ARTICLE :- ABOUT ONLINE COURSES

The growing popularity of online courses is evident in the almost ubiquitous nature of this relatively new learning format. On a recent Sunday evening, I viewed a TV ad for the University of Phoenix Online, promoting its degree opportunities from the convenience of one’s home. UP Online enrolls over 49,000 students as of November, 2002. A few years ago, I visited one of the colleges in the Colorado Community College system, which now offers an online AA degree in Business and one in Arts & Sciences. Capella University in Minnesota is an online University, which offers over 500 online courses. And the Iowa Community College Online Consortium, made up of seven of Iowa’s Community Colleges, provides degree opportunities online and has almost 2500 enrollments this fall semester.

The prevalence of online courses in higher education, and an increasing awareness and involvement in high schools, especially Advanced Placement courses, have illustrated the growth of what many call eLearning, but many instructors will testify, that online courses are a lot of work. To help streamline the process of developing and teaching an online course, course management systems have come into wide spread use.

Sometimes called Learning Management Systems and Course Management Systems, these software application systems provide students and faculty with a consistent, easily navigable course environment that has many features that are usually easy to use and will help add depth and variety to the course. But not all course management systems are alike, and sorting out the pros and cons of each can be quite a challenge. Since most of these systems will cost the institution thousands of dollars per year, deciding if you can benefit from one or another and determining which is the best for your situation can be a great challenge.

Among the more prominent systems available for education and training are:

Angel
Blackboard
Click2Learn
Intralearn
ECollege
First Class
Web CT
Web Training Tool Box

Since each system has different functions, features, services, and costs. It’s important to note exactly what features you need and which systems provide those features for a reasonable cost. Some of the major features that frequently exist in course managements systems include:

* Common log in page
* Announcement pages
* Threaded discussions
* Online testing, quizzes, and surveys
* Email
* Course layout templates
* Grade book
* New user orientation
* Journal and Notes area
* Assignment drop box
* Registration interface

Perhaps the first question that you should consider is whether you need to utilize a course management system in your institution or company. Here are some steps that can help you determine this:

* Define your distance learning needs
* Research what systems are available and appropriate for your school
* Identify your budget for online learning
* Determine your projected online enrollment over the next couple of years
* Determine the level of top administrative support (essential for success)
* Determine if you will be able to host the server or will need to outsource it
* Determine if technical support and course development support can be made available through existing or future staff or if those need to be outsourced
* If you haven’t already, you will need to develop intellectual property language and policies and become familiar with copyright laws applicable to online courses.

Almost always, decisions of this magnitude are institutional decisions. The budget needed for an online course management system can range from a few thousand dollars a year for a minimal system to a million dollars. In many cases, some or most of the costs are based on enrollment. The more students that are enrolled, the higher the cost. The return on investment will be determined by the success of the system and the enrollments involved.