Too Many Systems?
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[The following Letter to the Editor appeared in the January 23, 2012, issue of The Daily Universe and is reprinted with permission.]
A new semester has begun and BYU still has one of the most inconvenient systems in the college universe. You have Blackboard, Gradebook, Canvas, Syllabus Builder, and a whole host of websites that professors have put together on their own. I don’t think a semester has gone by where I didn’t miss a homework/quiz or other assignment because I couldn’t find it in the myriad locations that we students have to go through.
All I can say is that it is ridiculous that BYU can’t get this figured out. . . . I would rather use the worst system than have to deal with five different systems.
Marshall Smith
Naches, WA
http://universe.byu.edu/index.
Dear Fellow Student,
As a graduate student at BYU, I have also been through a lot of different learning systems. It drives me crazy that there are so many different places to get information. It’s hard to even find professors in the same department who are on the same page with this. You mentioned in your letter that you “would rather use the worst system than have to deal with five different systems,” and I totally agree. We really need something that allows faculty and students to have everything all in one place.
Fortunately, other people have noticed this problem too. I currently work for the Center for Teaching and Learning, with many of the people who are developing the BYU Learning Suite. The Learning Suite is going to replace Blackboard and will integrate Gradebook, Syllabus, Digital Dialog, and other BYU tools. Even if some professors have their own outside systems, they can link to them through Learning Suite so students can access all their courses in one place. Now, I don’t think it’s going to solve every problem we’ve ever had and, like most complex software, it will have its own challenges; but I’m excited to have all my course information in one place.
Sincerely,
Jake Wheadon
Alpine, UT
Dear Marshall,
You’re in luck. Learning Suite will become THE university-supported system starting this spring, and it will positively impact your experience in 3 ways: First, Learning Suite includes integrated versions of Syllabus Builder, Gradebook, and Digital Dialog, so you won’t have to go to different places to view them. Second, Blackboard and Brainhoney will be discontinued soon, decreasing the number of systems to access. Third, faculty will be able to link their external resources within the Learning Suite, creating a one-stop portal for students. In short, we believe the Learning Suite will be a much more efficient and friendly system for students. Best of all, it’s just around the corner.
Jeff Fox, Ph.D.
Learning Suite Strategist
Center for Teaching and Learning
How is Syllabus Builder working for you?
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Dear Student:
As a professor, I’m finding many benefits of using BYU Syllabus Builder to plan and teach my courses. I want to know the student perspective, too: How is BYU Syllabus Builder working for you?
Sincerely,
A BYU Professor
Dear Professor:
I think that Syllabus Builder is a great tool. Every one of my professors is using it this semester, so I have had the opportunity to use it for each class and to explore its functionality. I really like that all of the syllabi are in one location. In previous semesters, I would have to go to Blackboard and download the syllabus each time I needed to look up due dates for assignments. Once I got tired of looking up due dates, I would set aside some time and manually enter all of my assignments into my Google calendar. Obviously, this took a lot of time and effort, but I felt it was a necessary evil in order to be better organized and prepared to succeed in my classes.
With Syllabus Builder, in the time it would have taken me to enter a few days’ assignments, I can import all of my class calendars for the entire semester into my Google calendar. It would be an understatement to say this is a great tool for students! I am now able to quickly organize myself and then have this information available to me whenever and wherever I need it. Even if I’m on the go I can pull up my calendar on my smartphone and see which assignments are due. I am a fan of this tool because (1) it saves me time, and (2) it helps me to easily organize all of the information from my classes.
A BYU Student
Dear Professor:
The main benefit of Syllabus Builder is that all of my syllabi can be found in the same place. I also like knowing that I am getting the most current version of the syllabus when I look at the syllabus on syllabus.byu.edu. There are other benefits as well, but that is the main impact that Syllabus Builder has had on me. I only wish that more of my professors would start using it.
A BYU Student
