Online Instruction Collaboration Project

The Com puter Science D epartm ent at The University o f M ontana has utilized individual course websites effectively for many years.However, a great deal o f time has been spent creating and maintaining these sites.The O nline Instruction Collaboration (QIC) addressed this problem by creating a space w here instructors and students alike can gather in a single online area and communicate with one another.The goal o f the project was not to advocate the O IC over other products, but to ensure the viability o f using custom software solutions in an arena w here commercial products tend to dominate.This paper discusses the successes and challenges o f using a customized tool.It also examines the usage o f O IC in the classroom during the spring o f 2003 with a cross-sample o f com puter science students and two instructors.The results o f this study suggested that the O IC can provide a viable solution for the Com puter Science Departm ent.