The Digital Classroom (est. 1995) is a Learning Management System (LMS) and Research Database for Educational Technology courses.
- Opened to public (March 2010)
- Northern Kentucky University (2005 – 2009)
- Xavier University (2007-2008)
- University of Kansas (1999-2005)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1995-1999)
The primary function of TDC is to support learning and to provide strategies and resources that students can use to augment their educational experience in their courses.
TDC uses a combination of free, open source and commercially developed technologies to provide a learning environment and research database. The web interface was designed and developed using a variety of early webpage design programs such as GoLive Studio, Dreamweaver, BBEdit, and Symantec Visual Page. From 1995 to 2006, the site was maintained using Dreamweaver Studio MX 2004 and Filemaker Pro. Course delivery was redesigned in 2006 to take full advantage of the open-source program Moodle®. Moodle® was selected for its extensive administrative features and because it is a free alternative to commercial software such as WebCT and Blackboard. Moodle is used by a growing number of universities, schools, as well as independent teachers for distance education or to supplement face-to-face teaching.
The strength of any LMS lies within its ability to foster and manage student-student and student-teacher interactions. When a student registers with TDC they activate their accounts for access to courses and resources:
- Students may securely access their grades and assignments including instructor feedback specific to their course.
- Students use TDC tools to create and submit assignments.
- Online asynchronous student/instructor and student/student discussions, instant messaging, and video conferencing are utilized to facilitate several levels of interaction among TDC participants.
- Help resources and online resources are available to students who are taking classes at TDC.
- Terms used within courses are linked directly to the Glossary. In a style similar to Wikipedia, terms that are in the glossary are hyperlinked within assignments, discussions, instant messaging.
Some of the tools used to maximize student exposure to new technologies include:
- Online Testing
- Electronic Journals
- Interactive SCORM-based lessons
- Online Surveys
- Development of Wiki’s
- Workshops
- VNC-based instruction (just-in-time).
Instructors can access TDC to enter grades, comment on assignments, add personal notes (specific or general for each student) and change or edit a student information. They can also view and export student email addresses (for importing into email programs), can edit/add assignments, check and export student grades and view student pictures. For research, the instructors can access and compare student work and demographic information.
The TDC administrator has full access to all components of TDC. Remote access to specific areas is also available to provide 24/7 access to TDC site. If TDC experiences a problem and is not accessible to students, the site administrator can determine the cause of the failure and in most cases correct the problem remotely, including a complete/partial shut down/restart of TDC servers. Extensive logs are maintained to assist instructors and administrators.
