00 Background
When Blackboard announced it would be terminating its support for Vista, the University of Alberta had a decision to make about its learning management system (LMS). In 2010, the Vice-President (Information Technology) created an arm's length committee to research and consult with the University community on the choice of the next LMS. The committee decided that the institution should use the open-source system, Moodle, to power eClass—the centrally managed learning management system.
01 Discovery
Although the central system supported many courses, instructors and students, there were still a fair number of faculties or departments supporting their own learning management systems because the central solution was not meeting their needs.
Change management was going to be key for the success of the transition. Part of my role on this project included devising and executing a communications plan to make sure instructors and students alike were aware of the changes that were coming and the timelines associated with the transition.
02 Ideation + Design
| Change management | The communications strategy had to use many different approaches in order to reach all of the students and instructors. It included posters and digital signage, a roadshow at key locations around campus, and communication with our champions in each faculty. To keep everyone informed about the changes, timelines, and next steps, we created an eClass transition site to act as the hub. |
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| Opportunity to grow | Along with simply transitioning current courses to the new system, there was the opportunity to expand adoption and take the load off the units still supporting their own systems. Working with the knowledgable staff at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and a pre-established group of engaged instructors representing faculties and departments across campus, we logged the frustrations with current systems and prioritized features that could be integrated into eClass. |
| Reimagining pedagogy and online support | As part of the transition, CTL had educational developers available to assist instructors with revamping their course content. |
| Community engagement | Because Moodle is open source, there was the opportunity to develop or support features that were important to the community. We invited instructors to send in their feedback and suggestions and kept a visible list of enhancements under investigation or slated for integration. |
| Updating and integrating look and feel | Working closely with the agile development team at CTL, I made sure the responsive theme was compatible across devices and developed in alignment with the U of A style guide, for a more integrated experience. |
03 Solution
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Initial Pilot 10 courses Winter 2011 |
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Early Adopters 1600 courses Fall 2011 |
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Early Adopters 2400 courses Winter 2012 |
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First Major Term 3500 courses Fall 2012 Vista decommissioned |
eClass provided instructors with a customizable platform to host their class sites that included built in tools such as calendars, notices, discussion forums and quizzes. It also gave students a more integrated experience—each having a personal portal with their course sites listed upon login.
| The Learning Management Transition Team was recognized with the IT Project Award (2013) for this project. |
