Emma Gonzalez
Staff Writer
The University of La Verne made a switch in online learning platforms from Blackboard to D2L Brightspace in July. Students and faculty had different reactions to the adjustment of the new learning management system implemented.
“We have been with Blackboard since 1999,” said Misty Pitts, associate director of learning management systems. “It is always good practice to look at different LMSs to meet the needs of the University.”
Before making the change, a task force of faculty, staff and students was convened to review learning platform options.
“The driving force behind selecting a different learning management system is there were many complaints by faculty and students that it was out of date,” said Vice President of Information Technology Todd Britton.
The reason for this change was a combination of efficiency for the platform while also saving money.
“Cost is always the factor,” Britton added. “But that was not the driving factor, it was satisfaction.”
“The Blackboard platform was demanding more cost for less services over time,” said Rick Hasse, business instructor and former chairman of the faculty budget and compensation committee. “The University budgets and dollars are being stretched, our enrollments are down.”
The committee reviewed different platforms that included Blackboard Learn, Blackboard Ultra, Canvas, and D2L Brightspace.
They created a rubric to consider needs and expectations of a learning platform for the University. Canvas and D2L were top contenders.
“Canvas is used in the CSU system,” Britton said.
“We had several students come back to us and say, ‘Yeah, I used Canvas at my high school. I hated it. I didn’t like it. I don’t want to use it.’”
Despite their careful consideration, the change is getting mixed reviews.
“I’ve gotten a lot of mixed responses,” said Julia Thomas, president of the Associated Students of the University of La Verne.
“Students at first were very hesitant because they didn’t understand the process of how we choose the technology,” added Thomas, a senior English major.
“I don’t think we would have gone with Brightspace if the faculty had said, ‘Oh, this isn’t going to work at all,’” said Paul Alvarez, professor of kinesiology, and former Faculty Senate president. “It doesn’t matter how much less expensive it is if it’s not going to work for us. If people said, ‘well, it just got rammed down our throat because it was cheapest,’ I don’t believe that was the case, I think it was workable.”
Students, faculty and staff were given several months notice of the pending change to watch training videos, ask questions and prepare.
“We implemented a program for early adopters and had tons of communication go out via the (University) Portal, emails, newsletters,” Pitts said. “We had college representatives, faculty members from colleges, be super users.”
The difficulty of the switch for users depended on their various experience and comfort levels.
“The detail of Brightspace was pretty friendly to exporting courses that you created in Blackboard over to rice base, but it wasn’t perfect,” said Dane Sawyer, instructor of religion and philosophy. “Some things came over very smoothly and nicely and other things came over and I had to redo it.”
“For returning students, it might be a little more difficult,” said Savannah Noriega, junior theater and business administration major. “They were used to Blackboard and had finally gotten adjusted.”
“This has been a very positive thing,” Hasse added. “With the resources we have available, with the staffing we have for training, with the faculty that we have, it’s a success.”
Emma Gonzalez can be reached at emma.gonzalez@laverne.edu.
Emma Gonzalez is a junior communications major with a concentration in public relations and a minor in marketing, and a staff writer for the Campus Times. Her interests include community involvement, art, traveling and writing. Emma’s long-term career objective revolves around working for a nonprofit organization that is passionate about helping a target group of individuals. Follow her on Handshake.
