5 April 2001
 

WebCT and Blackboard  were evaluated for selection of one as the centrally supported Web Course Management System for the University of Waterloo. These documents summarize the reasons for recommending Blackboard.

The versions used in the comparison (locally installed) were WebCT V3.1 and Blackboard V5.02 Level 1.

Both WCMSs offer a similar set of features, at least those of interest to us. In general, WebCT provides more functionality within each feature, perhaps at the expense of initial ease-of-use. From our experiences with local pilot courses, which WCMS feature set is preferred depends significantly on personal tastes. Some prefer the intricacies of WebCT to finesse what they do, some prefer the cleaner interface of Blackboard.

While we want to provide a good set of tools through the WCMS, we consider the Criteria for Campus Fit to be of greater overall importance to ensure good support and integration. Given general acceptance of both feature sets here and in other universities, either WebCT or Blackboard seems "safe" in this regard.

The most important aspects of fit are described in the Important Deciding Factors section. These factors weigh heavily in the decision.

A final Pricing of implementation is still pending. WebCT licenses for a consortium of Ontario universities, colleges, and schools are being renegotiated soon. Initial talks have begun between the COU/OPAS (Council of Ontario Universities and Office for Partnerships and Advanced Skills) and Blackboard to see if a similar deal can be struck.

See the WCMS Project pages for more information (though those pages may not be as up-to-date as these).