New Course Management System Replaces Blackboard

Carson Newman welcomed the new school year with what was considered to be a much needed update to their online server. The College now uses a program similar to Blackboard called C-N Online/Edvance360. According to Mark Seagroves, Blackboard was frequently offline and served to be unreliable at times. Since Carson-Newman's contract with Blackboard was coming to an end, it was a good time to begin looking at new systems, explained Valerie Stephens, Online Learning Director, who has been pleased with the changes made. The main consideration when looking for a new program was, "What are the needs of Carson-Newman?" says Stephens.

Another strength of the Edvance360 is the strong support provided by the tech support of the Edvance360 company. The company is willing to program Edvance360 to help meet Carson Newman's specific and individual needs as a school. Edvance360 was a needed change from blackboard, though the switch has received mixed feedback from students. "It is really slow. It does not always do what it is supposed to," remarks Anna Reel, a Junior Elementary Education major. "The teachers, although they have had training, still find it very difficult to use. It delays them putting up class notes."

The new system is "annoying," admits Dr. Peggy Hypes, professor of Education. Hypes was on the team responsible for choosing the new Edvance360 system. Edvance360 is more difficult to use before fully understanding the system. It requires the faculty to place all their files into a repository before posting them on the Edvance360 open for student viewing. The frustration lies in the multiple steps that were not present in the Blackboard system. Instead of jumping through multiple hoops to post information, "Why can't I just put it in the class folder?" asks Hypes. It simply "creates more work" and for an already busy faculty, many may be more apt to simply print handouts off and distribute them in class rather than post them on Edvance360.

However, many system changes often take one year to 18 months to complete; Carson Newman switched in four months, Stephens explains. The training for new users was short, but Stephens notes that the faculty and students seem to operate it with only occasional issues. The new system, Stephen says, was up and running "for summer classes with very little kinks" only a short while after being introduced. Edvance360 is beneficial for the work Carson-Newman is doing now, but is intuitive enough to accommodate the growth of Carson Newman's online presence.

Carson Newman has several new academic programs that are entirely online and these are expected to expand. There is online help for the Edvance360 that Stephens is writing herself. A student has also been asked to write tutorials for other students. "We really want to support the students," Stephens concludes. "That's what we're here for."

There are many who see it as a welcomed change, though it will take some getting used to. "I like it better than Blackboard but there's still a few things I can't get quite figured out," states Amy Powell, a Junior Communications and Religions major.

"Edvance is kind of like a new pair of shoes. Sometimes before you break them in they hurt your feet," says Dr. Karen Milligan, associate professor of Education. "But after you wear them a while, they become your favorite shoes. You have to re-think the way you [do] things with the old software and figure out ways to accomplish the same goal with the new software."

Whether liked or not, the new system has caused considerably less issues than Blackboard thus far. As the campus continues to adjust to the new system, "Mrs. Valerie Stephens should be applauded," says Milligan. Stephens has learned the "ins and outs" of the program and has spent a lot of time on making the help documents easily available to its users, says Milligan. "I am very grateful for her help."