North American
Higher Education
05 February 2007 Update
Top Ten Ratings
Summary Satisfaction Ratings: Top Three, Top Ten, Honor Roll, And Best in Category
Despite the fact that the categories of course management and content management were in the middle of the ratings pack, the top three rated products came from this category. ANGEL received top honors for its content management capabilities and third place for its course management. eCollege course management received second place overall.
Top Ten IMS GLC Satisfaction Ratings: |
|||
Vendor or Product |
Category‡ |
Rating† |
Award |
Scale: 1 = very dissatisfied, 2 = somewhat dissatisfied, 3 = somewhat satisfied, 4 = very satisfied, 5 = perfect, †Final rating represents the bottom limit of the 95% confidence interval. See Appendix B ‡ Legend |
|||
ANGEL Content Management |
CM/REP |
4.10 |
|
CMS |
3.95 |
|
|
ANGEL CMS |
CMS |
3.76 |
|
Respondus |
ASSESS |
3.72 |
|
Google Search |
SEARCH |
3.63 |
|
Apple iPod |
MOBILE |
3.60 |
|
Flash |
WEB AUTH |
3.60 |
|
Dreamweaver |
WEB AUTH |
3.54 |
|
Wikipedia |
DIGC |
3.53 |
|
CLASS_CAP |
3.51 |
|
|
See the Top Ten >> See the Honor Roll >> See the Best in Category >>
This report and underlying research are conducted to help inform a new and rapidly evolving marketplace in the use of technology to support teaching and learning. Those responsible for implementing and supporting solutions in this new marketplace have very little information other than that supplied by vendors as to the level of satisfaction obtained. This research series attempts to fill that gap. A very unique aspect of this research is that it also looks at trends in how these technologies are being used and supported, as well as the technologies themselves. It is based on over two years of research uncovering best practices for success in Internet-Supported learning.
The IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC) sponsors and performs this research. IMS GLC is the world's largest and oldest standards consortium focused exclusively on learning standards since 1996. IMS GLC provides a neutral ground for industry participants to come together for advocacy of standards, recognition, and best practices to enable learning impact.
This report represents responses from approximately 200 qualified individuals over the past 12 months. The research approach and tenets have evolved over a two-year period and have involved numerous participants, many of whom are listed on http://www.a-hec.org/IsL_participants.html.
You may download the entire report here.
The Top Ten represents the top 10% of the market with respect to satisfaction in the IsL educational context. The Top Ten was completed with an eclectic mix of products that highlight the importance of assessment, rich media, and collaboration. Respondus, rated number one overall in the last update retains a very strong showing at number four. The fifth place showing for Google search and the sixth place showing for the Apple iPod, two products that did not receive enough ratings to be included in the last update, was a surprise. While the incorporation of Google search into learning is to be expected given its pervasiveness in the environment, the high ratings point to what must be perceived as a good fit with pedagogical approaches being used. Whereas there were several high profile early adopters of the Apple iPod in the educational segment a year ago, there now appears to be significant spreading for pedagogical purposes, with pleasing results.
The strong showings for Flash (which tied with iPod) and Dreamweaver represent the findings of a strong emphasis on increasing the interactivity of online experiences. The strong ninth place showing of Wikipedia was a surprise. While Wikipedia has been criticized for containing errors, the idea of collaborative documentation of knowledge must be hitting a cord with educators exploiting online. Tegrity achieved a strong rating in the previous update, and its placing in the number ten spot reflects the importance of rich media and new, easier ways to capture content for web distribution. These themes are reflected through several of the top ten items.