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Volume 9, Number 3: November 27, 2002

Editor's eMailbag:
A Response to Last Month's Article on the CMS Taskforce

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To the Editor:

FYI your article is incorrect on the use of LearningSpace in the UW-System (Nov. 30, 2002, "Preparing for Change: UW and the Quest for a New e-Learning System"). UW-Stout's Hospitality & Tourism Department and the UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics still use it. These were two of the original adopters of LearningSpace when the testing agreement with Lotus Development Corporation and UW-System was reached in the Fall of 1997.

Both departments have online programs that have been active longer than either Blackboard or WebCT. These programs have survived with little support from UW-System and grown over time to complete online degrees. UWW's Online MBA is established in a way that students do not need to ever set foot on the campus. The program has had several participants internationally from as far away as Australia and the French Congo.

The biggest factor to the success of LearningSpace in these markets has been its ability to have students work offline and independent of an Internet connection. All the other platforms mentioned in your article must have the student constantly connected to the Internet accessing their course over a web browser.

I hope you will include this information in any future article referring to LearningSpace.

Peter Tratechaud
Online MBA Server Administrator

Editors note: To avoid further confusion, TTT has removed the reference to LearningSpace from last month's article on e-learning systems.

TTT welcomes your feedback! We will occasionally post letters from UW System faculty and academic staff that address issues appearing on our pages. Email your letters to Tammy Kempfert, or send them to Editor, Teaching with Technology Today, 1633 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706.

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