Why Are We Still Using WebCT?

(this article is in it’s full entirety. The newspaper version was edited down for space considerations)

The replacement for WebCT will arrive in the next year. The college is looking at a couple of different possibilities, the most likely candidate being a system called “Angel”.The other two possibilities are “Moodle” and “Blackboard”. Lethbridge College and SAIT are the only two institutions in Alberta still using WebCT.

The college has been taking it’s time to survey and research why WebCT is no longer meeting the needs of students and instructors. Many complain the system is too difficult to use, while others say it’s hard to find what they’re looking for.

Outsourcing the project will enable the college to join the scores of other institutions in Canada and the United States who have handed the management of their systems to private companies. The process is also associated with the term “Cloud Computing”. Instead of every major company running their own servers, private companies do the work for them.

The possibility of outsourcing the management of the new Learning Management System (LMS) to an outside company, not only for reliability, but for better support and security.

“Where we should be right now, according to our plan, is implementing our LMS. Our plan got derailed because of two things…FOIP and the Patriot Act. If we host it off-site, it has to be within Canada. We won’t be making a decision until the middle of October, so our whole process got pushed back about six months.” Explains Dwayne Harapnuik, manager of education technology at the college.

It was rumoured since last January or so that a new system would be in place for the fall term. Obviously, it’s not. However, the college has given itself extra time to explore the best way to implement their new plans and create a better experience for staff and students.

“One of the advantages we have in taking our time is that when we do make a switch, there’s enough experience to show that this is the easiest way [to implement the new system], the path of least resistance.” Mr. Harapnuik told The Endeavour.

The biggest reason the college is leaning toward the “Angel” system is because it’s so easy to use and very customizable. During initial tests, students and faculty were easily exploring the system within minutes.

“Once you use technology that is well made and well designed, you realize what you can do. Angel is so easy, we probably wouldn’t have to train anyone to use it. It’s just that simple. It’s so straight forward, so intuitive.” Harapnuik said with enthusiasm.

“Once you use technology that is well made and well designed, you realize what you can do. Angel is so easy, we probably wouldn’t have to train anyone to use it. It’s just that simple. It’s so straight forward, so intuitive.” Mr. Harapnuik said with enthusiasm.

To learn more about the Angel system, you can visit http://www.angellearning.com, or Harapnuik’s website at http://learn.lethbridgecollege.net.

Students and faculty should expect to see the new system, the most likely choice being “Angel” in place possibly as early as Christmas, on a trial basis, and fully deployed by sometime in 2009.