Friday, March 9, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Students access classwork online
By Andrew Davies writer @kansan.com Kansan staff writer
A few years ago, a blackboard was just a tool for teachers to write on during lectures.
But today, Blackboard is a software program that allows teachers to post class information on the Internet and gives students Web access to class documents, grades and class discussions.
The Blackboard program, which the University of Kansas began using last semester, has been embraced by faculty, said Susan Zvacek, director of instructional development and support.
Zvacek said more than 200 courses used Blackboard last semester. That number has increased this semester, as nearly 250 classes are using the program. Zvacek said 16,000 faculty and students have used Blackboard in the last two semesters.
"The faculty have been overwhelmingly positive," she said. "What the faculty are saying is that the features are more robust in Blackboard. It offers more in what the teaching can provide to students. It really is a package that allows far more flexibility as far as what you can do in the classroom."
Zvacek said teachers saw Blackboard as a way to give students resources that would be hard to provide without the service.
Isidro Rivera, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, uses Blackboard to post announcements, reviews, self tests, links to dictionaries and Web sites, and for class discussions.
Melissa Hartnett, Manhattan, Kan., freshman, is in Rivera's textual analysis and critical reading class. She said the class' Blackboard site had a class discussion forum that allowed interaction between class members.
"We can actually get online and chat in Spanish with the professor and other students in class," she said.
Rivera said Blackboard allowed students to see the right answer and receive feedback for their self tests.
"Students usually use that facility to test themselves on content, features of the language, things like that," Rivera said.
Hartnett said Rivera posted review quizzes and short-answer questions and graded them.
The quizzes and short- answers are part of a class
participation Hartnett said.
Hartnett said the quizzes were useful because they were available at any time.
Rivera said because the program was based on the English language, the system didn't process accent marks or special characters in foreign languages. But that may improve with updates to the software, he said.
Rivera said most students had a positive reaction to Blackboard, but some students had complaints.
"Some students have a problem because it is a Web-based activity that requires technology that supports browsing." he said.
Kelly Johnson, instructor of molecular biosciences, has used Blackboard since it became available last semester to post syllabi, handouts, notes and PowerPoint slides. He said displaying the PowerPoint slides allowed students to copy the slides down at their own convenience rather than hurriedly copying down notes.
Johnson said he liked Blackboard better than Web Course in a Box.
"Blackboard is simply much easier to use and to post things on the Web site. I think it has more versatility and it uses the Web," he said. "I think everyone likes it, at least on the faculty side."
Students also seem to have had a positive reaction to Blackboard.
Barry Cohen, New Orleans senior, said he used the system to make sure he was on top of his work in his communications classes.
"I just use it to get assignments and make sure I'm up to date with everything," Cohen said. "It's extremely helpful."
April Adkins, Kansas City, Kan., junior, uses Blackboard for her cognitive psychology class.
Adkins said she liked having access to her grades and the accessibility of the program.
"I like the fact that everybody has their own code. I think your grades are more confidential that way," she said. "I think it's really easy to access off campus — that's always nice."
The University pays a $5,000 annual licensing fee to Blackboard Inc., to use the program. The fee allows the campus officials to use Blackboard for an unlimited amount of classes and includes software upgrades.
— Edited by Melissa Cooley
Smoke but no fire
Ellsworth Hall residents were evacuated early yesterday morning because a fire alarm was pulled, but Battalion Chief Bill Spark said no fire was found.
"Usually we find the problem right away, but we had no clue where it was coming from," Spark said. "But we ventilated the floor by opening the windows, and the smoke didn't come back. We did an exhaustive search."
Carnaval comes to town
Major Chris Keary from the KU Public Safety Office said that campus police and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical responded to the alarm at 1:36 a.m. Spark said smoke was reported in the hallways on the ninth floor, but firefighters were unable to locate its source.
Spark said firefighters navigated the area using thermal imagery goggles and still were unable to locate a fire. Firefighters unbotted an abandoned trash chute to inspect for fire damage, but none was found.
Spark said the cause of the smoke was no longer being investigated.
"We think maybe someone had a trash can fire and put it out before we got there," Spark said. "We have some ideas what happened, but it's all speculation from here."
By Michelle Ward
Amanda Beglin
Photo by Selena Jabara/KANSAN
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Sophomore Raquel Peres remembers the Carnavals of her childhood in Recife, Brazil. In an old part of the city, people blocked
off streets,
stopping cars from disturbing their 24 hour party throughout the week
BRAZILIAN WEEK
As the Carnaval begins its second decade in Lawrence, club members found a bigger location for the party. After routinely sell-
gized crowds of party-goers in cities throughout the nation as they celebrated Brazil's biggest holiday. The four-plus day festival allowed people a celebration before the season of Lent.
ing out at Liberty Hall, the event moved it to the Granada in the 1990s, but the Granada could not hold all those wanting to attend. The club opted for Abe and Jake's this year, allowing for 300 more people to attend. The 1,000 tickets available for the event were almost sold out by Wednesday.
Steve Milas, Burleson, Texas, graduate student, will attend the Carnaval for the third year. Doing research on Brazil, he learned about the party and decided to go. He has been hooked ever since by the music and people.
The Carnaval is not limited to Brazilians or Latin Americans.
"It definitely reminds me of home," Peres said of the Carnaval in Lawrence. "The Carnaval is mainly special because of the music. It makes everyone dance. It's so full of people ready to party."
While the Brazilian Carnival has already passed, the KU Brazil-Portugal Student Organization will hold a condensed version of the Carnival from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. tomorrow at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth Street. The one-night party will feature the music of the Chicago Samba School.
"It's not at the exact same time as the Brazilian Carnival," he said, "but it's around the same time. We are trying to keep the tradition. It puts a good ending mark on the week."
"It's definitely a good time," Milas said. "It's a good experience and definitely different than what people are use to. I don't know how exposed people are to Brazilian music. It's something people would definitely like. They just may have not heard it before."
"People have been calling us like crazy," said Mariana Souza, a Rio de Janeiro senior and vice president of the club.
Hayashi said the party was a "free for all" with people choosing to wear costumes or just dressing up for the big party. He said the gathering brought together diverse groups of people all wanting to enjoy a good party and Brazilian tradition, concluding Brazillian week.
Renzo Hayashi, Rio de Janeiro graduate student, has attended the celebration the past five years. He said it gave a chance for all Brazilians to get together, which doesn't happen often during the year. They listen to unique music while celebrating with people throughout the University and the community.
"Everyone has a ball." Hayashi said. "I see a lot of people from the University get excited about this when they usually don't get excited about parties."
Festivities for Brazilian week will continue today with a live music performance by the Brazilian band Malaka from noon to 1 p.m. outside the Kansas Union.
At 3:30 this afternoon at Woodruff Auditorium in the Union, the Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning film *Orfeu Negro* will be shown. The retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.
"This is information you can't find in any books," said Bruno Pieroni, a Rio de Janeiro senior, president of the club and Kansan cartoonist. "You can get it straight from the Brazillian's mouth."
The day will conclude with Brazilian night, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., which will display both Brazilian and Portuguese food, art and culture.
Students protest Kansan coverage
- Edited by Courtney Craigmile
Continued from page 1A
who would attend after them.
"The goal is to not ever have to march again on an issue in the paper," Roland said.
Bates said the group wanted the Kansan to understand that the group was serious
"We want to see a resolution of the conflict between the Kansan and minority groups." Bates said.
Students handed out copies in the newsroom yesterday of a letter Bates and Lucas had written to the Kansan staff. The letter outlined a five-step plan of action the students wanted to see implemented. The steps included mandatory diversity training for the multicultural reporter, setting a precedent so switching staffs each semester would not contribute to mistakes, reporters attending the entire events they were covering, a staff member regularly attending the Training Interpersonal Professional Skills meetings and writing a plan to ensure a successful relationship with coverage of minority programs.
"The University Daily Kansan should know that if these solutions are not acted on in an appropriate manner then further action will be taken," the letter stated.
Lucas said the further action might include letters from the different Big 12 schools and campus administrators expressing their concern as well as writing letters to the people who rank the Kansan in competitions.
O'Toole said she was not sure which steps, if any, the paper would implement. One idea, she said, would be to have a regular focus group with the BSU members and Kansan staff for African-American students to voice their concerns about minority coverage. She said it would also be nice if the community used the opinion page to voice their perspective.
"I think we all need to sit down and talk." O'Toole said. "Right now it's just letters going back and forth, which perpetuates the barrier we're trying to break."
Edited by Courtney Craigmile
Fourteenth Annual James E. Seaver Lecture ON CONTINUING ISSUES IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION
Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer (1851-1934): Writing About Landscape Gardening In Post-Darwinian America
Associate Professor School of Architecture & Urban Design The University of Kansas
JUDITH MAJOR
March 14,2001
7:00 p.m.
Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union
Reception Following, Malott Room
Sponsored by the KU Humanities and Western Civilization Program
PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS We Buy, Sell & Trade USED 841-PLAY 1029 Massachusetts & NEW Sports Equipment
"The books"
stressing you out?
Take a study break to the relaxing sounds of this HIP INTERNATIONAL chamber ensemble!
Tuesday, March 13, 2001-8:00 p.m.
The Lied Center of Kansas
With tickets half-price for KU students, the Lied Center makes a GREAT date-night!
Presented by the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Lied Center Series
Tickets on sale at the Lied Center
Box Office (785) 864-ARTS or
via our website. www.ukans.edu/-iied
ticketmaster
(816) 931-3330
(785) 234-4545
tickets.com
THE MOST AWARD WINNING RESTAURANT IN TOWN 785.841.0990
PACHAMAMA'S NEW WORLD CUISINE
WWW.PACHAMAMAS.COM
Intramural Sand Volleyball
2161 QUAIL CREEK DRIVE . LAWRENCE
**Managers' Meeting**
7:30 p.m. on Sunday
March 11
152 Robinson
(teams with a representative at the meeting twice priority when choosing time to play)
PLAY
BEGINS
MARCH 20
Officials' Meeting
8 p.m., Sunday,
March 11
156 Robinson
(No offer paid training
play in the league and
official team)
Intramural Ultimate
Managers' Meeting
7 p.m., Sunday, March 11
156 Robinson
(Teams with a representative at the meeting receive priority when choosing times to play at Instant Scholod
Integrity ---- The Right Choice
KU Recreation Services, 208 Robinson,
785.864.3346
www.kuans.edu/~recserv/
4