| More and more students are participating in | | | | |
| classes offered over the Internet. Although | | | | Teachers and students in a virtual classroom |
| an exact number has not been compiled, | | | | will still need software that enables them to |
| reliable sources estimate that between a half | | | | write papers, send email, browse the |
| million and a million students from | | | | Internet, and perform other common computer |
| kindergarten through high school take one or | | | | tasks. A Course Management System goes beyond |
| more courses online. Just as a physical | | | | these tasks to support the actual process of |
| classroom contains a chalkboard on which | | | | teaching and learning. For example, the |
| teachers and students work out lessons, a | | | | Course Management System, sometimes called a |
| Course Management System is a suite of | | | | learning management system, provides a |
| software that serves as the infrastructure | | | | mechanism for taking attendance in courses in |
| these students and their teachers need to | | | | which students log-in on their own schedule |
| work online. | | | | and are not necessarily online at the same |
| | | | time as the teacher. It also provides |
| The Course Management System is not the | | | | technology that allows the teacher to give |
| Course | | | | assignments, track student participation, and |
| | | | grade some types of work electronically. |
| The software suite that most people are | | | | |
| familiar with is Microsoft Office. A small | | | | The Course Management System Facilitates |
| business owner might use several Office | | | | Interaction |
| programs in the course of a single day: | | | | |
| writing a letter in Word to a customer asking | | | | Some online courses, called asynchronous, |
| for an appointment to make a PowerPoint | | | | allow students to log-in on their own |
| presentation on a new product; adding the | | | | individual schedule. Others, called |
| product to the Access inventory database; and | | | | synchronous, bring the class online all at a |
| calculating the profit margin in an Excel | | | | set time, along with the teacher. A Course |
| spreadsheet. The software suite enables the | | | | Management System can be used for both types |
| business owner to do his or her job, but the | | | | of classes. Importantly, the Course |
| software itself was not created by the | | | | Management System facilitates student-teacher |
| business owner and is not the same thing as | | | | and student-student interaction in both types |
| the business. In fact, the same software can | | | | of courses. |
| be used by many businesses. | | | | |
| | | | In an asynchronous course, interaction among |
| Similarly, Course Management Systems enable | | | | students and with the teacher might occur via |
| teachers of online classes to do their jobs. | | | | email messages, bulletin boards, or threaded |
| The teacher does not need to develop the | | | | discussions, all supported by the content |
| Course Management System, but can use it as a | | | | management system. In a synchronous course, |
| tool to deliver course material. The Course | | | | real-time web chats or video conferencing are |
| Management System is separate from the | | | | possible communication tools. For example, |
| subject matter of the course, and it can be | | | | IQity's Course Management System includes a |
| used with many different types of classes. | | | | LiveBoard that enables an entire class of |
| | | | students to watch the teacher in real-time |
| A Course Management System is a Suite of | | | | via web-conferencing and hold a class |
| Educational Tools | | | | discussion through an annotation feature. |