News | Academics
CourseWorks System Has Flaws, Some Say, Despite Growing Popularity Among Professors
By Scott Levi • February 25, 2009 at 12:22 PM
By Scott Levi • February 25, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Seven years after its inception, Columbia's CourseWorks system, the online portal for most academic classes, remains a double-edged sword that will stay in use for longer than expected.
break
CourseWorks permits students to access most course materials, faculty to update their pupils on grades and syllabus changes, and entire classes to simulate discussions in written form. Yet when CourseWorks' functions shift toward dysfunctional, progress is hampered. Administrators had intended to replace CourseWorks with a system called Sakai soon. But in order to help save money during the economic crisis, the update has been deferred indefinitely.
Recent statistics from the Center for New Media Teaching and Learning reveal that faculty use of CourseWorks is on the rise, as depicted by intermittent increases over the past three years. Whereas only 2,800 professors took advantage of CourseWorks in 2005, the number jumped to 3,641 by the next year. Last fall, 4,223 made it a part of their regimen.
"Just as the growth of technology adoption by the masses is making more and more people feel comfortable utilizing technology for all kinds of things, Columbia faculty are seeing the real value.
CourseWorks brings to the teaching and learning environment," Robert Litvak, senior communications director for Columbia University Information Technology, said in an e-mail.
The hike in usage is likely not the result of changes to the internal framework.
While CUIT has added new features and expanded older ones, CourseWorks' success is more closely linked to larger efforts by Columbia to build up an infrastructure that fosters the adoption of emerging technology as a daily tool. Since the birth of CourseWorks in 2002, the University has recruited new technologists to help with development and has promoted programs that acquaint faculty with pedagogical media.
Basic interaction with CourseWorks is another likely contributor to increased popularity of the program among faculty. According to Litvak, some professors first met with CourseWorks through the end-of-term evaluations operating on the system.
Yet, despite boosts in its prominence, CourseWorks lacks the ability to fully acclimate to the latest breakthroughs in media. Many internet fixtures, including blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds, came with the advent of Web 2.0, which followed the collapse of the dot-com bubble in the early 2000s.
CourseWorks works on an earlier foundation, causing professors to search for alternative means of encouraging student traffic on these communications devices. For example, a professor might create a wiki at a separate address or paste a link into CourseWorks directing users to an external blog.
CourseWorks upgrades from the past few years include the integration of audio features to discussion boards, a page for storing Reserves materials, and the addition of school-based announcements for students. CUIT has also cut down the time between course registration and the availability of corresponding CourseWorks pages.
The demographic that is most instrumental in CourseWorks' growth is, at the same time, quick to concede its flaws. Students seem to experience numerous minor glitches.
One concern involves the discussion board. In order to post comments, students must possess familiarity with HTML coding. "I think it would be good to not have to use HTML," Sarah Leonard, CC '10, said. "Some are more proficient than others."
Other students reported instances in which the discussion board failed to register their entries. "It doesn't save what I've posted ... and then I'll be in class later and realize it didn't post," Constanza Jacobs, BC '10, said.
In spite of these issues, many appear pleased. Yamila Hernandez, CC '11, said that she likes CourseWorks because it reduces a paper trail.
"Some professors aren't as acquainted with it as others," said Sam Kerbel, GS/JTS '11. For him, harnessing the capacities of CourseWorks was just a matter of time. "I realized last year the ability to use it for all different things," he said.
More In News
Editor's Picks