11086

11086

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (no formal paper)

Comparing Usability, Efficiency of Grading and Community Building Potential of Blackboard 9.1 Discussion Boards and Wiki Tools
Kirsti Dyer, Columbia College, Sonora, CA, USA, dr.kdyer@gmail.com

With the release of Blackboard version 9.1, online instructors are exploring ways to use the new tools and applications to build communities of online learners. Key to using these tools is finding ways to engage students and while still being manageable, time efficient and straightforward to grade for the instructor.

This presentation will include brief general information on advantages and disadvantages of using online discussion boards and wikis. Perspectives and personal experiences will be shared about using these two tools from Blackboard 9.1 in teaching online courses.

The tools will be discussed by comparing student and instructor perceptions of these applications. Students’ perspective will look at use, ease of use, preference of systems, level and depth of student interaction. Instructor’s perspective will explore perceived ability to encourage interaction, community building and efficiency of grading.

During the presentation participants will be invited to share their own experiences using these tools for building online communities. Participants will benefit by learning how discussion boards and wikis can be used in online courses and also in the latest version of Blackboard that many colleges are adopting or may be adopting.

All Audiences Web 2.0 tools for learning, Building Online Communities, Discussion Boards, Wikis, Blackboard 9.1, Case Study