What are the bundled tools in the CMS or LMS, and which ones require additional funds to access?
Tool set (features). What are the bundled tools in the CMS or LMS, and which ones require additional funds to access? For example, is Blackboard’s Collaborate tool bundled with the basic version of Blackboard, or does access to that tool increase the price? Do faculty want collaborative tools such as video conferencing, podcasting, blogging, wiki abilities, chatting, and so forth? What “smart” features do faculty need? This may include alerts that the system automatically sends to students and tools that remember who the user is and where he or she left off in doing work. Do faculty want mobile computing as part of the tool set? Do they want textbook cartridge capabilities or online testing tools? Cartridges are files that a textbook publisher provides faculty who select its textbook. Once uploaded, the cartridge sets up the course in the CMS. These cartridges contain lessons, PowerPoint slides, discussion forums, tests, and so forth. It is the role of faculty to identify what tools they need to teach a course.45