The University of Oregon is investigating enterprise wide learning management systems (LMS) to support teaching and learning. The UO has been a Blackboard campus since 1999. Since that time, the number of platforms, both licensed and open source, has expanded. Our community is also more experienced in using technology to support instruction, and faculty have new requirements and expectations. The process to determine our requirements, test various products, and select an LMS for the future will take place over the next several months. Our current Blackboard license expires in September 2015. The task force members welcome your input throughout the process.
The RFP has closed. The Task Force have selected two platforms (Canvas and Sakai) for further testing spring term. All platforms, including Blackboard, ObaVerse, Desire to Learn, Canvas and Sakai are still under consideration until a final decision is made.
The LMS Review Task Force is on schedule to make a final recommendation to Academic Affairs by the end of the academic year.
I attended the “Business Educators Forum” in San Diego last week on March 6-7, 2014. One of the panel discussion was about Learning Management Systems.
The conclusion of this discussion was that Blackboard is still the most robust LMS option available — and it is the most expensive. The only other system that compares to Blackboard’s features and functionality is Canvass and the only reason to change to Canvass is because of its lower price — no other.
About 40 schools were represented and some had changed from Blackboard to D2L and were very disappointed with the D2L’s functionality.
I’ve been using Bb for 6 years, and I used ObaVerse this term for the first time. Blackboard confines the instructor to set up Course Documents, Discussion Boards, or Journal sites in their own designated place.
However, ObaVerse is much more flexible. I can organize my assignments by Week, but in that week’s assignment, I can post forums, videos, and course documents, and I can set up if one part of the assignment needs to be completed before the next step is shown. I also now exclusively have field placement sign ups on Oba for our 86 juniors and 86 seniors.
With our ObaVerse tech support, I was also able to transfer Blackboard files to my ObaVerse course.
Ran across this video today, thought I would share:
Rider University Doubles Adoption and Lowers Support Tickets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbqNxsPMRz4
Mostly interviews with IT and faculty.
Before I came to UO, I worked at a school that used Desire2Learn. I thought D2L was easy to learn and implement, and when I came to UO I thought Blackboard was exactly the opposite. When it comes time to decide on a new system, I hope the committee will consider not only the time it takes for current faculty to transition their courses to a new system, but also the time it takes for new faculty in the future to learn whichever system is in place. Bluntly: I think we lose more time in the long run on future faculty trying to learn a bloated piece of software (Blackboard) than existing faculty transferring their work to a new and hopefully lean system. Such lean systems definitely exist.
As someone who taught at the University of Florida, where we moved from Blackboard to Sakai several years back, and have since moved to Oregon back to Blackboard; I can say with all confidence that Blackboard is far and away better in functionality, features, support, intuitive interface, and most importantly : iClicker integration!!!
The move to Sakai at UF was a complete disaster; if you’re doing this to save money – which is the reason UF made the move to Sakai – let me tell you: you get what you pay for (e.g. not a whole lot)!!
iClickers have transformed my interactions with students in the classroom in an astonishing way, dropping this support would critically affect many student and teacher experiences.
Additionally, one should consider the investment everyone has made in their Blackboard content; all of my course content is centered around Blackboard.
#Please stay away from Sakai!!
Hello Azzam Alhodaib,
Apologies for the delay in responding.
I was not able to locate you in the University of Oregon directory. Are you affiliated with the University of Oregon? If so, you can find University of Oregon Blackboard support by contacting blackboard@ithelp.uoregon.edu. If not, you will need to contact Blackboard or your Blackboard provider directly.
Thank you.
Blackboard is a frustratingly inflexible system. I prefer to maintain a course website myself when teaching, but in order to send emails to my class, I am forced to use Blackboard. But Blackboard formats emails in a strange, ugly way that is difficult to read.
Please choose a new system which makes the export of data (e.g. students’ names, IDs, emails) simple — so that those of us who prefer to “do it ourselves” can.
At the very least, please make it easy to create a listserv for each course. I shouldn’t have to log into Blackboard to send a group email!
Just use Desire to Learn already. It is much cheaper and easier to use. I’ve used it at a number of other universities and it does not have the same problems that Blackboard does and is likely cheaper.
I’ve been teaching online this year, and Blackboard is most definitely not a user-friendly platform for students (or for instructors). We need a better interface. And ideally, it would be one where we could transfer our work over as easily as possible. I trust we’ll be able to find a good solution!
I meant to add that I’m appalled that they blame the servers rather than Blackboard for its issues. While Blackboard suffers from poor design, and is widely perceived in the human-computer interaction world as a monstrosity, the server issue can not be laid completely at the door of support. In general, I am wary of vendors who complain about user constraints. Specifically, in this case, any system that can not run on constrained resources does not belong in a constrained-budget educational institution.
Wow! I was surprised to read about someone wanting BB because of the sunk cost! For me, BB wastes so much time and is so annoying that I would gladly turn to any other system. My previous university used Sakai and, while it’s not perfect, I found it head and shoulders above BB.
Find and employ a team whose job is to create a unique platform within a deadline. This web software is then owned by the school and can be changed according to the trends.
Stop allowing other companies to access information that contains student names etc….
That is the student best solution its not the easiest way to go, thank you for letting us share our thoughts.
I have appreaciated the blackboard and all the courses and teaching materials. The management of the blacboard was a real satisfaction and the exchanges very innovative, informative and instructive especially for young english teachers from Africa. I really drew much benefit from the teaching of Char. Now I am applying most of the theories and teaching practices I learnt with him.
Few remarks about the blackboard. As an african ourse in sometimes We have certain problems to get the internet because We have poor school facilities and sometimes Internet at home is not available due to power cut. And computers are often very expensive. So the course is costy for the students as everything is through the net.
But once again it has been a real pleasure to be in the program and I hope to take another course in winter.
All my congratulations to Char and his team for the wonderful job they are doing.
BALDE OUSMANE . SENEGAL
Hello Balde Ousmane,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment on the University of Oregon’s Learning Management System Review Web site about one of the proposed vendors.
I wasn’t able to find your name in the University of Oregon directory. Are you affiliated with the University?
As an NTTF since 2000, I have hundreds of classes and all their materials posted on Blackboard. I would rather see Blackboard upgrades than a change of platform.
I found Sam O’s presentation of Sakai and Longsight’s support and hosting of the platform a refreshing change from BB’s on Wednesday. Part of that appeal was his intimate knowledge of the LMS, and his long history of working with the Sakai community.
I suppose I also found his talk refreshingly candid and his comparisons and contrasts with other LMSs more substantive and thoughtful (the difference between listening to a developer vs a marketeer?)
His remarks about Duke’s experience with migrating from BB to Sakai were reassuring (20,000 courses, tests, test banks, etc.). Just as importantly from a UO support perspective, the relatively comparable amount of FTE needed to maintain the system, support faculty and students, and even to develop new apps was my big takeaway (and one we want to investigate further!)
I have so much time and effort invested in Blackboard that the thought of losing the accumulated work, in the form of tests primarily, fills me with despair. Please oh please consider the learning curve and the transfer of existing work as crucial factors in the decision you make.
ANd please watch for complaints about blackboard that ought to be complaints about the limitations of our servers. The software gets blamed when it shouldn’t.