Villanova faculty to acquire new course-building options with WebCT Vista
LYNNFIELD, Mass., March 7, 2005 – Villanova University, a perennial number one school in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, has selected the WebCT Vista academic enterprise system to provide faculty with powerful new course development capabilities on a scalable infrastructure to accommodate burgeoning e-learning growth.
Villanova’s 900 full- and part-time faculty members will be able to use the system’s powerful content management capabilities to mix, match and reassemble learning objects across courses, disciplines, departments and even colleges. The result will be dynamic new courses that give students a richer, more powerful learning experience and quantifiably improved outcomes.
WebCT Vista is scheduled to go live at Villanova in the fall of 2006. Further in the future, Villanova will have the option of hosting e-learning programs of smaller schools in the Philadelphia region, which has one of the nation’s highest concentration of higher education institutions.
“We looked closely at the enterprise-scale course management systems market and decided WebCT Vista’s unique set of features and functions were the only ones that could meet our needs,” said Villanova CIO Stephen Fugale. “WebCT Vista was also a superior fit because it has relationships with Oracle, Sun and SCT, which are our partners as well.”
Villanova has used the WebCT Campus Edition course management system since 1999 to enhance traditional classes with online components, including text, graphics, multimedia clips, discussions, chat and assessments. Eighty percent of its 8,000 students use WebCT in their studies, including humanities, sciences and language requirements, and more than 50 percent of classes are enhanced with WebCT-powered online capabilities. The institution also offers special online programs leading to a nursing doctorate, graduate degrees in the business school, as well as advanced degrees in the College of Engineering.
The University’s Center for Instructional Technologies has facilitated the integration of WebCT Campus Edition with its homegrown academic portal, LDAP authentication system, SCT Banner student information system and Library e-reserves. Students and faculty are provided secure Web-based access to student services, courses, financial information, grades and more. WebCT is supplemented with a portfolio application and synchronous collaboration tools. Library e-reserves are also housed within the WebCT environment.
Villanova is a WebCT Institute, part of the community of WebCT institutions with exemplary campus-wide e-learning implementations. As such, it moderates a WebCT-powered Online Faculty Forum for new and veteran instructors to share ideas. In addition, it offers 35 different workshops covering effective instruction via WebCT. It also has two WebCT Certified Trainers and two more active candidates for the designation. Along with Drexel University and Bucks County Community College, Villanova also co-sponsors the Northeast Regional WebCT Users Group (see NEWUG web site at http://www.webct.com/newug for upcoming user events).
“Villanova has an excellent academic tradition that aggressively incorporates e-learning to improve its education program, and the university has had great success with WebCT Campus Edition,” said Carol Vallone, WebCT president and CEO. “As its needs have grown, Villanova has realized it needs to turn to an enterprise e-learning system that can support its mission-critical e-learning initiatives. WebCT Vista is the perfect foundation for the university’s growing e-learning programs and plans for integration with other academic technologies.”
About Villanova
Villanova University is an independent coeducational institution of higher learning founded by the Augustinian Order of the Roman Catholic Church which welcomes students of all faiths. Villanova’s annual enrollment consists of about 6,125 undergraduate students with a total of 10,000 students, incorporating the Law School, graduate degree and continuing studies programs. The University offers a wide variety of degree programs through four colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Commerce and Finance, the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing. For the 15th consecutive year, the University has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as No. 1 in its region (North). The campus is located in a suburban community 12 miles west of Philadelphia on a picturesque 255-acre campus.
About WebCT
WebCT has set the standard for e-learning systems in higher education. Based in Lynnfield, Mass., WebCT provides a highly flexible e-learning environment that empowers institutions across the educational spectrum with the ability to achieve their unique objectives. Thousands of colleges and universities around the world, from community colleges to large university consortia, are using WebCT to expand the boundaries of teaching and learning. For more information, please visit webct.com.
