Making the Big Switch
A story of learning management system change
Presenter Info
Autumm Caines
Academic Technology Specialist
Twitter: @autumm
acaines@capital.edu
Capital University
Columbus, Ohio
Lecture Tools
This presentation was delivered at the
Portland Oregon Moodle Moot on August 7th, 2013.
A cloud-based interactive tool called Lecture Tools
was used during the presentation to poll the audience.
http://lecturetools.com/
Polling slides for this version of the
PowerPoint include the results
from the Portland session.
Key Points of Importance
Concerning Change
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History
Representation
Pace
Reframe
Choices
Communication/Evaluation
Icebreaker slide
History
• Understanding a product’s history at an
institution
– LMS at Capital
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Year 2000
Recommended by faculty committee
Self-hosting
Low integration with other systems
50 professors using in the first few years
2010
• Just starting to think of change
– Things have changed since inception
• Off-site hosting
• AD, LDAP, and SIS integrations
– Some integrations basic in the form of automatic batch files
– Users, courses, enrollments created automatically
• 300 unique professors using the system
• Note: Small number of online offerings
– Most courses offered face to face
Blackboard Usage
What Blackboard tools or
functions do you use the
most?
Posting of documents or files
Email sending
Announcements
Gradebook
Posting of or embedding links
Blackboard assignment feature
Discussion Board
Digital Dropbox
Tests
Wiki
Calendar
Percentage
69.30%
58.80%
55.30%
43.90%
39.50%
29.80%
18.40%
18.40%
18.40%
15.80%
8.80%
2010 Faculty Senate Technology Committee’s Technology Survey
Proposing Change
Representation
• Importance of working with stakeholders
– Faculty Senate Technology Committee
• One representative from each school
• Two representatives from IT
• Reports to the Board of Trustees
Pace
• Paying attention to the pace of change
– Current (2010) switch from Blackboard version 7 to 8
• Approved by committee
• Learning curve in Grade Center
– Questions about moving too fast
• Taking concerns seriously
• Hearing constituency reservations
Reframe
• Reframing the conversations
– Pace of technology
– Blackboard 8 is an older version
– 10yrs since looking at product
• Technology changes
• Market changes
• Changes in pricing structures
Choices
• Struggle with narrowing choices
– Maintaining
• Older courses
• Plug-in integrations
– Many systems considered
• Close consideration narrowed to:
– Blackboard 9.1
– Moodle
Why?
Why Did You Say Change is
Good or Bad at Your Institution
Implementing Change
Pilot
• Decision to recommend pilot of Moodle through Moodlerooms
hosting and support partnership comes mid 2011
– 21 faculty volunteer one course each
• Agree to not use Blackboard for that course
• Agree to give feedback and get feedback from students
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Pilot to run Spring 2012 term
500 user block purchased
Sandbox and production sites configured
Integrations/plugins for pilot –
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LDAP
Respondus’ Lockdown Browser
Learning Objects’ Campus Pack
Turnitin
Communication
• Frequent communication to faculty and students
was key
– Channels
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Faculty Listserv
Presentations at faculty and department meetings
Article in student newspaper
Messages in Blackboard for pilot courses
– Directed students to Moodle (iLearn) system
– Channels to get feedback (Very low response rate)
• Discussion board on front page
• Town hall meetings
Faculty Impressions
How do you feel about the move
From Blackboard to iLearn?
Excited
25%
Anxious
0%
Hesitant
12%
Neutral
19%
Optimistic
44%
Evaluation surveys distributed after low response rates on feedback channels
Closing the Pilot
• Benefits of change
– 77% savings
– Savings came from:
• No licensing fees in Moodle
• Pricing structure based on active users
• Pictures of students in profiles
• Drag and drop upload
Things I Wish Were Different
• Longer pilot
– Problems with course copies
• One term pilot did not materialize this
• Instructors not allowed to backup/restore
– Enrollments based on Course ID Number
» Backup/Restore does not carry this field
– Integrity of naming convention not maintained
• Import is not an exact copy of all settings
– Manual grade book columns do not carry
– Topic settings need to be changed before import
– As a result administrators processing all course copies
manually
Want all the details?
• New Book!
– Cases on Educational Technology Planning, Design, and
Implementation: A Project Management Perspective
• Chapter: Piloting the Change: Migrating a Learning
Management System while Discovering a Project
Management Protocol by Autumm Caines
• http://www.igi-global.com/book/cases-educationaltechnology-planning-design/74185
• 50% discount on the whole book with code IGI50
How Could Change be Managed
Better at Your Institution?
Sources
• Burke, J.L. (2002). Chronicle of Change: Capital University 1950 - 2000.
Columbus Ohio: Capital University.
• Eckel, P., Green, M., Hill, B., & Mallon, W. (1999). On change III - taking
charge of change: A primer for colleges and universities. Washington, DC:
American Council on Education.
• Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to Change Things When Change
is Hard. New York: Broadway Books.
• Kotter, J. (1995). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard
Business Review, p. 59-67.
• Schwartz, B. (2005, July). The Paradox of Choice [Video file]. Retrieved
from
http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.
html