Clarification/Follow-up by hotpotato on 03/20/05 3:00 am:
Course management: how the teachers manage lecture notes, quizzes , tests online for students on the web
IT deals with high school.

Thanks.

this is what i have so far and i would like to show you:

Problem Statement
Our current course management method is inefficient due to the amount of students enrolled in school. Teachers are having a difficult time in managing the courses.

Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the possibility of implementing Course management systems in schools and to recommend ways to increase participation. The study will evaluate the impact of course management systems and to identify features that might be desirable for schools. To analyze various course management systems and to recommend the system that will best meet the school’s current and future needs.

It will measure teacher and student’s interest in course management software. This study is significant because course management software could enhance learning in a non school environment.

Causes or Causes of Problem
However, most teachers display a low level of awareness and use of the course management system. Many teachers were unfamiliar with the technology and had not participated in the use of the system.
In an effort to reduce costs and increase efficiency,

Suggest and evaluating possible solutions
Should we use fewer lectures and invest more in collaborative learning?
Would learning be more effective if we altered the lecture-laboratory-recitation model to a hands-on integrated approach?

Data comparing those who used system vs those who don’t

Outline the course of action


What is Course Management systems
WebCT, developed in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, provides a secured environment for the placement of course materials, including syllabi, assignments, lectures, and presentations on the Web. An important feature of WebCT is its capacity to facilitate the creation of sophisticated World Wide Web-based educational environments by non-technical users. It can be used to create entire online courses, or to simply publish materials that supplement existing courses.
WebCT not only produces courses for the Web, but also uses Web browsers as the interface for the course-building environment. Aside from facilitating the organization of course material on the Web, WebCT also provides a variety of tools and features that can be added to a course, at the discretion of the faculty member. It integrates communication tools, including a bulletin board, chat room, private e-mail, and calendar in one place (a course Web site). This feature can facilitate interaction between faculty and students.
It provides instructional tools to support course content such as a glossary, references, self-test, and quiz module. Students, too, can place assignments and other materials in WebCT in courses for which they are registered. WebCT also gives faculty course management tools for grading, tracking student interaction and monitoring class progress. Students can access their WebCT course materials using a Web browser (Netscape and Internet Explorer are favored) from any computer connected to the campus Intranet or the Internet.
Tools that courseware offers to the faculty and students who use it enable a better understanding of the methods by which libraries can insert their presence and services into the courseware domain. Courseware share a certain core set of basic features, including powerful resource sharing, communication, and assessment tools. The use of these features can promote collaborative learning, enhance critical thinking skills, and give every student an equal opportunity to participate in classroom discussions.
Criteria for Evaluating Course Management Systems

Necessary Tools and Performance:
• A means of collecting information about the user to support course enrollment, eligibility for tutoring, and project evaluation.
• A calendar (and preferably a scheduling system).
• A messaging system to facilitate student/tutor/teacher appointments.
• A chat tool for synchronous communication.
• Support for threaded discussions for asynchronous communication.
• Video and audio insertion capability to enrich content.
• A collaborative writing tool to support online editing of text.
• A tool for assessing learning in various modes (e.g. multiple choice, problem based, short answer, essay).
• A tool for surveying users.
• An accurate device for counting frequency of use.
• A means of tracking student time receiving tutoring, completion of tutorial assignments, pre and post assessment, and eligibility for credit where applicable.
• A means of incorporating grades/scores from other environments.
• A means of outputting data in a standard format that will allow it to be read and manipulated by other applications.
• Customizing features, where individual instructor can build in comments, links
• Communication devices for discussion and dialogue: listserv, real-time conferencing, etc.
• File transfer and sharing
• Bibliography and research tools, database management.
• Connection to course management system for recordkeeping, frequency of use counting
• Clear documentation, help links, and tutorial
• Technical support

Ease of Maintenance and Use:
• Will allow easy disengagement of contents (e.g. quizzes) for transport to another product.
• Will support a variety of approaches to instruction and assessment.
• Will allow the instructor to select among its features.
• Will allow customization of look and feel.
• Will not pose a technical barrier to student users.
• Reasonably easy for faculty as well as tech staff to learn and use.
• Will provide easy methods for communication and collaboration among learners and teachers (nothing more than 3 clicks away)
• Will support a variety of approaches to instruction and assessment.
• Will allow the user to select among its features.
• Will allow customization of look and feel.
• Will not pose a technical barrier to users in terms of system requirements.
• Reasonably easy for faculty as well as tech staff to learn and use.

Benefits
• Effective communication among teachers interactively enables ways of doing things easily.
• One of the key values of using courseware is flexibility. Students respond to literature and other courses more thoughtfully if they have to write their responses to a bulletin board. They seem to be more willing to consider alternative views. Shy students participate more readily online. This is mental flexibility where learning takes place can also be flexible, for both students and faculty members.
• Students who have to be absent use the course content on courseware to keep up with the class. If someone has been absent, teacher may add comments from class members.

Disadvantages
Technical and online learning is challenging
ownership of the course content may be lost in the transition

While there are advantages to instruction provided through online education, perceived disadvantages appear to exist. Many students learn best through direct interaction provided by professors and other students. Distance education often prohibits this interaction, making learning and direct involvement less personal. The socialization so traditional to standard college attendance is often lacking, especially if instructors fail to utilize available opportunities for student interaction through various online software packages. In addition, students who lack the technological skills required for various types of distance education may fear approaching learning situations provided through nontraditional modes. Problems related to privacy issues, technological difficulties, and technology.

Comparison Costs of WebCT and BB or traditional
Conclusion
Based on the findings, the following conclusions are drawn: Courseware has many features and possibilities. It provides and integrating the World Wide Web into teaching. Courseware permits class activities and interaction that allow the Internet-adept to hone their skills and provides sustained support for students. Courseware could improve the productivity and effectiveness by establishing and communicating standardized procedures.
Recommendation
Supported by the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are offered in an effort to improve the use of implementing course management systems:

• Includes developing incentive programs to gain the participation of teachers, training teachers on how to use the software, explaining the need and benefit in implementing the system.
• Will help organizing of work to be completed
• Simplifying tasks
• Providing clear directions and encouraging students to ask and clarify tasks

Clarification/Follow-up by jocase on 03/20/05 7:16 am:
The site that MissRebecca gave you is a good place to start. http://www.edutools.info/course/

Teacher training and buy in is always a problem.

I can't tell from your clarification if you are in the USA. If you are in California, I would refer you to www.aeries.com. They do not sell much outside California, and are nmostly a student information system.

Check out http://www.edutools.info/course/