Coursekit Promises Pumped Up Blackboard-Type Service

Blackboard is the worst - it's always crashing, terribly laid out, and it's downright user un-friendly. With this in mind, junior Dan Getelman and sophomore Joseph Cohen set out to right the wrongs of the counter-intuitive course management service by launching Coursekit. The site's design is significantly smoother looking than that of Blackboard, and at this stage in the game, the site is partially user-maintained and directed. It even keeps track of due dates and assignments, which sounds especially handy to automatically have all in one place. Students can sign up to manage courses on the site, with a possible payout of up to $200 per course over the entirety of a semester. It's only active for a few courses that are in the testing stages right now, but it's possible that service will be expanded in the coming months.

Mashable describes the site as "a Facebook-like Learning Management System," but the aesthetics make us think "tumblr" more than anything else. Twee, but like, in a good way.