California State University system expands relationship with WebCT

LYNNFIELD, Mass, Nov. 24, 2003 – WebCT, maker of the world’s most flexible and widely used higher education e-learning solutions, today announced it has expanded its relationship with the country’s largest university system.

Nine California State University (CSU) system campuses have upgraded to the WebCT Campus Edition(tm) 4.0 course management system, enhancing their capabilities for quick course development, inter-campus collaboration and integration with enterprise applications on campus. Seven of the recently upgraded CSU campuses have selected WebCT Campus Edition as their only course management system. WebCT, helping to facilitate broader system collaboration, has also set up an exclusive online community for CSU users to share best practices and content.

The developments build on an active system-wide agreement the CSU system entered with WebCT earlier this year to make its course management system technology available to all 23 campuses, their 414,000 students and 46,000 faculty and staff.

“The system-wide agreement with WebCT makes it easy for CSU campuses to grow with WebCT. The new release, which delivers new, easy-to-use features, helps our faculty develop and deploy new courses more quickly,” said Kathy Fernandes, director, academic technologies at California State University, Chico. “Our faculty have enthusiastically told us that WebCT 4.0 is ‘impressive,’ ‘intuitive,’ and ‘easy to use’ – so much so that it actually ‘encourages innovation.’ And many of our students are asking that WebCT be part of every class they take.”

WebCT 4.0 users in the system now include Bakersfield, Chico, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San Marcos, Sonoma and San Jose. Additional CSU campuses are using other WebCT course management technologies.

New features in WebCT Campus Edition 4.0 are simplifying and accelerating course development for CSU faculty. They include:

• design wizards that automate common set up of home pages, syllabi, organizer pages, content modules, discussions, mail, calendars and chats;
• an integrated Web authoring tool with spell-check, providing course designers with what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) content creation; and
• an import feature that allows designers to easily incorporate IMS and LRN compliant learning objects in their courses. Designers can also create learning objects offline using applications such as Microsoft FrontPage and Microsoft PowerPoint and import them into WebCT Campus Edition with their structure and linking intact.

“The CSU system is a thriving education community, and its WebCT campuses in particular have been able to scale their e-learning programs significantly to support student demand,” said Carol Vallone, WebCT president and CEO. “With this agreement, the CSU community can take full advantage of our technology and collaborate closely to achieve e-learning excellence across the system.”

About the California State University system
The California State University (CSU) is a leader in high-quality, accessible, student-focused higher education. With 23 campuses, 414,000 students, and 46,000 faculty and staff, it is the largest, the most diverse, and one of the most affordable university systems in the country. The CSU system offers unlimited opportunities to help students achieve their goals. It prepares graduates who go on to make a difference in the workforce. And it plays a vital role in the growth and development of California’s economy. For more information, please visit www.calstate.edu .

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 Read the Full Story.