BSCW groupware application will be run down by 2013/06/01

University of Helsinki has decided to give up the use of the web-based application BSCW (Basic Support for Cooperative Work) after the academic year 2012-2013. There are several reasons for this, of which the most important BSCW’s outdated technological environment. Upgrading to a newer version of the service is not possible and particularly our students have requested a smaller selection of educational technology tools.

The technical environment of online learning management system Moodle is high-quality and reliable, supporting e-learning and group work in many ways especially in cooperation between other universities. In replace, we offer our BSCW users supported educational technology services, of which Moodle and Wiki are recommended for teaching and learning after 2013/06/01.

BSCW can be used for teaching during the academic year 2012-2013, but during the spring term (starting from 2013/01/01) the users are no longer able to invite completely new members to shared workspaces. The BSCW service can no longer be used after 2013/06/01, which applies to all users, both teachers and students. Therefore we recommend that users store all important data and files elsewhere in advance, at the latest during the spring term 2013.

We offer more detailed instructions and training & support for teaching staff later in the autumn 2012 and spring 2013. More information on this will follow later. If you want to stay up to date on the more detailed schedule and guidance, we recommend that you join the BSCW mailing list (see the insructions below) or read frequently our announcements at this support site (or subscribe the news feed).

If you teach using BSCW, you can also contact your faculty’s e-learning support person to find the most appropriate tool (Moodle, Wiki, Blog, Matskut, etc.) for your needs.

For more information about running down BSCW, please send an email to

atk-oppimisymparistot@helsinki.fi

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