses. The students on Unigis courses are mature mid‐career professionals who study in addition to undertaking full time jobs. The Learning Station offers these students information about the course, resources for independent study, a structured set of exercises, assessments and feedback opportunities, and an integrated and easy way to interact with other course software. Following a brief introduction to the Unigis curriculum, this paper discusses the design of the Learning Station. The roles the Learning Station adopts are outlined, and the range of multimedia and communications tools used discussed. Evaluation of the Learning Station is presented and the issued raised by this provide useful lessons for other computer‐based learning management tools, and the adaptation of the Learning Station to other teaching and learning situations

A programme management approach for ensuring coherence in IS (higher) education

This paper examines IS higher education, concentrating on issues of ‘coherence’ in IS curricula. While curriculum coherence can be jeopardized by poor curriculum design, misalignment between module content and/or misalignment between module or course aims can cause serious coherence issues over time. Misalignment of this type is exacerbated by the traditional processes of curriculum (re)design, which rely heavily on the (singular) interpretation of highly abstract documents, such as module syllabi and course specifications – often produced by curriculum designers in isolation. To improve curriculum coherence, this paper examines the use of a programme management framework as a means of (a) ‘humanizing’ the abstract aims and goals of curricula schemes and (b) managing the delivery and evolution of curricula in relation to the stakeholders in the process of delivery. The practical use of the framework is examined in the context of a Masters-level course in ‘Information Systems Management’. An action research approach is used to demonstrate the practical utility of the framework in terms of (a) improving communication of curricula, (b) improving the coherence between modules and between modules and course and (c) removing content redundancy. Guidelines are presented that generalize the findings in order that key practices may be adopted by others

Improving Agriculture Students' Understanding of Global Production Systems through Distance Learning

Globalization is a fundamental force currently shaping agricultural sector throughout the world. To make sound decisions in a globalised economy, agricultural producers and agribusiness managers must have a high level of understanding of the international dimensions of their industry. To address this need, we are developing a course aimed at helping agricultural students better understand the managerial environment faced by producers worldwide. This course will provide students an opportunity to learn about agricultural production, and the context in which it occurs, by analyzing real-world farm case studies in various countries on four continents in both hemispheres of the globe. Eight case studies are being developed to exemplify the production and managerial environment in five different countries (Russia, Australia, Uruguay, Brazil, and the U.S.). Each case study will include a written description of the case, as well as a video tour of the farm and surrounding region and an interview with the farm manager. The case studies will provide the principal building blocks for the comparative farm management systems course to be taught at each of the four cooperating universities. Through the comparative farm management systems course, students will: (1) obtain a better understanding of the production agriculture sectors of the world, (2) discuss regional agricultural economic issues with instructors who are experts from each country, and (3) gain real-world problems solving experience in international settings through case study analysis. The case studies and course curriculum will be made available to other universities through a project web page and distribution of case study CD-ROMs.globalization, international, comparative farm case studies, distance learning, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,