Shortcomings from the Perspective of UMKC Trainers
Shortcomings of WebCT (from the Blackboard person)
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Text-only chat: no integration with whiteboard, browser, PowerPoints, etc.
Minimal, awkward, and poorly integrated Groups capability.
Inability to play streaming media. Streaming media is the only viable way to deliver more than a
few minutes of multimedia, such as lectures or interviews. Many of our Bb faculty use streaming
media. (I checked this with the WebCT support person who attended our meeting. So far, no one
has been able to play a streaming media file (Real/RAM) in WebCT 4.1 Campus Edition. If
someone can do this, please step me through it.)
No sound or video in quizzes/exams, only text and images. I know our Conservatory faculty use
sound in their test items, and this capability may be important to other faculty also. (Again, I
checked this with the WebCT support person who attended our meeting. So far, no one has been
able to add sound or video to a quiz or exam in WebCT 4.1 Campus Edition.)
No ordering question-type in quizzes/exams. (Confirmed with the WebCT support person who
attended our meeting.)
No response-specific feedback in quizzes/exams, only correct or incorrect feedback levels.
(Confirmed with the WebCT support person who attended our meeting.)
No spell checker.
An internal email system, which must be learned and maintained in addition to our
Outlook/Exchange system and no virus scanning within this internal system.
An internal file management system, which must be learned and maintained in addition to the
familiar Macintosh or Windows file systems and no virus scanning within this internal system.
Technical difficulties with integration and maintenance due to a proprietary, flat-file database
structure.
Most importantly, Blackboard has a superior user interface which allows instructors both ease-of-use and
flexibility. This friendly interface has allowed faculty and students to create and use more than 190
coursesites for the Winter 2004 semester. Plus, about 20 of these courses are fully online, which
demonstrates a robust product capable of meeting online teaching and learning needs. Considering our
campus started using Bb in Summer 2002 and Information Services received no additional resources to
support this project, this is spectacular growth and performance, much of which I attribute to the design
and function of the Blackboard system.
Shortcomings of Blackboard (from the WebCT person)
- no internal email system
- no image database
- no calculated questions in quizzes
- no file manager
- no configurable course "home page"
- no on-the-fly editing of text or html pages that have been created off-line and uploaded
These items are all available in our current installation of WebCT without the addition of costly add-ons.
Also, WebCT's course design system allows for a highly configurable and individualized look and feel for
courses. The TLTC has found this to be extremely important to those involved in distance classes. If
desired, in WebCT an instructor can customize the course with their own custom icons (or none at all),
colors, and layout of information.