FTC  January 24, 2012

 

1.  Learning Management Systems – CMS (Course or Content)  IMS or TMS or LMS , naming question is the problem.

 

Vendors have been approached with a Request For Proposals (RFP). 

Beth Clark is running the process.  Others include IT and some faculty (unnamed). 

 

The group is working out business requirements, vetting a Òfull scriptÓ to define what a vendor would bring in a presentation to the university.  Three evenings are anticipated for a short list of vendors: March 22, 26 and 28.  A number of vendors were named, but these are not listed in these minutes. 

           

Schedule:  March – invitations out and two full days of demo

Evening of first day of demos: a higher level demo for faculty and students – how the product works – faculty session will be open to FTC group (all of us who might be interested).  Anyone who comes should attend all three in order to make a useful comparison and recommendation. 

 

Overall LMS budget not set; next Tuesday E-learning will receive final approval.  Desire to have the decision made by end of semester.  Pilots are anticipated in 2012-2013. Then follows a multi-year migration in 2013-2015. Any LMS conversion process will be labor intensive – migration tools exist in some cases, but Òease of migrationÓ will not be the basis for the decision to adopt.

 

Coursekit.com does not want an RFP – not their model (see December Minutes and item 5 below) – their approach is individual.  Some of the vendors take for granted moving into Google.apps. 

 

Whatever we adopt will be able to support online education, if and when the university goes in that direction.

 

Confidentiality for FTCs (all of us) involves not answering questions of vendors;  FTCs ought refer them to Rita who will send them on to the right (i.e. knowledgeable?) people. 

 

Final note:  History of BC and LMSs:  Webct was for 10 years;   Three year contract with BbV after Blackboard bought out WebCT.   Blackboard is phasing out WebCTVista as was anticipated when the three year contract signed.    Blackboard is still in the LMS business and could be one of finalists.

 

 

2.  Sophos on home computers. If you installed Sophos from BC on your home computer,

you should uninstall it, and install it from Sophos. Sophos offers a free edition for

personal use. The version installed from BC no longer updates itself unless you are

connected to BCÕs VPN. For more information see:

www.bc.edu/content/bc/software/applications/antivirus.html

Uninstall your current Home Sophos.

 

3.  Identity Finder on Macs: The Identity Finder software that detects social security and

credit card numbers on a computer will be made available to BC Macintosh users this

semester. Users will have to download and install the software themselves. Once installed,

users will have to option of either (1) a daily scan [default], or (2) agreeing to scan their

computer manually with the software at least monthly. ITS will work with the data

security officers on the schedule for installation before the end of the semester. If you are

interested in helping test Identify Finder, please contact Barry Schaudt or your TC. Note

that despite the self-install of the Mac software, the university expects this software to be

installed and run on each faculty and staff member's primary work computer.

 

Information and guidance will come from our Data Security OfficersÉ. 

Anyone who wishes to volunteer should notify their TC.

On Mac product, individual can delete suspect files one self.  Data security officers get list.  False positives can only be dealt with by Data Security Officer – nine digit numbers are the problem.

 

4.  University Council on Teaching.  Michael Connolly introduced an issue – Something coming from the Federal Govt  via our University Council on Teaching:  how might technologically-minded faculty help devise a technological solution to the proposed ÒPeer Review of TeachingÓ?  Alec Peck suggests video capture as a possible approach. 

 

Options:  FTC-based committee – to insure formative review as opposed to summative – useful app for classroom visitations.  When is this coming? 

 

Rich Jenson- advocates videotaping oneÕs own teaching;  Òpersonal captureÓ (Rita).

 

Faculty could work at finding an app that would handle the data as it comes in.

 

Rita will come back with a presentation of approaches at other schools. 

 

 

 

5.  Coursekit .com.  short discussion – Tim Duket spoke on his use of Coursekit.  Adopted for seminars in spring semester.  Ease of use and access.  Quite reliable and stable.  One possible advantage is that students enter themselves in the course (invitation code is sent to them).  No disadvantages or glitches as yet.  Instructor in a seminar can do everything on coursekit that was done in BbV.

 

Rita Owens warns ÒYou are on your ownÓ,   She also recommends us pouring FTC energy and influence into the new LMS.   Coursekit support is now intense because they are going  after our business.  The future may lie in the clouds:  iCloud, Google apps.      Analogy – Do you do your printing with Kinko or the Eagle Press?  Tough call?

 

Respectfully submitted by Tim Duket.  Next meeting Wednesday, February 15, 2012

 

Schedule changes:  email from MJC to FTCs: Our scheduled 20 March and 18 April meetings will yield to the two or three evening presentations by prospective vendors for BCÕs BbVista replacement product.

IDeS has presently scheduled these for

   Thursday, 22 March,

   Monday, 26 March,

   Wednesday 28 March

details to follow, but plan on 5-7 with dinner thrown in.

 

IDeS is asking as many of us as possible to commit to attending *all (two or) three* of these presentations because without having seen all three products we cannot make proper comparisons and recommendations.