Abstract:

In March of 2016 the administration at one of the largest academic medical centers in the USA, located in North Texas issued a call for proposals for a new learning management solution. This new learning management system (LMS) was (designed to provide means for administration and faculty to deliver, track and report on course materials across medical, biomedical sciences and health professions curricula. The driving force behind the decision was the growing need for interactive online content creation, course management, and comprehensive learning analytics. In January of 2017 a new system was selected and the decision was made to export all the courses from Blackboard MoodleRooms to Desire2Learn: Brightspace. The Educational Technology team (EdTech team) at the university, comprised of 5 team members, was tasked with the responsibility to oversee the implementation. This included the adoption of the new learning management system in a concise timeline of 5 months.

Research shows that when LMS migration occurs, several critical factors should be taken into consideration: faculty buy in, training plan, roll out plan, and implementation timeline (Rucker & Frass, 2017; Al-Busaidi & Al-Shihi, 2010). However, after the extensive literature review, the EdTech team found no defined framework for transitioning from one LMS to another. However, they did find several case studies and research articles outlining common themes and issues which multiple institutions of higher education faced during the migration. By assessing the needs of different schools within the university system and compiling the research concerning best practices and common issues, the Edtech team developed a roadmap for LMS migration. This paper will describe the development process, critical components of the transition, the training plan, support needs, and methods to obtain faculty adoption. According to 2017 research by Rucker & Frass: “By investigating LMS migrations at other institutions, administrators and IT professionals can determine the best type of training and support to provide faculty members” (p. 260). By sharing their experiences the EdTech team will contribute to the body of research allowing for further development of LMS migration framework.

References:
[1] Rucker, R. D., & Frass, L. R. (2017). Migrating Learning Management Systems in Higher Education: Faculty Members’ Perceptions of System Usage and Training When Transitioning from Blackboard Vista to Desire2Learn. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 0047239517711954. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0047239517711954
[2] Al-Busaidi, K. A., & Al-Shihi, H. (2010). Instructors' acceptance of learning management systems: A theoretical framework. Communications of the IBIMA, 2010, 2010. http://ibimapublishing.com/articles/CIBIMA/2010/862128/862128.pdf

Keywords:

LMS, learning management system, faculty training, LMS implementation, LMS migration.