BRIX Open-source Course Management System (CMS)

Online education has encompassed virtually every discipline in academic institutions. In the development of tools for online instruction, however, one size does not necessarily fit all; different disciplines may require specialized features in online learning environments not found in commercial CMSs such as Desire2Learn and Blackboard. Over the course of several LRC awards, NFLRC (National Foreign Language Resource Center) has developed its own course management system, BRIX, as a valuable tool for the foreign language teaching and learning community. BRIX features specific tools enabling online learning communities to co-construct word banks, communicate asynchronously via threaded discussions with voice recordings, and engage in multi-draft process writing with peer editing. Over the last decade, these customized features have facilitated the development of over 60 online courses or learning communities for language learning, teacher training, and intercultural exchange. BRIX will be disseminated to institutions participating in the new and continuing NFLRC language cafés so that these institutions can, in turn, spin off and host their own online cafés with new partners.

The BRIX Project has concluded and is no longer in operation.