ATutor
| Original author(s) | Greg Gay |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | ATutor development team |
| Initial release | December 4, 2002 (1.0)[1] |
| Stable release |
2.2.4 (June 19, 2018) [±] |
| Preview release | 2.2.3 B1 (Unknown) [±] |
| Written in | PHP |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Available in | Multi-lingual |
| Type | Learning management software |
| License(s) | GNU General Public License v2.0 |
| Website | ATutor.ca |
ATutor is free web-based open-source learning management software.
Product history
ATutor is based upon a graduate school project of primary developer Greg Gay. Following research in 1999 and 2000 by the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) at the University of Toronto regarding the accessibility of e-learning environments, Gay further developed his learning management ideas in an adaptive, accessible, open-source environment.[2] On February 23, 2001, Gay started an open-source SourceForge project for ATutor[3], and a stable 1.0 release arrived on December 4, 2002.[1]
By 2004, the source code was made publicly available in a Subversion repository, signaling a move towards distributed development.[2] On July 6, 2010, version 2.0 was released, featuring restructured code and a new look and feel among other improvements.[4]
Blackboard Inc. patent dispute
On January 17, 2006, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted learning management software developer Blackboard Inc. U.S. patent 6,988,138 for "Internet-based education support system and methods." The patent established Blackboard's claims to certain features of course management systems.[5][6]
The Software Freedom Law Center filed a request on behalf of ATutor and two other clients with the U.S. Patent Office to re-examine Blackboard's patent in November 2006, and in January 2007 the request was approved on the basis of prior art cited by the Center raising "substantial" questions.[7] In February 2007, Blackboard addresses the concerns raised within the education software and academic communities, announcing it had made a pledge to not assert its patent rights against open-source and non-profit software projects like ATutor.[8][9]
Blackboard would eventually go on to abandon U.S. patent 6,988,138 in early-2010, and in November that year the company's legal counsel announced the patent's "official termination" and stated that Blackboard had ended its appeals.[10]
Awards and recognition
In 2007, ATutor won a $50,000 prize in the Mellon Awards for Technology Collaboration.[11]
In 2008, ATutor won a Gold Learning Impact Award from the IMS Global Learning Consortium, a recognition of using "technology in context."[12]
In 2009, Greg Gay and others received a Delegates Award for a Microsoft-sponsored W4A Web Accessibility Challenge.[13]
Features
The main features of ATutor include[14]:
Hardware/software requirements
Installation requirements for Dokeos 1.8.6 (sadly installation guides for 2.0 and 2.1 don't seem to exist) include:
- PHP version 5.x or greater
- MySQL of some sort (not clear what version)
- Apache web server (not clear what version)
Consult the 1.8.6 installation guide for more information.
Videos, screenshots, and other media
- Video tutorials for ATutor can be found on the website.
- Screenshots of ATutor can be found on SourceForge.
- A demo of ATutor is available via the Dokeos site.
- Documentation for ATutor can be found here.
Entities using ATutor
Further reading
- Gay, Greg (6 October 2009). "ATutor LMS: a case study". University of Oxford. http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/cs-atutor.
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "ATutor News". Adaptive Technology Resource Center. Archived from the original on 12 February 2003. http://web.archive.org/web/20030212174631/http://www.atutor.ca/news.php. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gay, Greg (6 October 2009). "ATutor LMS: a case study". University of Oxford. http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/cs-atutor. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ "ATutor (Learning Management System)". SourceForge. http://sourceforge.net/projects/atutor/. Retrieved 05 Janaury 2013.
- ↑ "ATutor - Change Log". ATutor.ca. http://atutor.ca/atutor/change_log.php. Retrieved 05 Janaury 2013.
- ↑ Pope, Justin (15 October 2006). "E-Learning Firm Sparks Controversy With Software Patent". The Washington Post. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1379341.html. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ "Patent US6988138: Internet-based education support system and methods". Google. http://www.google.com/patents?vid=6988138. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ "Patent Office Orders Re-Examination of Blackboard Patent". Software Freedom Law Center. 25 January 2007. http://www.softwarefreedom.org/news/2007/jan/25/blackboard-reexam-ordered/. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ Hammer, Ben (19 February 2007). "Blackboard: Patent won't be used against nonprofits". Washington Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/02/19/story5.html?page=all. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ "The Blackboard Patent Pledge". Blackboard Inc. Archived from the original on 2010 April 1. http://web.archive.org/web/20100401222607/http://www.blackboard.com/Company/Patents/Patent-Pledge.aspx. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ Keller, Josh (30 November 2010). "Blackboard Drops Appeals on Software Patent". The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/blackboard-drops-appeals-on-software-patent/28494. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
- ↑ "Recipients of 2007 Mellon Awards for Technology Collaboration Announced". 10 December 2007. http://matc.mellon.org/winners/2007-matc-awardees-announced/. Retrieved 05 Janaury 2013.
- ↑ "IMS Global Learning Consortium Announces 2008 Learning Impact Award Recipients" (PDF). IMS Global Learning Consortium. 15 May 2008. http://www.imsglobal.org/pressreleases/IMSPR-LIAWinners2008.pdf. Retrieved 05 Janaury 2013.
- ↑ "W4A Best Paper Awards". W4A. http://www.w4a.info/global-pre-2010/best.shtml. Retrieved 05 Janaury 2013.
- ↑ "ATutor Features". ATutor.ca. http://atutor.ca/atutor/features.php. Retrieved 05 January 2013.
