Blackboard has gone out with the old and came in with the new. Blackboard is a website where students may find information about a course they are taking. There may be online quizzes instructors put on the site and other supplementary information that may aid students.

The Blackboard website was updated from version 3.0 to 5.5 before the start of the fall semester. One of the most important features of the blackboard is the ability for students to access course material from other sources.

There are course cartridges that the book publishers make available to use on Blackboard that students can access. If the instructor of a course wants that information available to students, then that information is put online.

Tom Bonvillian, director of academic computing, held a few training sessions before fall classes commenced to familiarize the faculty with the new system.

“The Blackboard has become almost like an online community for students,” Bonvillian said. Also available to students are resource materials, calendars, e-mail and schedules.

Also, supplemented information not in the book can be added to course information by the instructors. Students may access their course grades on Blackboard if the instructor decides he wants to utilize that part of the program.

With the new program, it is easier for the University to offer online courses to students. There are nine online courses offered at this time.

Before the program was installed, instructors had to create their own programs and spend about six months putting up course outlines and different material for the course.

“This new program has cut down that time instructors spend creating a program,” Bonvillian said.

All students can log on to the program by using their user id. name and social security number for password.

Another feature is that after students have logged in, all information for courses downloaded on the site can be accessed by the student. Students do no have to log in again if he wants to look up information on another course.

There is a research center students can go to which is only available on Blackboard.

Blackboard has been around for about three years and has received a grant to fund its first two years. Blackboard has also acquired about $5,000 for another two years from the University of Louisiana Systems.

Northwestern University has a few more on-line courses than Nicholls does, but still has an older version of blackboard than we do.

Tulane University has had it for a year, and Loyola University just got its this year.