DCourseWeb
Encyclopedia
dCourseWeb is an Internet-based application designed by Nazarene Bible College
(NBC) to manage online education programs. It includes a course or learning management system
, along with an advising utility for advising and scheduling students. The system maintains historical information on instructors, students, and courses for use by administrators, instructors, and advisors. The application
is both an administrative tool and an instructional tool.
NBC developed dCourseWeb and offers access to other schools. Currently, many other colleges, universities, and seminaries are using dCourseWeb for online classes (including Olivet Nazarene University
, Trevecca Nazarene University
, Nazarene Theological College, and Caribbean Nazarene College).
NBC is dual accredited by both the Higher Learning Commission
(HLC), a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
, and the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). Along with accreditation
, both organizations approve NBC’s online program delivery system. In fact, ABHE uses the dCourseWeb platform to deliver instruction courses for their site visit team member’s, and instruction courses for others on acquiring and maintaining accreditation
.
began their online education program using Convene
technology (also known as CLiP). However, each time Convene updated their technology, it required NBC to re-enter the online education material making it extremely inconvenient. Nevertheless, NBC used Convene until the company disbanded. After many in-house discussions, NBC decided they wanted a better place for content and began working with Prometheus. Prometheus was developed by George Washington University
and was used at NBC until they sold out to Blackboard in 2002. Shortly after, Blackboard
increased costs to use their technology, which led to NBC’s decision to write their own platform in-house and possess control.
NBC’s directive was to write a program where it was necessary to enter the online education material once and did not require re-entering the information when updates or changes occurred. Therefore, dCourse launched in 2002 as a windows application that managed all students’ discussion access with a Web piece to deliver class information. At that time, spreadsheets were used to manage scheduling and advising. Shortly after its creation, other organizations wanted to employ dCourse, but because its access with limited to inside of NBC, it could not support multiple institutions. As a result, NBC re-wrote dCourse with a Web interface so that NBC could host online education for other like-minded institutions. The re-write also eliminated the need of spreadsheets by incorporating an advising and scheduling module. Therefore, dCourse received an updated name, and dCourseWeb officially launched in 2003. As a hosted solution, running dCourseWeb through NBC’s datacenter has kept prices down for other institutions that could not afford high-profile solutions, or deploy their own solution.
management and communication
.
All information is entered into data tables and then accessed by various applications so that it is easy to update information. Extensive program options enable the system
to be customized to look and operate in a way that best fits the needs of the institution. Multiple reports are available to provide detailed information for administrative and assessment purposes.
The program
is housed on servers
at NBC, so all hardware
and software are maintained and managed by NBC. With proper authentication
, schools can access the program from any computer with Internet access.
. It includes two components: 1) a web-based area for content and resources, and 2) a “store and retrieve” program for class discussion. Students can access the class content with any browser
(Internet Explorer
, Firefox, Google Chrome
, etc.) and the class discussion either using web access or any newsgroup reader (Outlook Express
/Windows Mail
, Mozilla Thunderbird
, etc.).
The course content is stored in data fields and can be used for a single class or shared by multiple classes during the same session. Once course content is created, it is available for use again simply by scheduling the class with a new start date and instructor. When it is time for the class to begin, the system
builds the class from the data files and customizes it to fit the instructor and date. The same content can be used by multiple instructors at the same time, with each class built to show the proper instructor.
The store and retrieve feature enables a student to quickly download the class discussion notes to their personal computer
and then disconnect from the Internet
to do class work, read class discussion notes, and write responses. The student can then reconnect to the Internet to quickly send the notes to the rest of the class.
of questions and answers with others if desired. With the exception of grading essays, it will have an even stronger ability to grade the tests automatically, and post grades into the class grade book, making it extremely user friendly. This new module will be highly customizable and convenient for its users.
In addition, NBC has plans to integrate an e-portfolio module for assessment and provide tighter integration with the Turnitin
services NBC utilizes.
, RefWorks
, Refaware, and an in-house wiki
technology
.
Nazarene Bible College
Nazarene Bible College is a Bible College located on in Colorado Springs, Colorado founded in 1964, chartered in 1967, and approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees in 1970.NBC has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio...
(NBC) to manage online education programs. It includes a course or learning management system
Learning management system
A learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs, classroom and online events, e-learning programs, and training content...
, along with an advising utility for advising and scheduling students. The system maintains historical information on instructors, students, and courses for use by administrators, instructors, and advisors. The application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
is both an administrative tool and an instructional tool.
NBC developed dCourseWeb and offers access to other schools. Currently, many other colleges, universities, and seminaries are using dCourseWeb for online classes (including Olivet Nazarene University
Olivet Nazarene University
Olivet Nazarene University is a Christian institution of higher education located in the Kankakee, Illinois village of Bourbonnais. Named for Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907...
, Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary and Bible Training School"...
, Nazarene Theological College, and Caribbean Nazarene College).
NBC is dual accredited by both the Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Higher Learning Commission oversees the accreditation of degree-granting colleges and universities in nineteen Midwestern and South-Central states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa,...
(HLC), a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
, and the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). Along with accreditation
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
, both organizations approve NBC’s online program delivery system. In fact, ABHE uses the dCourseWeb platform to deliver instruction courses for their site visit team member’s, and instruction courses for others on acquiring and maintaining accreditation
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
.
Background
In 1998, Nazarene Bible CollegeNazarene Bible College
Nazarene Bible College is a Bible College located on in Colorado Springs, Colorado founded in 1964, chartered in 1967, and approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees in 1970.NBC has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio...
began their online education program using Convene
Convene
Convene is an early distance learning company and currently the largest company in that market. The software company was founded in the late 1980s by Larry Allen when he created collaborative seminary training programs. Although Convene still has collaborative software for use by some 15,000...
technology (also known as CLiP). However, each time Convene updated their technology, it required NBC to re-enter the online education material making it extremely inconvenient. Nevertheless, NBC used Convene until the company disbanded. After many in-house discussions, NBC decided they wanted a better place for content and began working with Prometheus. Prometheus was developed by George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and was used at NBC until they sold out to Blackboard in 2002. Shortly after, Blackboard
Blackboard Learning System
The Blackboard Learning System is a virtual learning environment and course management system developed by Blackboard Inc. Features include course management, a customizable open architecture, and a scalable design that allows for integration with student information systems and authentication...
increased costs to use their technology, which led to NBC’s decision to write their own platform in-house and possess control.
NBC’s directive was to write a program where it was necessary to enter the online education material once and did not require re-entering the information when updates or changes occurred. Therefore, dCourse launched in 2002 as a windows application that managed all students’ discussion access with a Web piece to deliver class information. At that time, spreadsheets were used to manage scheduling and advising. Shortly after its creation, other organizations wanted to employ dCourse, but because its access with limited to inside of NBC, it could not support multiple institutions. As a result, NBC re-wrote dCourse with a Web interface so that NBC could host online education for other like-minded institutions. The re-write also eliminated the need of spreadsheets by incorporating an advising and scheduling module. Therefore, dCourse received an updated name, and dCourseWeb officially launched in 2003. As a hosted solution, running dCourseWeb through NBC’s datacenter has kept prices down for other institutions that could not afford high-profile solutions, or deploy their own solution.
Administrative Tool
As an administrative tool, dCourseWeb provides extensive scheduling options, faculty management, and studentStudent
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
management and communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
.
- Advising Utility aids in maintaining student information, i.e. schedules and registration status
- Built-in intervention processes monitor student attendance and grades, providing advisors and instructors with daily and weekly information to better serve the students
- Secure newsgroup or classroom environment with a web-access option that allows for online and offline work
- Extensive Help Items provide easy to understand answers to common questions
- Student Center/Chapel area for students and instructors to share prayer requests and services
All information is entered into data tables and then accessed by various applications so that it is easy to update information. Extensive program options enable the system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
to be customized to look and operate in a way that best fits the needs of the institution. Multiple reports are available to provide detailed information for administrative and assessment purposes.
The program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
is housed on servers
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
at NBC, so all hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
and software are maintained and managed by NBC. With proper authentication
Authentication
Authentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
, schools can access the program from any computer with Internet access.
Instructional Tool
As an instructional tool, the system is similar to that used by the University of PhoenixUniversity of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
. It includes two components: 1) a web-based area for content and resources, and 2) a “store and retrieve” program for class discussion. Students can access the class content with any browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
(Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
, Firefox, Google Chrome
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or...
, etc.) and the class discussion either using web access or any newsgroup reader (Outlook Express
Outlook Express
Outlook Express is an email and news client that is included with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. As such, it is also bundled with several versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9...
/Windows Mail
Windows Mail
Windows Mail is an email and newsgroup client included in Windows Vista, that was superseded by Windows Live Mail. It is the successor to Outlook Express. Microsoft previewed Windows Mail on Channel 9 on October 10, 2005....
, Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser...
, etc.).
- All forms of mediaMedia (communication)In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
can be built into the program, providing unlimited ability to include materials - Web-based course content generated using basic XHTMLXHTMLXHTML is a family of XML markup languages that mirror or extend versions of the widely-used Hypertext Markup Language , the language in which web pages are written....
allows added creativity in course design - Course content sharing gives Administrators and Instructors a head start in building new courses
- Quiz/exam generating program allows professors to design tests in a variety of formats
- Customizable grade book for instructors - unique to each class
- Areas for instructor information, class roster, and syllabus
- Secure instant messaging feature that is built into the program to enable synchronous conversation with individuals or groups
The course content is stored in data fields and can be used for a single class or shared by multiple classes during the same session. Once course content is created, it is available for use again simply by scheduling the class with a new start date and instructor. When it is time for the class to begin, the system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
builds the class from the data files and customizes it to fit the instructor and date. The same content can be used by multiple instructors at the same time, with each class built to show the proper instructor.
The store and retrieve feature enables a student to quickly download the class discussion notes to their personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and then disconnect from the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to do class work, read class discussion notes, and write responses. The student can then reconnect to the Internet to quickly send the notes to the rest of the class.
Future Development
NBC plans to write a new highly technological quiz/testing module for dCourseweb. This module will have the ability to employ common question formats and be able to mix, and randomize test questions and answers as well as manually or automatically pull from a pool of appropriate questions/answers. It will allow instructors and institutions to share their databaseDatabase
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
of questions and answers with others if desired. With the exception of grading essays, it will have an even stronger ability to grade the tests automatically, and post grades into the class grade book, making it extremely user friendly. This new module will be highly customizable and convenient for its users.
In addition, NBC has plans to integrate an e-portfolio module for assessment and provide tighter integration with the Turnitin
Turnitin
Turnitin is an Internet-based plagiarism-detection service created by iParadigms, LLC. Typically, universities and high schools buy licenses to submit essays to the Turnitin website, which checks the documents for originality...
services NBC utilizes.
Integration with other services
Through special licensing, the Learning Center includes access to TurnitinTurnitin
Turnitin is an Internet-based plagiarism-detection service created by iParadigms, LLC. Typically, universities and high schools buy licenses to submit essays to the Turnitin website, which checks the documents for originality...
, RefWorks
RefWorks
RefWorks is a web-based commercial citation manager — an application for managing references, retrieving bibliographic information, and designing texts in terms of their literature references...
, Refaware, and an in-house wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
.
See also
- Learning management systemLearning management systemA learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs, classroom and online events, e-learning programs, and training content...
- Nazarene Bible CollegeNazarene Bible CollegeNazarene Bible College is a Bible College located on in Colorado Springs, Colorado founded in 1964, chartered in 1967, and approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees in 1970.NBC has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio...
- ABHE
- The Higher Learning CommissionThe Higher Learning CommissionThe Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Higher Learning Commission oversees the accreditation of degree-granting colleges and universities in nineteen Midwestern and South-Central states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa,...