Coursekit is another new LMS, this one developed by students at U. of Pennsylvania who found Blackboard to be “overloaded” and “badly designed” (see: Wired Campus > U. of Pennsylvania Students Build Course-Management Software).

Currently anyone can create an account and can add at least some classes by searching by course number.  I joined MATH 104 (Calculus I), just to see if I could (and I could).  Course sites seem to consist of 4 sections, Overview, Calendar, Syllabus and Resources.  The Overview section of a course site lists upcoming items including lectures, assignments and exams.

There are a lot similarities between this platform and Middlebury’s Course Hub including:

• Personal dashboard of recent activity across classes
• Syllabus section
• Resource section

Coursekit also includes a Calendar section and a Class Wall where class participants can post comments.  Clearly the UI is influenced by Facebook.  For other earlier reviews of this new platform, see:

• Mashable > College Students Aim to Build a Better Way to Manage Courses
• EduGeek Journal > Another New Blackboard Competitor Arrives: Coursekit