FutureUTM

Please note: The data for this study came directly from the six vendors reviewed. As a user, if you disagree with the presence or absence of features for a particular CMS product, please contact the vendor with your feedback.

Quick Jump To:

• Table 1. Comparisons of features among CMS products evaluated: Learning Tools.

• Table 2. Comparisons of features among CMS products evaluated: Collaboration Tools.

• Table 3. Comparisons of features among CMS products evaluated: Authoring Tools.

• Table 4. Comparisons of features among CMS products evaluated: Course Management Tools.

• Table 5. Comparisons of features among CMS products evaluated: Administration Tools/Costs.

• Table 6. Comparative scores on the presence and absence of specified feature sets.

• Corrections Submitted by Users and Vendors after October 13, 1999.

Blackboard

WBT Systems

VLE

MadDuck

WebCT, Inc.

Embanet

CourseInfo

TopClass v.3.1

VirtualU v.2.4+

WCB v.4

WebCT v.2

IntraLearn

Collaboration Tools

Discussion Options

Y

Asynchronous

Y

Email (one to one)

Browser/Forms

Built in

Browser/Forms

Browser

Built in

Y

List Servs/Newsgroups (many to many)

Y

N

N

Y(3p)

Y(3p)

Y

Text-based conferencing (many to many)

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Bulletin Board (one to many)

Y

N

N

N

Y

Synchronous

Y

Chat

Y(3p)

N

Y

Built in

Y

Y

Archive

Y(3p)

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Whiteboard

Y

N

Y(3p)

Built in

Y

Y

Archive

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Teleconferencing

N

N

Y(3p)

N

Y(3p)

Y(3p)

Video

N

N

Y(3p)

N

Y(3p)

Y(3p)

Audio

N

N

Y(3p)

N

Y(3p)

Y(3p)

Live, text-based conferencing

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

File sharing

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Email attachments

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Message attachments

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

File storage

Y

Assignments only

Y

Y

Y

Y

Private directory on course server

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

Public file library

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Work Group Areas

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Group Web pages

N

N

N

N

Y

Y

Group conferences

Y

?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Team building

N

N

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Blackboard

WBT Systems

VLE

MadDuck

WebCT, Inc.

Embanet

CourseInfo

TopClass v.3.1

VirtualU v.2.4+

WCB v.4

WebCT v.2

IntraLearn

Authoring Tools

Course planning

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Course design

Y

Y

Y

Built in;3p

Y

Y

Course templates

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Automated glossary

N

N

N

Y

Y

Automated course TOC/index

Y

N

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Course search engine

Y

Y

N

Y(3p)

Y

Y

File management

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Instructor file storage

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Batch upload

N

Y

N

N

Y

N

Batch delete

N

Y

N

N

Y

N

Instructor guide

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Course exemplars

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Web search tools

N

N

Y(3p)

Y(3p)

N

Y

Multimedia capability

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Blackboard

WBT Systems

VLE

MadDuck

WebCT, Inc.

Embanet

CourseInfo

TopClass v.3.1

VirtualU v.2.4+

WCB v.4

WebCT v.2

IntraLearn

Course Management

Instructor information pages

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Course info/syllabus

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Course calendar/schedule

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Announcements/Bulletins

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Student management

Student presentation/project pages

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Registration

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Batch upload

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Batch delete

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

N

Attendance/Participation Tracking

Attendance

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Participation

Y

Y

N

N

N

Y

Gradebook

Student access to own data

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Automatic assignment progress tracking

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Assignment reminders

N

N

N

N

N

N

Automatic grade calculation

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Class averages auto calc

N

N

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Assessment

Quizes

Y

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Y

Timed

Y

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Y

Repeatable

Y

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Y

Exercises

Y

N

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Y

Timed

N

Y(3p)

Y

N

Y

Repeatable

Y

Y(3p)

Y

Y

Y

Course Archive/Backup

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Course replication

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Course revision

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Online Help/FAQs

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

While we checked the accuracy of this report with representative from each vendor, it is always possible that misunderstanding of specific feature definitions may have resulted in answers that are later thought to be inaccurate by those same vendors. In addition, users often report that certain features a vendor thinks are present, either are not really there or don't work as the user would hope.

For both of the above reasons, FutureU invites vendor and user feedback to this report.

At FutureU we're always interested in a diversity of experience and opinion. If you want to join in a discussion about the pros and cons of the Course Management Software reviewed here, drop in to our Online Learning Exchange and join the discussion forum to post your contributions.

Please note that there was one error in the IntraLearn from Embanet chart...IntraLearn does Batch Loading (doesn't do Batch Deleting, however). The chart had it listed as a No

Steve
Director of Product Strategy
Blackboard Inc.

========= Eval Change ========================================== Area = Collaboration Tools
- Message Attachments
Courseinfo allows message attachments in both the email as well as the discussion board communication areas.

- Group Pages
CourseInfo allows users to create multiple groups and provides each group with their own set of communication tools as well as file sharing.

- Team Building
CourseInfo allows users to contact one another through the email specific users and allows them to collaborate in team environments through the use of group pages. Motivational team building is provided through group collaboration and file sharing.

Area = Authoring Tools
- Batch Upload
This technical facility allows users to batch upload a group of files that may exist in a web structure or a multitude of files that are interconnected.

Area = Course Management Tools
- Student Presentation/Project Pages
The group areas can be used for either groups of students or single individuals and allow individual students to post documents and other project files that they have created during the course.

Automatic Grade Calculation
- CourseInfo Automatically calculates the students grade as they take tests and quizzes in the system. In addition this infromation is stored in the online gradebook.

- Timed Assessments
Instructors to allocate timed sessions for tests and quizzes.

Area = Administration Tools
- Automated Registration
CourseInfo provides all the necesssary tools required to batch upload students to the system.

- Claude you probably can't see this at a system basis as you need administrative access. I would be more than happ y to provide you with temporary access if needed, or I could show you directly at EDUCAUSE.

- Student Transcript
A transcript of how the student is doing in the course is stored in the gradebook and can be printed upon request. Simply search by user and pull up all their grades for the course.

- Demo/Real Course
Instructors can create a course on Blackboard.com for no cost and can keep the course their indefinitly.

Dear Ms. Lozano:

Thanks for voicing your concern. At FutureU, we appreciate and encourage a diversity of opinion.

FutureU is an independent consulting firm and content provider whose e-books and courses run in any Course Management System.

We feel very fortunate that MadDuck technologies was generous enough to host us in their booth at Educause. But as I am about to explain, our relationship with MadDuck had nothing to do with how well they did in our comparison report.

If you will read the "Methodology" section closely, you will find that we sent the features list to each vendor and the answers we include in the report are the ones that the vendor reported. We asked all vendors to report on their most current versions.

The answers included for WebCT came from Phillip Chatterton, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, ULT Canada (WebCT's parent company).

There are two logical ways that you can get your opinions about WebCT heard:

1) Contact WebCT and let them know that you disagree with the answers that their agent supplied to us. Urge them to send a new set of answers. When we receive those new answers, we will update the report to reflect them (after some testing to be sure that they actually work).

2) Join a discussion forum in the FutureU Online Learning Exchange to let your opinions be known to the online educators participating there. We will open the Learning Exchange discussion forums sometime this month and will be happy to send you an invitation when that happens. In the meantime, you can get a sneak peak at the whole virtual community for online educators at http://www.futureu.com/olx.html

Thanks again for your concern. We welcome your ideas on any subject related to online education and we look forward to hearing more from you in the near future. Your interest and attention to detail would be a valuable addition to our Online Learning Exchange. I very much hope you will visit the site often.

November 17,1999

Claude Whitmyer, CIO
FutureU.com

Dear Claude -

We r