CSUMB Students Test the Waters with New Software

Johanna Estrella, Staff Reporter

Johanna_Estrella@csumb.edu

May 1, 2008

CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB) said

goodbye to PlannerWeb and hello to

PeopleSoft (PS) this semester, as the new

student implementation system becomes

accessible for students, administration,

faculty and staff.

Dr. Ronnie Higgs, assistant vice president

for Enrollment Management in the Student

Affairs Division, said CSUMB is a

technologically strong campus and Planner

has simply lived out its usefulness. PS

is intended to provide better service to

staff, faculty, administration and students by

assisting them through enhancements such

as “what if” situations to help students see

missing ULR’s or classes. Since its launch,

no major issues have arisen from the new

software as students currently enroll for the

fall term.

So far, CSUMB has successfully sent out

financial aid letters through PS, as well as

performed advising on March 15. The PS

contract with CSUMB does not expire for

another 10 to 15 years.

Although Higgs said PS would enhance

the Blackboard experience, some faculty

and staff prefer alternative systems.

Interim Director of the Center for

Academic Technologies Marc Olmhan

along with Karen Wisdom, a professor

at Gavilan and CSUMB are some of the

few faculty members who use Noodle

(ILearn) as an alternative to Blackboard

in their classrooms.

On March 5, all 22 California State

Universities (CSU) sent representatives to

Long Beach, CA to attend major software

companies’ presentations, including

Blackboard, Noodle, Desire2Learn, and

Angel Learning. CSUMB did not present

any request for proposal to Desire2Learn

or Blackboard mainly because they were

scored as poorly accessible. While other

CSUs currently use Blackboard as their

main technology tool, CSUMB, Humbolt

State University (HSU) and San Francisco

State University (SFSU) have already

developed a network of Noodle technological

support.

Among many of the advantages that

Noodle presents, such as advanced

technology and no university licensing fee’s,

Olmhan said that it is very “myspacious.”

Approximately 1,000 people at CSUMB are

already using Noodle, including people in

the departments of Biology, Collaborative

Health and Human Service, Technology

Media and Advanced Computing, World

Languages and Cultures, Business and

Liberal Studies.

The contract with Blackboard ends in

June 2009; however, CSUMB has not

officially left Blackboard. Wisdom, was one

of many supporters for Noodle. She said

that Noodle is “hands down more superior

than any other system.” While Wisdom

agreed that it may take perhaps a semester

for faculty to convert to Noodle, she assured

their patience would pay off and that they

would be very happy in the end.

Olmhan and Wisdom agree since Noodle

is currently being used at community

colleges and high schools, it not only

facilitates a path to the CSU, it makes

it more welcoming. Both feel that since

CSUMB focuses on community building

and accommodating students with diverse

backgrounds, PS and Noodle are key factors

in achieving this goal along with embracing

constantly changing technology.