Wikis: With the 2.1 release, Stellar is integrating wiki functionality by allowing users to link a wiki to their class or project site. This integration will expose Stellar admins and users to a host of new collaborative options including:

• Simple access to content editing and publishing
• Easy means to control access rights and privileges for users
• Automatic version control
• Built-in alert systems for notification of content changes (RSS, email, etc.)
• Simple document management capabilities
• Quick searching through content via tagging

The wiki will provide you with a central place for storage of electronic content and allow users to read, edit, and/or comment. If used by everyone, it can be an excellent means for sharing content and ideas across your Stellar site.

Forums: Forums are a seasoned yet still incredibly useful means for collaboration amongst groups. Stellar has integrated a robust forum into its platform to provide you with ways to:

• Provide a simple and familiar means for online discussions
• Instantly see user comments and provide responses
• Extend class discussions into online forum discussions

Use Stellar's forums in conjunction with your class or project to promote discussion around lecture topics, group projects, homework assignments, and outside of class activities. It can be a great way to make a class much more than 3 one-hour sessions during the week.

Survey Tool: Although this functionality will only be in "pilot mode" for a limited number of voluntary usres in Fall '07, Stellar will offer integrated survey functionality for your stellar class and project sites. The survey tool will allow you to create, edit, release, and analyze surveys for your class or project site.

"Coming Soon" Features for Stellar 3.0

Stellar Images: Stellar Images will soon integrate with Thalia, an enterprise image management tool developed by the ISDA group with MIT's IS&T department. Together they will offer Stellar class and project sites the functionality to organize, display, and compare images in a way similar to that of Flickr(tm).

Blogs and Chat: Stellar plans on integrating blogs and chat functionality into class and project sites to provide even more ways to promote collaboration amongst users.