The Results of our LMS Review and What’s to Expect Next!
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Exciting news! We’ve completed our comprehensive evaluation of Learning Management Systems (LMS), and although an announcement is pending, we can share our survey results. After an extensive review process and hosting both Anthology and Instructure for valuable workshops, we invited our entire campus community to participate in a survey to ensure we had a well-rounded perspective. We asked everyone to share their thoughts on Blackboard Ultra and Canvas, which played an essential role in the review. Here’s a look at the survey results.
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Key Takeaways from the Survey
The survey results show a strong preference for Canvas among different groups. Among staff, Canvas snagged a solid 70% of the votes, while Blackboard Ultra trailed behind with just 30% of the votes. The student responses were even more in favor of Canvas, with 73% votes compared to Blackboard Ultra’s 27% (and far more students voted than any other category). Overall, Canvas came in at 70%, and Blackboard Ultra 30%. Campuswide, across student and faculty populations, Canvas appears to be the go-to platform for academic tech and learning tools among the groups surveyed.
Selecting an LMS
Additionally, the selection process was thorough and considered multiple factors. The results were carefully analyzed alongside transition costs, year-to-year expenses, reviews of both companies, each vendor’s recommendations for a smooth transition, and the additional resources and incentives offered. Our leadership weighed all of this information thoughtfully to reach a decision that aligns with our commitment to providing the best learning experience for our community.
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We hope to launch courses in the new LMS by the summer of 2026 and continue to utilize it every semester thereafter. Though timelines may change, we’re committed to providing ample time and support to ensure our faculty feels confident and ready to embrace this innovative platform.
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What’s Next?
You might be wondering: what’s next? The next step involves finalizing a formal contract. We have been preparing for this phase and are eager to finalize a contract soon! After that, we will have a launch meeting with the chosen vendor, and begin to work on LMS integration and/or upgrades with our digital applications ecosystem.
Furthermore, we’ll identify software solutions with a focus on Title II remediation and ensuring that all course content is accessible. We want to equip colleges, departments, and faculty with the right tools to support this process and we have been reviewing new and promising applications to meet these needs. Once integrated, we will conduct thorough testing of the LMS to guarantee the security of our student data. We hope to complete all of this groundwork over the summer and start moving courses to the new LMS this fall.
Following the migration of courses, we’ll initiate a year-long transition plan for all courses. This will require a collaborative effort involving course remediation, workshops, and faculty training. A key focus of this project will be supporting faculty in this endeavor. Given our limited resources, the university will need to be creative in that approach. The first step will include a presentation to the Deans’ Council and Faculty Senate, followed by town hall meetings for both East Campus and West Campus to discuss a transition plan and how we will move forward as a university to finalize a plan for the fall.
At this point in time the LTS team will hire instructional designers and teaching assistants to bolster our efforts to support this exciting transition, assigning this team to individual colleges that don’t have the resources to make the transition. Courses will be reorganized and receive accessible remediation by this team, with faculty signing off and editing the final results. We hope to launch courses in the new LMS by the summer of 2026 and continue to utilize it every semester thereafter. Though timelines may change, we’re committed to providing ample time and support to ensure our faculty feels confident and ready to embrace this innovative platform.
What Does This Mean For You For Now?
LTS encourages faculty to take some time during the spring and summer to review the content in their courses. Please download, archive, or delete any materials that you no longer use. When we copy the courses, it will be most helpful to include only the essential content. As our team works on making content accessible, it is crucial to focus on editing only the materials that students can access. This will help save both time and costs. Thank you for your cooperation!
We look forward to this tremendous opportunity for growth and enhanced learning together!