Laulima to replace WebCT system-wide
UH will discontinue WebCT and add a new virtual classroom next semester.
Christopher Yee
Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: News
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According to Mary Hattori, the coordinator for KCC’s Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching & Technology, cost is the primary reason for discontinuing the WebCT. With the current WebCT license set to expire and the price increasing to a price that was unaffordable, choosing an alternative system was the best option.
The new system, Laulima, is based off an open-source project known as the Sakai Project. Open source project like Sakai are free for schools to develop and customize for their own programs. Laulima will be UH’s custom version of Sakai. In contrast, online learning environments like WebCT are a closed source. Closed-source projects are created by corporations to sell licenses to colleges.
Laulima had begun its testing phase during this spring semester at UH Manoa. It was used for isolated courses and graduate work. Hattori said that the development team behind Laulima has done an incredible job in getting the program running. Given the approaching expiration of the WebCT license, the Laulima project went live in the span of about a year.
Hattori explained that there will be a learning curve for getting around the new system for both faculty and students. Students will have to spend time with the system to familiarize themselves with the layout and the differences that Laulima has from WebCT.
For instructors, the Laulima will have many more features than WebCT offered. Laulima will offer over 30 tools to choose from to design the look and function of their online course. Tools include items found in WebCT, such as message boards, private mail and calendars. It will also include new items like a blogger where new information can be added as it becomes available and a wiki where students can add information in a similar fashion as the Wikipedia. The Laulima pages will also have the ability to embed HTML within the page, a feature that was absent in WebCT. “I have more control over the look and feel of my page,” Hattori said.
To help bring faculty and students up to speed on working with Laulima, Secrets of Success (SOS) workshops are to be held in increased numbers next semester, when Laulima goes live for the all UH campuses. Over the summer, instructors will also be taking workshops to learn how to implement their courses into Laulima, learn HTML and how to utilize the tools that Laulima has to offer. With the increased need for support for Laulima next semester, there are plans to possibly open a help desk with the exclusive purpose of providing Laulima support.
Hattori called KCC a very progressive institution. Of all the UH campuses, KCC will have the most instructors certified over the summer with over 70. “I’ve never so many faculty embrace technology for the sake of better teaching,” Hattori said, “not to better the technology.
Laulima will not be limited to just online courses. Currently, some face-to-face classes that are not on WebCT use the MyUH Portal to distribute assignments and post notes. Laulima can also be a good tool for traditional classes as well as provide useful resources for students to take advantage of. A common calendar comprised of all the major events in a students’ workload is available on Laulima, as is an online storage space for files. The online storage currently has no set limit, so students can load up their files online as a backup to carrying a flash drive around.
Georganne Nordstrom, a KCC instructor who has been using WebCT since 2003, said there are many areas that can be improved on from WebCT and is hopeful that Laulima will address those issues. “Hopefully the learning curve period won’t be too extensive,” Nordstrom said. “I think in the long run the change is a positive and necessary one.”
Nordstrom’s optimism is echoed by Linda Letta, who teaches a hybrid course that uses WebCT and cable TV. “My class will have a whole new look,” Letta said, “I’m excited to add some features that were not part of my previous class, such as online video.”
While Laulima does bring a lot of new resources to the online environment at UH, Hattori warns that Laulima may not be as intuitive as WebCT. Where WebCT was straightforward with linking across a course’s page, Laulima has a few navigation issues that can be tricky to figure out. While the SOS workshops are typically geared towards faculty, Hattori recommends that students consider sitting in on the Laulima workshops. CELTT is able to provide some assistance to students, but their primary function is to support the faculty.
The Laulima site is currently active (http://laulima.hawaii.edu). Students and faculty who would like to take a look at the system can use their UH ID to log into the user area.
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