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