SMU’s classrooms are increasingly adding online components, especially in the form of Blackboard.

Blackboard is an online course management system that SMU students use by typing in their ID number and password.

They can access materials their professors post, including course readings, syllabi and other supplemental information.

“I think it’s a must-use tool to have in our toolbox for teaching today’s technology-savvy students,” said Senior Lecturer Carolyn Barta of the journalism department.

“There is a trend I have witnessed this year, that incoming freshmen expect every course to have an online component because they had that in their high schools,” said Taplin Moore, the student technology assistant in residence.

Taplin works in training and helping professors use Blackboard. “I use Blackboard a lot because if I go away or out of town for the weekend I don’t have to take my syllabuses with me. It is so easy because I am an out-of-state student,” said Claire Donovan, an economics major.

Once in Blackboard, a student can view things like announcements from their professors, information on their professor, a discussion board or their grades for the class.”It is a great organizing single point of access for students.

The grades function is great because it helps students keep up with their status in the class,” said Mark Fontenot, a lecturer of Computer Science. SMU used to be managed by Web CT, but moved to Blackboard when the latter purchased the former.

“We have been strongly encouraged in the journalism department to use Blackboard in our courses as a way to reduce copying costs and to operate more efficiently,” said Barta.

Many departments encourage the use of Blackboard, while others have not moved in this direction yet.

“There are no requirements or mentions of using it that I know of in the engineering department,” said Fontenot. However, there has been a lot of encouragement from SMU Academic Computing.

They are currently studying faculties’ use of hybrid teaching – when there are both an online and in-person component to the class.”It’s all about thinking outside of the box when it comes to using Blackboard,” said Carol Clyde, the director of the office of leadership and community involvement.She is advising a group of students who are testing other uses of Blackboard, such as conducting their meetings online.

“Blackboard is a very useful tool that is not limited. It can be utilized for learning outside of the classroom,” said Moore.