WebCT Selects Five Exemplary Courses That Showcase the Power of e-Learning
Courses from the United States, Canada and Mexico employ innovative techniques in subjects ranging from religion to engineering
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2004-- WebCT, provider of the world's most flexible and widely used higher education e-learning solutions, today kicked off Impact 2004, the 6th Annual WebCT User Conference, by showcasing five WebCT-powered higher-education courses that are expanding the possibilities of Internet-enhanced learning.
For the fifth straight year, WebCT's 2004 Exemplary Course Project has singled out courses for displaying best practices in course design, interaction/collaboration, assessment/evaluation, meaningful technology use and learner support. This year's selections are:
-- Dan Barnett
Butte College (California)
Eastern Religions
-- Michelle Koroll
University of Victoria (Canada)
Supervised Practicum
Child and Youth Care
-- Colla J. MacDonald
University of Ottawa (Canada)
Synthesis Seminar
Education
-- Maurice Paul Levy Matarrasso
Universidad Anahuac (Mexico)
Philosophy of Quality
-- Melane McCuller
Stephen F. Austin State University (Texas)
Technical & Scientific Writing
The winning courses employ a wide variety of powerful traditional and technology-based education techniques, including selective content release, structured weekly discussions, e-mail mentorship, streaming media, glossaries, learning portfolios, mid-course student feedback ("temperature taking"), poster presentations, collaborative assignments, private group chats and peer review. One interactive animation illustrated the concept of quality by enabling students to control a light bulb production line to learn how defect rates affect a company's bottom line.
"I'm pleased to see how this program has grown over the past five years. Each year more and more courses are submitted for review. Exemplary Course Project award candidates astonish us with the power and creativity of their e-learning experiences," said Carol Vallone, WebCT president and CEO.
The award recipients will be honored at this year's User Conference, which is expected to draw 1,200-plus registrants from 47 states, 20 countries and every continent. Registration is up 20 percent over last year's conference.
The conference will feature a special planning forum for individuals who are responsible for developing e-learning strategy on their campuses. The invitation-only gathering, "Leading e-Learning: Realizing the Vision in 2006," will provide campus strategy leaders the opportunity to explore a wide range of issues relating to the future of e-learning in higher education, including pedagogy, program development, organization, staffing, technology and teaching tools. The forum will consist of presentations from e-learning leaders and a hands-on strategy session.
The following individuals will deliver keynotes at the user conference:
-- Carol Vallone, WebCT president and CEO, addressing "Online Learning's Impact on Global Education";
-- Barbara Ross, WebCT chief operating officer, leading a panel of WebCT Product Advisory Board members from Corning Community College; California State University, Chico; Boston College; and Purdue University;
-- E-learning guru Dr. Curtis Bonk, detailing "15 Minnie Myths on the Present and Future State of Online Learning"; and
-- Alan Guskin, Antioch University professor, explaining the secrets to "Maintaining Quality and Enhancing Student Learning in Tight Financial Times."
The agenda included two days of pre-conference workshops. Nearly 50 percent of the conference attendees also attended one or more of the almost 50 pre-conference workshops. Thirty exhibitors and sponsors are showcasing their products and services. Gold sponsors are Horizon Wimba, Sun Microsystems Inc. and Thomson Learning. Bronze sponsors are Macromedia, Pearson Education and Respondus. Additionally, thirty individuals are pursuing certification as WebCT Certified Trainers at the conference.
The Exemplary Course Project evaluation was conducted for WebCT by Dr. David Graf, director of technology support services at the Fischler Graduate School of Education & Human Services at Nova Southeastern University; and Maisie Caines, WebCT faculty development specialist at the College of the North Atlantic's Clarenville Campus. Representatives from the WebCT Institutes - colleges and universities that have a strategic relationship with WebCT and demonstrate best practices in their campus-wide implementations - worked with Graf and Caines to evaluate all entries.
"The Exemplary Course Project recognizes the highest achievements in WebCT-powered e-learning and, for that matter, e-learning period," said Caines. "Every year sees the erasing of traditional boundaries and new frontiers of excellence."
Working with Graf and Caines on the evaluation of the WebCT 2003 Exemplary Course applications were the following WebCT Institutes: California State - Chico, Colorado State University, Coventry University, Marshall University, Purdue University, Tennessee Technological University, The Ohio State University, University of Alberta, University of Central Florida, University of Georgia, University of Maryland, University of North Texas, Utah State University and Villanova University. For more information and to view the winning courses, please visit: http://www.webct.com/exemplary.
Also at this year's conference, individuals from 10 different institutions were named Digital Content Leaders. Digital Content Leaders are those who have been recognized for employing effective strategies in using digital content to extend the deployment of WebCT across campus. Digital Content Leaders use digital content to attract new faculty to online teaching, reduce the initial time required for faculty to develop an online course, and make rich content and multimedia available to instructors at all levels of experience with WebCT. To see a full list of this year's Digital Content leaders, please visit http://www.webct.com/content/viewpage?name=content_dcl_2004.
About WebCT
WebCT has set the standard for e-learning systems in higher education. Based in Lynnfield, Mass., WebCT provides a highly flexible e-learning environment that empowers institutions across the educational spectrum with the ability to achieve their unique objectives. Thousands of colleges and universities around the world - from community colleges to large university consortia - are using WebCT to expand the boundaries of teaching and learning. For more information, please visit www.webct.com.
Contacts
WebCT
Lisa Philpott, 781-309-1265
lisa.philpott@WebCT.com
or
Beaupre & Co. Public Relations, Inc.
Darby Johnson, 603-559-5809
djohnson@beaupre.com
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