April 7, 2008
| Blackboard Offers Academic Excellence with Technological Ease Professors and students alike are beginning to enthusiastically take their turns at the Blackboard, the online course application that is becoming an increasingly integral part of the Brooklyn College system since its introduction in 2001. There’s no need to worry about electronic crowds, though. According to Carlos Cruz, the Blackboard support technician who has his office in Room 381 at the Brooklyn College Library, the software offers plenty of access to all who want it. “As of the end of the Fall 2007 semester,” he says, “there were a total of 2,336 course sites in the national Blackboard database, up from an initial number of 49 sites when Blackboard technology made its first appearance on campus.” Growth has been swift since September 2006, when Cruz joined the Brooklyn College staff. At that time there were 1,112 course sites in the database. “We currently have six courses at Brooklyn College that are fully online,” he says. “Two more will be added shortly.” Also, he notes: “All Brooklyn College professors and students are eligible to sign in.” A commercially provided service, Blackboard is a free online resource that is customizable to each fit an individual professor’s specifications. It will hold assignments, syllabi and readings. It also can serve as a communications tool, allowing faculty and students to easily interact through email, bulletin board postings and real-time group discussions. “Students who miss a class can check for any assignments they might need,” Cruz adds. “They can also take a quiz online and have it automatically marked.” To learn more about Blackboard, go to the Academic Information Technologies page on Blackboard at http://ait.brooklyn.cuny.edu/index. php?view=blackboard or contact Cruz at CarlosA@brooklyn.cuny.edu or (718) 951-4667.
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Carlos Cruz |
