Author: Terry Beachy
Last saved by: terry.beachy

Terry Beachy
Analyzing Blackboard as the Choice Technology
April 12, 2010
Word Count: 1698
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Analyzing Blackboard as the Choice Technology

Introduction

Distance education (DE) is one of the most spectacular technology-based changes in education today. As described by Holmberg (2005), it is a planned, formal education with a system that delivers the subject matter to the learner; generally, there is separation of learner and teacher, and the main vehicle of communication is technology (p. 9). Thus, Garrett College is on the forefront of branching out exponentially in this direction to serve its population of learners. The mission of the college is to “provide accessible, quality education in a supportive environment to a diverse student population. We are committed to the ongoing development of engaging, innovative, and sustainable curricula, programs, and initiatives that are responsive to a changing world” (Garrett College). Hence, part of their mission statement reflects on development and initiatives in response to a changing world. Without hesitation, the institution adopted the Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard, so they would revolutionize their online education programs, in particular the Microsoft application course, Word. 
Blackboard is a Web-based course management server software platform which offers interactive features intended to augment learning and permit access to course materials anytime through the Internet. Thus, it can be utilized in either synchronous or asynchronous modes (Moore and Kearsley, 2005). The environment is characterized by customizable open architecture and a scalable design. The institution is now reflecting back if this is the best technology to accomplish their mission. The dilemma is that there is an incredible combination of factors to take into consideration and consequently, there may not be one best solution. To simplify the process, Bates and Poole (2003) discuss a model for the selection and analysis of technology entitled, SECTIONS. The acronym SECTIONS stands for Students, Ease of use and reliability, Costs, Teaching and learning, Interactivity, Organizational issues, Novelty and Speed. This model is appealing as it focuses on the student, the organization, and the subject matter. The following article is a concise overview of the SECTIONS model and how it is used to analyze Blackboard as to its merits and effectiveness as a LMS.
Analysis

Students
First, the SECTIONS framework beings with accessing the students “demographics, access, and learning styles” (Bates and Poole, 2003, p. 80).  Along with traditional learners, there is quite a population of non-traditional learners. Some learners attend full-time, while others attend on a part-time basis. Some students are still using dialup as a means to connect to the internet, while others have the availability of high-speed internet in their homes. All have the opportunity to use the computers in the college library where high speed connection is throughout.  Students desiring to take this course are required to take the prerequisite, Introduction to Computers, to ensure a basic level of computer literacy. Blackboard was the availability to accommodate a variety of student preferences with its multimedia approach. More specifically Morrison (2007) discusses learning styles by stating, “learners find certain methods of learning more appealing than others” (p. 56). Accordingly, some learners are more comfortable with a visual approach, while others would rather attend lectures and read the text, yet others learn from physical activities. Inevitability, the choice in learning solutions is based on knowing the learning styles of the various students combined with which materials and learning stratagies can be easily adapted to accommodate individual needs. Additionally, Morrison (2007) speaks of “active learning”  (p. 222). Hence, materials meant to achieve active learning need to be carefully selected to engage learners. Moreover, important to note when selecting the learning solutions is that individuals learn at different rates. Therefore, a variety of materials that meets the objectives and put into an instructional sequence would allow for individual differences in speed, abilities and preferences. Blackboard has the propensity to meets these goals.
Ease of use and reliability 
The second criteria to consider in choosing a LMS is the ease of use and reliability (Bates and Poole, 2003). Since the students must take a prerequisite, Blackboard, is relatively easy to use with an interface that is simplistic, straightforward and can be accessed through various browsers. Learners may choose to view an audio and/or a video introduction to provide basic instruction and an overview of the application. As described by Moore (2005), this is a great tool to reduce anxiety. In particular, “it is desirable to include an orientation session in any DE course, where students can find out about how the delivery system works and what is expected of them” (p. 178). Additionally Blackboard offers Backpack which enables learners to synchronize their learning materials for offline use. In regard to reliability, Blackboard is on a secure server within the College and the technology offers user authentication by means of a user name and password and uses Secure Socket Layer encryption.  Once logged in, learners navigate via a series of hyperlinks. The links are clearly identified on the left-hand side with appropriate whitespace, creating a smooth-flowing website.
Costs 
The third criterion to consider is cost factors such as items of expenditure and driver of costs (Bates and Poole, 2003). The learning institution has adopted Blackboard as their LMS, thus zero cost to instructors. The site is premised on the adopted textbook, thus copyright and intellectual properties are not concerns. Photocopying and printing costs do not need to be addressed, as the curriculum is entirely online. In addition, there is a web site designer on hand at no cost to assist with producing the site. Thus, the driver of costs is the time spent on preparing technology-based materials. This can be a concern as instructors may only be paid for their actual instructional time. As such, the only defined cost to the learner is hookup to their internet service provider if accessing from home.
Teaching and learning  
The fourth criteria is teaching and learning (Bates and Poole, 2003). In essence, the kinds of learning required, appropriate pedagogy and media attributes to achieve the learner objectives. The main pedagogical structure of this LMS focuses on the theory of constructivism. The constructivist model emphasizes “activity, construction, collaboration, complexity with problems embedded in authentic contexts” to create “advanced skills in thinking, analyzing, synthesizing and experimenting” (Altalib, 2002, p. 12). Hence, Blackboard supports multiple learning styles by providing multimedia such as text, images, audio, animations, graphics, etc. Printouts and playback are available to comply with Section 508 accessibility regulations. In addition, there are a cornucopia of gaming features such as crossword puzzles, jeopardy, matching, and the like along with immediate self-scoring pretests.
Interactivity
The fifth criterion is interactivity (Bates and Poole, 2003).  Anderson (2003) places a high value on interaction by stating, “The quality and quantity of student-teacher interaction is dependent on the instructional design and selection of learning activities” (p. 134). This can be in the form of learner to content, learner to instructor, or learner to learner (Moore and Kearsley, 2005). With Blackboard, students interact in a variety of ways such as chat, discussion boards, whiteboard, document sharing, Podcasts, blogs and e-mail messaging to facilitate the learning process. Likewise, interaction is imperative as Moore and Kearsley (2005), proclaim “The heart of the asynchronous online course is the discussion forum” (p. 149). Another important consideration is providing feedback. Bates and Poole (2003), affirms this by stating, “Feedback provides learners with knowledge of results that indicates whether they have learned correctly” (p. 99).
Organizational issues  
The sixth criterion to consider is the presence of absence of organizational support with the chosen technology (Bates and Poole, 2003). Evidence of this includes the institution having a dedicated server for Blackboard; however, being a small institution they have limited technical support. Yet, Blackboard does have a help/resource center to resolve issues of technological nature. They include FAQs, email, and phone support. 
Novelty 
The seventh criterion to analyze is novelty (Bates and Poole, 2003); hence, how new is the technology. Blackboard is well established. It originated in 1997 and has gained a solid reputation as a feature-rich, stable learning environment. 
Speed
The final criteria to consider in choosing a LMS is its speed (Bates and Poole, 2003). Speed is the least discriminate in the SECTIONS model as “technologies vary in their capacity for speed of implementation and flexibility of updating” (Bates and Poole, 2003, p. 104). Blackboard needs minimum bandwidth to run effectively, yet consideration needs to be given if PowerPoints, Podcasts and the like are incorporated into the context of the LMS where greater bandwidth is needed.  Content can be easily updated. Blackboard uses media that is readily found on computers today. They are relatively easy to create and content can be revised with ease as needed. 
Conclusion

By using the SECTIONS model and systematically analyzing each of its eight factors, it is demonstrated there is much room for growth at Garrett College using the LMS Blackboard. The SECTIONS model considers the basic fundamentals that need to be addressed in the effective use of technology. Thus, it is obvious that Blackboard has the strong propensity to increase the knowledge and skills bank of students using a constructivist pedagogical approach with its ease of use, reliability, and low cost. With attention being paid to the content of the online class, specifically enhancing it with a variety of multimedia resources and interaction for both student-to-student and student-to-instructor, success is imminent. Likewise, if the technical support issues are addressed, the College has the propensity to be successful in its online endeavors and grow by leaps and bounds.  

References

Altalib, H. (2002). The use of mobile-wireless technology for education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu 
Anderson, T. (2003). Modes of interaction in distance education: Recent Developments and research questions. In M. G. Moore & W. G. Anderson (eds.), Handbook of distance education (p. 129-144). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bates, A.W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective teaching with technology in higher education: Foundations for success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 
Garrett College (2010). Retrieved March 29, 2010 from www.garrettcollege.edu 
Holmberg, B. (2005). The evolution, principles and practices of distance education. Oldenburg: Bibliotheks-und Informationsststems der Universitat Oldenburg. 
Moore, M.G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: A systems view (2^nd ed.) Belmont, CA: Waldsworth.
Morrison, G.R., S. Ross, and J. E. Kemp. (2007). Designing effective instruction. (5th ed) New York: John Wiley and Sons.