Fantastic new tool launching today on EdSurge, the Courseware in Context (CWiC) framework to help faculty, instructional designers and administrators more quickly identify and explore courseware tools and services that can help them scale blended and online learning programs without having to pay 60-80% of tuition to an online program management (OPM) company.

Digital courseware is an ambiguous term mired in hype. Does it mean adaptive software? (Often.) Does it allow faculty to customize content? (Sometimes.) The CWiC framework defines it as “instructional content that is scoped and sequenced to support delivery of an entire course through purpose-built software.”

 

Users can try the tool to evaluate courseware products that meet the framework’s definition. These include products that come from big publishers like Pearson, Cengage and McGraw Hill and smaller organizations like OpenStax, Junction Education and Soomo Learning. The framework also links to research about different product features, and an “implementation scorecard” to help users select tools that meet their specific needs.

If you’re a Junction user feel free to weigh in with your feedback directly on the site or if you’re interested in giving it a try just let us know.

Not Sure What Courseware to Try? This Tool Wants to Make Your Decision Easier (EdSurge News)