Computing and Information Services is currently collecting feedback from students and faculty to help identify an online learning management system that would replace MyCourses.
CIS decided to launch the Learning Management System Project this fall because Blackboard Learn System 8.2, the software behind MyCourses, will not be supported after October 2012. Updating to Blackboard Learn 9, which is a "significantly different system," could be "tantamount to moving the campus to a new learning management system," according to the Learning Management System Project website.
As part of the IT Strategic Plan and the Plan for Academic Enrichment, CIS had been planning to assess and update the course management system at some point before 2013, said Pat Zudeck, manager of instructional technology and a member of the project team.
While Blackboard's announcement would not mean the University would have to stop using MyCourses, having an unsupported system might cause difficulty in upgrading related systems, said Catherine Zabriskie, director of academic technology services and another member of the team.
"It's a great opportunity to assess the needs of the campus," Zabriskie said. "It's kind of an exciting time to look and consider what we can deliver in the learning management system solution environment."
Zabriskie added that CIS had been looking at possible systems for some time prior to formally launching this project.
The project team is collecting responses to an online survey and holding focus groups with both students and faculty. Zabriskie added that the team has received close to 500 survey responses since releasing its survey last week. While Zudeck and Zabriskie said they have not yet had the opportunity to process the surveys, they said they sense that students like being able to access all their coursework in one place.
The team has also been getting feedback from peer institutions on their learning management systems, Zudeck and Zabriskie said.
The project team aims to evaluate the solutions over the winter, to have its recommendation signed in April and to start planning the implementation in the summer, according to the project website. Zudeck and Zabriskie said they do not yet have a targeted launch date for the new system because they do not know how long implementation will take.
In addition to addressing the needs that surface from the surveys and focus groups, the team is also trying to find a system that could easily integrate features such as Banner and Google Apps, Zudeck and Zabriskie said.
They added it is important to have the flexibility to integrate emerging systems such as Focal Point, a concentration tool that was released Monday. The best system would also be poised to address future needs — which could include integration of media, online courses or global collaboration — as they are identified, they said.
"Ideally, as new tools evolve, it would be easy for students and faculty to find them and integrate them with the work they're doing," Zabriskie said.
While no potential replacement systems have yet been eliminated, the current shortlist includes Blackboard 9, Moodle, Sakai and Google Apps for Education, Zudeck and Zabriskie said.
"It is an important project, and it's going to touch the campus in a lot of ways," Zudeck said.
Brown began using WebCT as its online learning management system in 2002. WebCT was renamed MyCourses when it was acquired by Blackboard in 2006.
