The Blackboard
Learning System is a virtual learning environment and course management system developed by Blackboard
Inc. It is a Web-based server software which features course management,
customizable open architecture, and scalable design that allows integration
with student information systems and authentication protocols. It may be
installed on local servers or hosted by Blackboard ASP Solutions. Its main
purposes are to add online elements to courses traditionally delivered
face-to-face and to develop completely online courses with few or no
face-to-face meetings.
History of blackboard:
On Jan 21 1997,
Stephen
Gilfus and Dan Cane started a company called CourseInfo
LLC and were developing a software product that would power online
education and be scalable for wider institutional application. At the same
time, Matthew Pittinsky and Michael Chasen formed Blackboard LLC and were
contracted to help lead the formation of the Educause IMS standards group for
online education technology. The two groups merged to form Blackboard
Inc., which then developed the Blackboard Learning System.
Functions:
The Blackboard
Learning System provides users with a platform for communication and sharing
content.
Communication
·
Announcements: Professors and teachers may post
announcements for students to read. These can be found under the announcement
tab, or can be made to pop-up when a student accesses Blackboard.
·
Chat: This function allows those students who are online
to chat in real time with other students in their class section.
·
Discussions: This feature allows students and professors
to create a discussion thread and reply to ones already created.
·
Mail: Blackboard mail allows students and teachers to
send mail to one another. This feature supports mass emailing to students in a
course.
Content
·
Course content: This feature allows teachers to post
articles, assignments, videos etc.
·
Calendar: Teachers can use this function to post due
dates for assignments and tests.
·
Learning modules: This feature is often used for strictly
online classes. It allows professors to post different lessons for students to
access.
·
Assessments: This tab allows teachers to post quizzes and
exams and allows students to access them via the internet
·
Assignments: This features allows assignments to be
posted and students to submit assignments online
·
Grade Book: Teachers and professors may post grades on
Blackboard for students to view.
·
Media Library: Videos and other media may be posted under
this function
Official website:
how to start with
blackboard:
how to inter to blackboard
system:
how to register to class:
The name of the study:
Measuring Student Perceptions of Blackboard
Using the Technology Acceptance Model.
By: Brett J. L. Landry,† Rodger Griffeth, and
Sandra Hartman.
Research Questions
The
overall research question for this study is what are student perceptions of
Usage, Usefulness, and Ease of Use for WEI course elements? This question is
examined in terms of three specific questions and are directly based upon the
TAM and shown below.
RQ 1. Is there a relationship between university
students’ perceptions of Usefulness and Usage of WEI elements?
RQ 2. Is there a relationship between university
students’ perceptions of Ease of Use and Usage of WEI elements?
RQ 3. Is there a relationship between university
students’ perceptions of Usefulness and Ease of Use of WEI elements?
Participants
Research participants were university undergraduate and graduate students
enrolled in business classes at a southeastern, urban, public state university
during a regular semester. The university employs only one WEI tool,
Blackboard, so confusion resulting from differences between WEI tools was not
an issue. Participation in the survey was based on the willingness of the
instructors who were using Blackboard to have an in-class survey performed to
gather student perceptions of Blackboard. Because Blackboard usage is not
mandatory at the university studied, an instructor may choose to use
Blackboard, create an external Web site, or not employ a Web element in the
course. Additionally, an instructor may choose to use the tool in one class or
section and not in another. Forty-one College of Business classes, representing
all departments, participated in the study. From these classes, 824 students
responded to the survey. There were 132 responses that were incomplete and
therefore eliminated from the data set, leaving 692 valid responses. The sample
was 47% male and 84% was under the age of 30. This sample is representative of
the university’s College of Business population.
Instrument
The
instrument used in this study measured the Usage and Usefulness of WEI elements
in Blackboard. The instrument used in this study retains Effectiveness and
Importance Ease of Use dimensions. It was also designed to record students’
assessment of Effectiveness and Importance of each of 10 course elements
constituting Blackboard. These elements are: Announcements, Course Documents,
Discussion Boards, E-Mail, External Web Sites, Faculty Information, Lectures,
Quizzes, Student Tools and Grades, and Syllabus.
RESULTS
Usage and Usefulness
Research Question 1 examined if there was a relationship between university
students’ perceptions of Usefulness and Usage of WEI elements. This finding was
fully supported by the finding of a strong positive relationship among the
Usefulness and Usage factors. In each case, the Usage factors are
correlated with the corresponding Effectiveness and Importance factors. Thus
the first research question is fully supported and suggests that in the
educational setting there is a relationship between Usage and Usefulness for
the Blackboard elements.
Usage and Ease of Use
Davis (1989) defined Ease of Use as “the
degree to which a person believes that using a particular technology would be
free from effort”.
Research Question 2 examined if there was a
relationship between university students’ perceptions of Ease of Use and Usage
of WEI elements. This finding was fully supported but at varying levels.
Usefulness and Ease of Use:
Research Question 3 examined if there was a
relationship between university students’ perceptions of Usefulness and Ease of
Use of WEI elements. Similarly to Research Question 2, positive relationships
were found but at greater levels for the Content factors than the Support
factors. This finding supports the conclusions that the perceptions of Usage
and Usefulness are closely related and that as students perceive that
Blackboard is easy to use, they will also perceive that Blackboard is useful.
Recommendation:
Applying the TAM to Higher Education
This study provided findings in
several areas. First, it considered whether the TAM could be extended from IS
and acceptance of technology among IS users to students and WEI in the academic
setting. Results from this research suggest that the TAM is appropriate for the
academic setting and, specifically, that it represents a useful instrument for
measuring student reactions to Blackboard, the WEI tool used in this study.
Additionally, however, perceptions of Blackboard elements do not receive equal
acceptance. Instead, students have very different perceptions about the
Usefulness and, as a result, the Usage of Blackboard features. The features
that are part of the Course Content factor are used more often and are
perceived as more Useful than those items that provide Course Support and
communication.
Ten Blackboard elements were
examined and significant differences and relationships were found in student
perceptions of these elements. Announcements, Course Documents, Lectures,
Quizzes, Student Tools and Grades, and Syllabus were perceived to be highly used
(Usage) and very Effective and Important (Usefulness).
Link
of the study:
http://www.google.com.sa/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fiacis.org%2Fiis%2F2008%2FS2008_915.pdf&ei=jIcPVYfpLsH7aJ_FgdAF&usg=AFQjCNFjHwwa22JYalfV2m7A5HPv52_w9w
Resources:
Measuring
Student Perceptions of Blackboard Using the Technology Acceptance Model
By:
Brett J. L. Landry,† Rodger Griffeth, and Sandra Hartman University of New
Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans.
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