As of the Summer 2010 semester, San Jose State University is to begin using the Learning Management Software 'Desire2Learn'. This is a change away from the current LMS software, BlackBoard.

Now, I've never used Desire2Learn, so I cannot adequately describe its perks and flaws, but I can say that BlackBoard was a horrendous mess. The looks of Desire2Learn aren't much better --- a system that tries to be anything and everything a student may need in his/her academic career. Email, Grades, Quizzes, even Blogs. There's a reason unix-like systems do so well, and it's called 'do one thing and do it well'. I already have an email addy and a blog, and I still think paper is the best quiz-taking medium. I should note, as an aside, that Desire2Learn supports requiring Respondus LockDown Browser. If I am forced to use that pile of breakage, I will complain verbosely; until then I will reserve verbage.

CS 160's page on MySJSU indicates that it might require Desire2Learn. We shall see. I hope to never again touch the byzantine breakage that is Learning Management Systems. 100W biased me against them heavily. While it was used in Bio 23, BlackBoard wasn't used as...annoyingly there, so there is hope for professors to use them wisely.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Till next blogging!