Using Chalk and Other Technologies in the Classroom

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of technological support for utilizing technology as part of the academic experiences. More information about these technologies and information may be found through http://nsit.uchicago.edu/academic/.

Chalk: The Campus Learning Management System

Each day of the academic year an average of 4800 visitors view 143,000 pages and download over 14 GB of content from Chalk. Chalk, as it is known on campus, is a learning management tool that uses the Blackboard Academic Suite™ of software to provide a common easy-to-use framework for faculty to develop and disseminate course materials to students.

Any person with a valid CNetID and CNet password can log in to chalk.uchicago.edu and explore the various course offerings and tools on the system that are open to guests. Students enrolled in Chalk-hosted courses can access course materials and assignments or take online tests and surveys, faculty can maintain and post grades using the Grade Book feature and encourage communication and participation through the Discussion Board, and prospective students may browse the Course Catalog to review the syllabi of courses that interest them. Coming in the 2005 academic year will be new features such as support for authenticated blogs and wikis, cross-course searching, and closer integration with the Library.

For more information on Chalk, online tutorials and Chalk Days training schedule, visit the Chalk website at http://nsit.uchicago.edu/academic/chalk.shtml . More information about some of the uses of Chalk and detailed step-by-step directions for faculty may be found at http://nsit.uchicago.edu/academic/support/chalk/facultydoc.shtml.