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University of Birmingham and King's College London seek scalable platform for expanded teaching and learning capabilities.
Two of the United Kingdom's most prominent universities, the University of
Birmingham and King's College London, have recently selected the WebCT Vista(TM)
academic enterprise system to enhance education over the next decade and beyond.
The University of Birmingham has standardized on WebCT Vista to evolve its
e-learning environment into a full-scale, centrally administered, campus-wide
academic enterprise. In 2001, the university formalized e-learning as a core
offering with WebCT Campus Edition(TM) and has grown the program to offer 2,000
courses online, with three of every four undergraduates experiencing e-learning.
With WebCT Vista, the university plans to further expand e-learning participation,
increase distance-learning offerings for non-traditional students, and more
efficiently support exponential enrollment growth. It also wants to improve
the management of its student administration and enrollment for e-learning.
"We are making rapid progress in the managed and strategic use of e-learning,"
said Stephen Clarke, head of e-learning at the University of Birmingham. "The
academic staff have embraced e-learning with enthusiasm and now wish to fully
exploit its potential through WebCT Vista. WebCT Vista will be sufficiently
flexible and adaptable to nurture and support innovation, have the scalability
to enable expansion without loss of service quality, and be sufficiently cost-effective
so that it does not divert valuable resources from other areas of activity."
King's College London has used e-learning since the 1990s in a variety of ways
throughout different departments. Recognizing the increasing strategic importance
of e-learning, King's established an e-learning committee in February 2004.
Following a detailed study, the committee decided it was important for the college
to unify its e-learning efforts. After evaluating a number of open source and
commercial e-learning offerings, King's selected WebCT Vista as its institution-wide
e-learning platform.
"WebCT Vista was selected because of its range of enterprise functions,
including administration and customization capabilities, its ability to interface
with other IT systems, and its flexibility to address the various pedagogical
approaches used in different programs of study," said Professor Jeremy
Ward, chair of the college e-learning committee. "The committee therefore
felt confident that a distinctive e-learning application could be developed
that would facilitate a wide range of theories, concepts and approaches to learning
and teaching. King's plans to use the software to accelerate the use of e-learning
and enhance standards for student support throughout the College over the next
two years."
Birmingham and King's e-learning needs are typical of many universities around
the world. "Universities are increasingly looking for innovative ways to
offer excellent education to a wide range of students, whether they are on campus
full time or juggling education with work and parenting," comments Carol
Vallone, WebCT's president and CEO. "WebCT Vista will provide Birmingham
and King's with a solid platform from which they can extend their e-learning
environment and further raise the standards of teaching and learning excellence
for which they are internationally recognized."
About The University of Birmingham
Founded in 1900, The University of Birmingham is one of the largest higher
education institutions in the UK with 6,000 staff and 29,000 students. The University
of Birmingham is a leading member of the prestigious and politically influential
Russell Group, which includes both Cambridge and Oxford and is chaired by Birmingham's
vice chancellor. As a major European institute of higher education, Birmingham
also enjoys a considerable international reputation for excellence in teaching
and research, attracting the highest caliber of staff and students. Both are
drawn not only from the UK, but also from 150 countries across the globe to
study in Birmingham's elegant campus, two miles from the centre of Birmingham,
one of the UK's most cosmopolitan and vibrant cities.
About King's College London
Founded in 1829, King's College London is one of the largest colleges of the
University of London: a major multi-faculty university institution with some
19,200 students. It occupies several historic sites in central London including
its founding campus on the Strand. It has a leading position in UK higher education
with a global reputation for research and teaching. King's has an annual turnover
of GBP 348 million. For more information, please visit www.kcl.ac.uk.
About WebCT
WebCT has set the standard for e-learning systems in higher education. Based
in Lynnfield, Mass., WebCT provides a highly flexible e-learning environment
that empowers institutions across the educational spectrum with the ability
to achieve their unique objectives. Thousands of colleges and universities around
the world - from community colleges to large university consortia - are using
WebCT to expand the boundaries of teaching and learning. For more information,
please visit www.webct.com.
