CourseNotes: An Alternative Course Management Software Solution

The University of Oklahoma supports robust and complex course management systems such as WebCT and Blackboard that appeal to technology-savvy instructors who consistently use and like them. Many instructors at the university's College of Pharmacy, however, were reticent to use these systems; they found it too time consuming to keep up-to-date with new features and upgrades, faced too many technical difficulties when performing simple tasks, or did not see enough benefit in learning to use the full complement of creative features. Others adhered to traditional methods of teaching and were not interested in using technology to supplement their instruction. To address these ongoing challenges and to facilitate distance education in the College of Pharmacy's professional program, instructors needed easy-to-use course management tools that did not require a significant investment of their time to implement.