Evaluation of D2L and
Blackboard course sites
INTRODUCTION
This review will consider 5 aspects of each LMS System:
The two systems being reviewed are D2L (Desire to Learn) and Blackboard Course Sites.
This review will consider 5 aspects of each LMS System:
- Creating Groups
- Creating Discussion Boards
- Creating Electronic Gradebook
- Creating Web Conference
- Quality Check as a Demo Student
The two systems being reviewed are D2L (Desire to Learn) and Blackboard Course Sites.
Blackboard Course Sites LMS system Review
STRENGTHS:
Blackboard Course Sites has many tools for the instructor to utilize when designing and implementing a course. These tools include needed items for the course such as discussion boards, blogs and communication options. However, there are also links to outside content from McGraw Hill, NBC, and Merlot Search. This is a bonus for both the instructor and students.
The "Help" tab for students is very informative and gives great guidance on where to find all of the important components of the system.
Creating groups, discussion boards, and topics for discussion were very intuitive processes for the designer of a course in this system. The processes needed were easily identified and led to quick creation of these items.
Blackboard Course Sites has many tools for the instructor to utilize when designing and implementing a course. These tools include needed items for the course such as discussion boards, blogs and communication options. However, there are also links to outside content from McGraw Hill, NBC, and Merlot Search. This is a bonus for both the instructor and students.
The "Help" tab for students is very informative and gives great guidance on where to find all of the important components of the system.
Creating groups, discussion boards, and topics for discussion were very intuitive processes for the designer of a course in this system. The processes needed were easily identified and led to quick creation of these items.
Weaknesses:
This LMS system has many options for the designer of a course. To a point, it is a little overwhelming to locate the items you specifically want to include, such as web conferencing. Once located, including the web conference was a simple process. However, trying to locate the storage area for the conference created turned into a search that lasted in excess of 10 minutes.
Without knowing student's contact information (email, user ID, etc.) it was difficult to create class lists and connect students to grades, groups, or discussion areas. Creating a demo student turned out to be a task that was not able to be completed. Therefore, no quality check was performed. The fact that the process to create this type of account was unclear shows that this system needs some attention to user friendly guidance.
Working with the grade book proved to be challenging. Trying to add assignments ended up being a challenge also. As displayed in the screenshot below, an assignment was created but did not show up in a form that could be reviewed. This caused a great deal of confusion when trying to view as a student, particularly since a demo student was not able to be created.
Without knowing student's contact information (email, user ID, etc.) it was difficult to create class lists and connect students to grades, groups, or discussion areas. Creating a demo student turned out to be a task that was not able to be completed. Therefore, no quality check was performed. The fact that the process to create this type of account was unclear shows that this system needs some attention to user friendly guidance.
Working with the grade book proved to be challenging. Trying to add assignments ended up being a challenge also. As displayed in the screenshot below, an assignment was created but did not show up in a form that could be reviewed. This caused a great deal of confusion when trying to view as a student, particularly since a demo student was not able to be created.
D2L LMS SYStem review
STRENGTHS:
D2L system was very intuitive in creating the critical components for an online course. The framework of the system includes a horizontal bar that contains tabs to the most used areas of the course. For example, there is a communication tab, grades tab, and content tab. These are the most important areas for an instructor creating a course and for a student trying to navigate throughout the course.
D2L system was very intuitive in creating the critical components for an online course. The framework of the system includes a horizontal bar that contains tabs to the most used areas of the course. For example, there is a communication tab, grades tab, and content tab. These are the most important areas for an instructor creating a course and for a student trying to navigate throughout the course.
The "Help" feature was well designed and provided great information on creating and navigating through the system. Setting up a grade book was very easy, especially after reading the help information. The process for adding assignments was not difficult, just time consuming.
The processes for creating groups, assigning roles, and creating discussion topics was designed in such a way that even a first time course creator would be able to follow the steps to successfully create a high quality course.
This system also features a benefit of the demo student being created at the beginning of the course design. This allows the instructor to be able to see what students will see and make modifications if necessary.
Creating a web conference was only a three step process, again which was easily accessed on the main page's horizontal bar.
The processes for creating groups, assigning roles, and creating discussion topics was designed in such a way that even a first time course creator would be able to follow the steps to successfully create a high quality course.
This system also features a benefit of the demo student being created at the beginning of the course design. This allows the instructor to be able to see what students will see and make modifications if necessary.
Creating a web conference was only a three step process, again which was easily accessed on the main page's horizontal bar.
WEAKNESSES:
Creating a grade book was a step by step process that was very time consuming. Even if you had the assignment in consecutive weeks, you are required to enter them one at a time. There is no repeating assignment feature available.
Viewing the course through the demo student account was not easy to figure out with guidance from the help area. This was probably the least intuitive process of the five evaluated in this review for D2L. Although, once logged into this mode, the view from a student perspective was very helpful and allowed for easy modifications.
Creating a grade book was a step by step process that was very time consuming. Even if you had the assignment in consecutive weeks, you are required to enter them one at a time. There is no repeating assignment feature available.
Viewing the course through the demo student account was not easy to figure out with guidance from the help area. This was probably the least intuitive process of the five evaluated in this review for D2L. Although, once logged into this mode, the view from a student perspective was very helpful and allowed for easy modifications.
LMS Recommendation
After completing the processes to create the 5 components listed at the top of this review, I would recommend the D2L LMS system for school district.
The D2L system, overall, is much more intuitive than the Blackboard Course Sites system. The table contained in the Word Document below shows an informal listing of the 5 areas created and some commentary on each system with respect to the process.
The D2L system, overall, is much more intuitive than the Blackboard Course Sites system. The table contained in the Word Document below shows an informal listing of the 5 areas created and some commentary on each system with respect to the process.
table_for_comparing_lms.docx | |
File Size: | 99 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Why D2L? In looking at the current systems in place in our school district, the D2L system more closely mirrors our grade book system. Teachers will have less difficulty learning the few nuances that are different. Implementing the Blackboard Course Sites system would require a great deal of professional development for the grade book alone. In looking at what our district's teachers are most likely to use, a system that has some familiarity to what they are used to will be a better fit. D2L meets that criteria.
The other aspect that sets D2L apart is the framework that is already set up. The horizontal bar is a very helpful design, in terms of locating the important components needed to create a course. There is a clear area for teachers to go to in order to find the "guts" of the course. In creating the first four components being reviewed, this tool bar was easy to navigate through to find the specific areas.
Blackboard Course Sites offers many great tools, however they are not organized in a user friendly framework. The organization of this system is overwhelming to a new user and possibly even for those with some experience. D2L is a less threatening option that will allow our teachers to create new courses in a more manageable environment that is designed for minimal amounts of previous online experience. D2L will be a successful system in our district.
The other aspect that sets D2L apart is the framework that is already set up. The horizontal bar is a very helpful design, in terms of locating the important components needed to create a course. There is a clear area for teachers to go to in order to find the "guts" of the course. In creating the first four components being reviewed, this tool bar was easy to navigate through to find the specific areas.
Blackboard Course Sites offers many great tools, however they are not organized in a user friendly framework. The organization of this system is overwhelming to a new user and possibly even for those with some experience. D2L is a less threatening option that will allow our teachers to create new courses in a more manageable environment that is designed for minimal amounts of previous online experience. D2L will be a successful system in our district.