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Commenting on technology-enabled education, President Vest recently noted, "I have believed that what we do is far more important than simply doing something."
The purpose of this article is to introduce an innovative Institute initiative in technology-enabled education. A new Web-based learning management system for hosting and managing MIT courses and programs is being developed at MIT's Educational Media Creation Center (EMCC).
Code-named Stellar, this system's development is as ambitious as it is educationally significant. The open standards approach adopted by Stellar has attracted considerable interest from a broad range of other colleges and universities. The Mellon Foundation recently announced its decision to provide funding to support MIT's Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) which will support further Stellar development with the goal of extending its usefulness to various other institutional settings.
Moving from "one off" Websites to a sustainable enterprise system
By now, the majority of MIT faculty members have had some experience in using the Web for teaching and learning. These experiences vary widely. Often we are enthusiastic about using the Web for our own teaching but not being computer geeks, we are limited to our own knowledge and that of our TAs and other close colleagues.
Sometimes we are lucky and find a superbly qualified TA who does digital magic one term – only to find that after she leaves, the magic slowly fades away without good local support. Sustainability is a key word here – we want the products of our good efforts to last from term to term.
Our goals in using the Web also range widely, from the simple posting of a subject's syllabus, to the use of simulations, animations, and even virtual reality as Web-based learning tools. Those teaching in the Singapore MIT Alliance (SMA) have become "media moguls." Each of their live lectures is recorded on videotape, converted to digital video, and stored on a substantial computer called a video server; these digitized lectures are then available asynchronously over the Web – by the click of a mouse button – at a student's desktop at MIT or in Singapore.
For the creation of our Websites, most of us want something as simple to use as a word processor (perhaps even simpler, considering how bloated with unneeded features they have become!). We want something that we can use easily without assistance from "experts" to load our subjects' Websites with "all the usual": syllabi, schedules, homework assignments and solutions, PowerPoint slides, hot links to related sites, a discussion board, and perhaps more.
Stellar will make it possible do "all the usual" with ease. It will also provide discussion and chat functions, to facilitate interactions among faculty, students, and TAs. Stellar is being designed by MIT computer professionals to be sustainable, extensible, and scaleable.
Why should we at MIT build our own course management system?
While a number of firms offer Web platforms for hosting university and college subjects, private sector offerings are most often "one size fits all" platforms. MIT's creative and innovative community requires more flexibility than can easily be provided by a commercial vendor. Stellar is being designed from the ground up to support development of innovative applications, ranging from advanced and customized learning process tools, to systems that address advising and scheduling issues surrounding our students' academic progress.
Further, some of MIT's enterprise databases, such as those containing student scheduling and registration data, require high levels of security and confidentiality. Commercial systems do not easily integrate with enterprise databases.
How might this help you and your students?
One of the key benefits of Stellar will be coordination of the various components. For instance, when you add a quiz to your syllabus, it will automatically be included in the course schedule and gradebook. You will also be able to select only the features you want to use, and add others, as you need them.
But perhaps one of the most important benefits of Stellar, will be the ability to share and reuse content, outlines, and components. For example, if someone develops a great set of materials around extrapolation beyond experimental data, that material can be made available for use in other courses. Or if someone adds a simulation system to Stellar, it can (optionally) be made available for use by others.
Another planned Stellar-based application could help you reduce stress on students by your knowing when they are having exams, homework assignments, and papers due in other subjects. If you provide input about your subject's tentative schedule, the application will suggest modest alterations to make your students' workloads less variable over the term.
MIT's Council on Educational Technology is currently identifying Stellar advisory groups which will provide strategic guidance for this initiative to ensure its alignment with institutional priorities and directions; provide technical/operational guidance; and ensure that the interests and inputs of stakeholders are represented in the development and implementation of the platform.
How can you help?
Those of us designing Stellar value your input. Please tell us what is important to you in a Web-based subject management and delivery system. If you have used Web-based tools please let us know about functionalities you find indispensable, and those that you can do without. If you are interested in advanced applications, share with us your wish list with regard to functionality. At our Website we have created a simple-to-use faculty survey page in which you can tell us your needs for Stellar. This can be found at http://web.mit.edu/stellar/www/comments.html. Be advised, however, that we cannot promise to meet all of your needs with the initial Stellar release.
There are a number of activities around the design of Stellar where we could use your active engagement. Focus groups are being brought together to help us prioritize feature specifications and identify issues regarding the educational use of Web technologies at MIT. We are also soliciting individuals to engage in usability testing – helping us to identify user interface requirements and issues as we move forward with the design of Stellar. Let us know how you would like to participate by contacting us at stellar-suggest@mit.edu. Your involvement is crucial to Stellar's success.
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