Many professors at MHC choose to use a course site. The purpose of these sites ranges from simple communication of assignments and policies, to participatory class discussion sites, to full-fledged expos of student research. The primary technology that we use for course sites is WordPress, through our MHC eportfolio system.

WordPress is primarily known as a blogging platform, and while it offers the easy posting and user-friendly features of a blog, it offers aesthetic and organizational options that allow professors and students–with the help of their ITFs–to create customized and full-featured sites that don’t need to have a “bloggy” feel. WordPress is highly adaptable to your own needs and teaching style. If you think broadly about what you want a course site to accomplish, your ITF can advise you on what is technologically feasible, and help you brainstorm ways to use it in your class. Your ITF will also have administrative duties for the site, but you are also invited to get your hands dirty… to the extent that you want to.

Why has MHC chosen WordPress instead of courseware like BlackBoard? There are a number of reasons. Here is Joe Ugoretz, Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning, and Technology, explaining.