Challenge

Implement a secure, integrated social media solution, including wikis, blogs, journals, podcasts, and templates which allow instructors and students to deploy social media/Web 2.0 assignments and activities within courses.

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Solution

The Learning Objects Social Assignments will empower instructors, academic technologists, and instructional designers to easily build and implement social media assignments and activities from a library of re-usable tools including wikis, blogs, journals, podcasts, and templates.

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Benefits

Students:

• Improve learning outcomes through increased engagement and satisfaction
• Increase learning outcomes through formative assessment and feedback loops
• Enhance workplace skills by using social media as a part of their academic lives
• Develop collaboration and peer review abilities

Instructor:

• Easily incorporate social media/Web 2.0 tools into the classroom
• Save time by selecting assignments and activities from a library of re-usable social media tools
• Build social media assignment and activity types using wiki, blog, journal, podcast, and templates
• Improve assessment functionality and transparency through participatory metrics
• Implement evidence- and problem-based learning
• Foster peer review

Director of eLearning, CTO/CIO:

• Increase ROI through improved learning outcomes and increased student engagement and satisfaction
• Increase student retention and decrease course drop rates
• Provide secure, integrated social media/Web 2.0 tools throughout your institution
• Give instructors and students the pedagogical tools needed to create a successful and safe learning environment
• Facilitate learning across departments and cohorts
• Escape LMS/VLE vendor lock-in

System Administrator:

• Reduce administration and training by providing a seamless integration of social media tools into any LMS
• Receive full-service support and training
• Remove the need for infrastructure development or maintenance
• Deploy a secure, reliable, and scalable Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Meet institutional service level requirements (SLA)