UC Davis Information & Educational Technology

Bits & Bytes

SmartSite broadens online side of campus classes

Published in The Aggie on May 16, 2007

Send coursework to professors, participate in discussions and contribute to a collaborative website: These are some of the features of SmartSite, the campus' new set of online course and collaboration tools. Since its pilot began last spring, more than 600 project and 300 course sites have been created, and faculty across all disciplines are finding interesting ways to integrate SmartSite's tools into their curriculum.

Kristina de Korsak, a graduate student in the linguistics department, is among many on campus who have experimented with SmartSite. Last quarter through the Chancellor's Teaching Fellowship, de Korsak taught Linguistics 163 - a class considered to be a hybrid because of its online discussion option using the chatroom feature of SmartSite. On the first day of class, students chose to attend a traditional discussion section or a virtual one using SmartSite's chatroom.

"The online discussion idea worked," de Korsak said. "For students who could not return to campus for the evening discussion sessions, this option provided them a place to discuss class materials."

To receive credit for attendance, de Korsak required students to post answers to discussion questions online before they entered the chatroom.

"It's hard to know who is 'actually' there in the chatroom. Posting is the only way we could give credit for their attendance," de Korsak said. "At least we know the students have engaged in the discussion one way or another by answering the questions."

Another feature receiving a lot of praise is the drop box, a feature designed so that students can turn in assignments digitally to limit the need for a hard copy.

Susan Keen, a professor from the evolution and ecology department, used the drop box feature for her Evolution and Ecology 198 and Honors 090X seminars last fall. She praised its efficiency.

"We like the idea that students can submit any time of the night or day," Keen said.

Amy Clarke, a lecturer for the University Writing Program, echoed Keen's fondness for the drop box.

"I like the possibility of going digital," she said. "Students can submit papers electronically, and I can return them just as easily."

This fall, SmartSite will become the campus' primary set of course and collaboration tools. During the 2007-2008 academic year, the campus will transition away from MyUCDavis' course tools, which are scheduled to be shut down in 2008-2009.

The MyUCDavis portal will continue unchanged, but SmartSite will be the campus' preferred set of course and collaboration tools. And unlike MyUCDavis, faculty, students and staff can expect regular updates to SmartSite's features and tool set.

For more about the campus transition to SmartSite, visit smartsite.ucdavis.edu.

Bits & Bytes Archives

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004