The University did have the choice to go with either PebblePAD (a highly structured, high customisable and feature-rich site that is programmed entirely in Flash) or Blackboard (a bare bones, no frillls,  "blank sheet" site). It was decided that the University had already made a lot of investment with the Blackboard VLE, we couldn't possibly support another system.

I had argued at the time that students in other instituitions had expressed the opinion that their e-portfolio tool should be separate from the VLE (the Institutional tool) as the e-portfolio belonged to them. I had heard that some institutions had listened to the students and offered a tool that was separate from the VLE; and equally, I heard that other institutions had scrapped the personalised e-portfolio and brought it back into the domain of the Institution's control.

The WebCT e-portfolio tool seems to sit inbetween PebblePAD and Blackboard in terms of features and functionality, such as the enhanced feedback / comment for each asset created; resume; reflection and goal creation tool along with a range of tools that enable the user to customise the interface. With my own Blackboard e-portfolio site, I am using the HTML features and have created a cascading stylesheet to manage the look and feel, so that it is "low maintenance" and "highly configurable".

The rub that I am having with the WebCT tool is that I don't particularly want to construct yet another e-portfolio space, especially as I already have an emotional and intellectual investment with Blackboard, despite it's severe shortcomings - the feedback / comment element to the tool is excruciatingly poor and unhelpful. Whilst I think it would be good for me to maintain a shareable e-portfolio for my MSc studies, I would much rather maintain it on an e-portfolio tool that I am currently involved with than with one that I am not.

Phew! That was a surprisingly hard entry to write.

I am massively impressed at how the WebCT course has been carefully and painstaking laid out and structured to facilitate the range of teaching and learning aids, so much so that my jaw dropped. Masses of reading materials to pick and choose from, opportunities to discuss, debate and critique these subjects, topics and themes using the forums and e-mail.

As Ali G. would say: Respect!

We have to teach lecturers how to use the basic fundamentals of being a Blackboard instructor - what we don't cover in that session is how to plan and construct a Blackboard course to enhance teaching and learning. My colleagues feel this is a little too "advanced" for them and that it should be covered in further staff development sessions should they feel they need it.

As a web developer, I am deeply conscious at how the usability / design of a site will impact upon the user experience of it. Developing an online element to your course that supports your face-to-face sessions should start with planning it out on paper as to how it should be structured that best suits the nuances of the course and how best to maximise the students engagement with it. Whilst many use Blackboard as a links farm; document repository; noticeboard; sending bulk e-mail or all of the above - none of these activities actually involves any real learning; it only makes some elements of the course easier to administer as well as downsizing on their carbon footprint, i.e. spiralling photocopying costs.

The art of learning, therefore, comes with the communication; collaboration and assessment tools - this is the element that is so much more alive and buzzing on this course. Yes, necessity dictates it; and yes, we have all chosen to be here - studying at a distance - in the first place. But, you can almost feel how tangible (don't tell Dreyfus that I said that, will you?) the sense of community is within this course in the first few days of it running. I have a really good feeling about this and am looking forward to when the course starts to really kick off next week with the online discussions and debates - we'll then see who are the lurkers; the flamers and the saboteurs.

I wonder which one am I? Can you tell yet? ;-)