Hi Clive,

"but might be worth it BUT only if QMP is widely used in the
institution, as you are required to have a QMP license based on the same
number that your BB license is based on"

Firstly Perception is designed as a stand alone, complete enterprise
level assessment solution, not a survey bolt on for BB. However, through
the building blocks program there is now a bridge that will allow for
the integration of the two systems.

In order to integrate Perception fully with Blackboard using the
building blocks, yes, you would need Perception to be licensed for the
same number of Participants as you have in BB. When the integration is
set up the server database's are synchronised, so you would run in to
problems if the Perception database had space for fewer Participants or
Instructors as there are in BB.

However, a solution when you have only a few people that want to use
Perception for the creation of Assessments/Test's might be to use our
content packager. This allows for the creation of content packages that
meet current standards/specifications, that can then be used by VLE's
that can also use these same specs.

For a full explanation please see
http://www.questionmark.com/uk/connectors/questionmarkperceptioncontentp
ackager.htm

I am guessing that BB is able to handle this kind of content?

Oh, and the content packager is free!

Che

Che Osborne ([log in to unmask])
Education Sales Manager
Question Mark Computing Ltd.

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-----Original Message-----
From: MLE Blackboard/Courseinfo userslist
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Clive Richards
Sent: 12 July 2003 14:40
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Analysing surveys created in BB


Suprised and shocked - really?? How long have you had Blackboard!! "What
was in the developer's minds?" - easy to answer sell more copies by
appearing to have a feature rich product!!

Of greater concern is that BB have little interest in developing what is
potentially a very useful area of BB in favour of supporting the link to
a third party product QMP.  Now I have investigated this and there is a
sting in the tail - OK the API does not come cheap but might be worth it
BUT only if QMP is widely used in the institution, as you are required
to have a QMP license based on the same number that your BB license is
based on.  Therefore if just one or two departments, or worse still just
one person, wanted to use QMP they would have to pay for a full site
license plus the cost of the link to use the API link to BB. At least
this is the understanding that I have from QMP - if someone can correct
this then please do.

Blackboard need to address this licensing issue in my view otherwise it
will render the whole concept of Building Blocks inoperable because of
expense. In fact I think they need to review their whole strategy and
realise that Learning Systems are a huge expenditure in UK university
terms. I am sure we all have enough trouble securing the basic funding
without having to buy in features which should come as standard. Good
example is the WISYWIG XML editor that we have just bought in from AOI
this should have been part of the platform in the first place it is
fundamental to inputting content without having to upload documents.