ETS plans to make the following tools available in the bSpace implementation for Spring 2006. Instructors will have the opportunity to use the tools available in the basic template, or to customize their site by adding or deleting tools from the navigation pane. See a sample site by logging in to http://bspace.berkeley.edu, using the login "guest" and password "ucb".

Communication Tools

• Home
  Home is a portal page available for every course site. Instructors can customize this area to display the most current content, such as recent announcements, discussion board postings, or files uploaded.

• Announcements
  Format and post announcements on the course website to save time during class. An added benefit of the Announcements tool is that instructors can send an email to broadcast the announcement to all class participants.

• Email Archive
  Email sent to the entire class is archived on the website. Instructors and students can search the archive to find information for review.
  

• Mailtool
  Instructors, GSIs, and students can send messages to the whole class, to groups based on role, or to individuals.

• Schedule
  The Schedule provides a course calendar. The Schedule tool has two added benefits in this system: users can merge schedules from various course websites and can print schedules as a PDF.

Course Content Tools

• Syllabus
  Using the Syllabus tool, instructors can upload a syllabus file or post a formatted course description and syllabus for review by students.

• Resources
  The Resources area provides a flexible space for instructors to upload course materials. Instructors can opt to upload multiple files at once, manage files that have already been posted, and organize materials into folders. As with the Announcements tool, instructors can notify students via email that new course materials have been added to the site.

• Web Content
  The Web Content tool allows instructors to provide links to websites via a button in the navigation pane. The linked website shows up within the course website framework. In addition, instructors can customize the name of this tool in the navigation pane.

• RSS Feeds
  Instructors can subscribe to RSS feeds to provide current news in their course websites. RSS feeds display syndicated content.

Collaboration Tools

• Forums
  The discussion Forums tool provides a threaded discussion board for course sites. Using the same workflow instructors are used to, topics can be added to the discussion board to make space for student postings. This tool allows users to save drafts, attach files, and format the posted content (bold, italics, lists, etc.).

• Wiki
  The Wiki enables collaboration among the members of a site. All members can contribute to an online document, for example a shared bibliography, a glossary, or meeting minutes. A history of all changes to each wiki page is recorded and can be referenced.

• Chat
  The Chat tool allows for synchronous written communication among members of the course. Chat sessions are archived.

• Drop Box
  Students can use the Drop Box to upload files or links to be shared with the course instructor. These files are automatically organized into individual student folders in the instructor's version of the course website. The tool provides flexibility with regard to the type of materials that can be uploaded, as well as in terms of how those files can be organized by instructors and students once they have been posted.

Learning Tools

• Assignments
  Instructors who want to allow students to turn in assignments online will be interested in using the Assignments tool. With this tool, instructors can create an online submission area for students, complete with instructions and a grading scheme. Students can submit inline text or attach a file for credit.

• Gradebook
  The Gradebook Tool allows instructors to record and compute cumulative student grades. In addition, instructors can release assignment grades so students can check their progress in a course.

• Quiz & Survey
  The Quiz and Survey tool allows instructors to administer online surveys, quizzes, and exams. Students can answer a series of multiple choice, multiple answer, true/false, short answer, matching, or fill in the blank questions. The Quiz and Survey tool provide a variety of options such as randomizing answers, importing questions, creating a question pool, and organizing the assessment into sections.

• Polls
  The Polls tool allows instructors to guage the opinion of the class with a simple, one question poll. All polls are anonymous.