Learning Management System Review Project

The office of the executive vice president and the provost has requested an evaluation of the current learning management system, Blackboard Learn, that is being used and supported by the university. This review will be conducted during the Spring 2023 semester. Our current contract will soon be up for renewal and the university will be entering into a one-year extension to allow time for this evaluation and possible migration of LMS platforms. No change will occur to current courses in Blackboard Learn during this review process.

Learning management systems have changed significantly since Missouri State first began using Blackboard. In fact, Blackboard is introducing its next generation LMS Blackboard Ultra. The goal of this review is to evaluate Blackboard Ultra along with two additional systems, Brightspace D2L and Canvas and identify the system that best meets the needs of our academic community.

The review process will include students, faculty, and service units that provide user support for these systems.

Project objectives

Identify the current academic community needs for a learning management system (LMS).
Assess different options to meet current needs while considering costs and future needs of different course modalities (face-to-face, blended, online, hybrid and HyFlex).
Assess the support needed to increase adoption and effective use of a learning management system among faculty and students.
Present a final report and recommendations to the Office of the Provost from which decisions can be made.

LMS review timeline

January

Announce LMS review
Call for faculty reviewers.

February

Conduct student and faculty surveys.
Faculty review group user testing of LMS platforms

March

On-campus presentations from LMS vendors
Technical review conducted by information services and support units
Open forum for user preferences and feedback

April

Analyze data from student and faculty surveys, faculty user review, faculty feedback from on-campus presentations, and technical review of LMS platforms.
Present final report and recommendation to the office of the executive vice president and the provost.
Office of the executive vice president and the provost and chief information officer prepares proposal to go before Board of Governors.

LMS vendor demonstrations

All members of the academic community are invited to attend on-campus demonstrations of the three LMS platforms being reviewed. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the platform and submit feedback after the vendor demonstration. The demonstration portion of these visits will be recorded for those that are unable to attend. Faculty are encouraged to review all three sessions, either in-person or the recording, and provide feedback.

LMS on-campus demo dates

Each vendor demonstration will follow a similar format meeting with faculty, students, and technical staff.

Canvas — Tuesday, March 21 | Vist agenda | Presentation video
Anthology/Blackboard — Tuesday, March 28 | Vist agenda | Presentation video
D2L (Brightspace) — Tuesday, April 4 | Vist agenda | SIU Center for Teaching Excellence video | Presentation video

All faculty sessions are from 9:00 – 10:25 a.m. each session.

Each meeting will follow the same agenda:

Demonstration for faculty
Technical discussion
Student demonstration
Discussion on assessment, data, and reporting capabilities
Support for non-degree programs

List of faculty reviewers

View list of LMS faculty reviewers

LMS migration experiences

As we continue to review three LMS products, we want to make available all that we know or has been shared with us. The following provides information on a migration to either Canvas or Bright Space from the perspectives of participating IHEs.

Case Study: How Georgia State University is using D2L
University of Hawaii (Click on tabs)

LMS FAQs

Missouri State has been with Blackboard for over 20 years and the needs of students and faculty have evolved during that time. The LMS market has evolved as well with more vendors and options to address the changing needs of how we deliver our courses. Our contract with Blackboard will soon be up for renewal and during the next contract cycle, we would be migrating to Blackboard’s next generation LMS, Blackboard Ultra. We have extended our contract one year to allow time to review Ultra and other LMS providers and determine which platform will best meet our needs.
While most open source solutions do not have licensing costs, there are costs associated with hosting, customizing, and managing the platform. Information Services has conducted a preliminary review of LMS providers to ensure security requirements and compatibility with other essential systems used for grades and enrollment processes at the university. The LMS providers being reviewed are Blackboard Ultra, Instructure Canvas, and Brightspace D-2-L. Canvas is open source at the course level but does require licensing fees and other costs to operate as an enterprise solution.
The review and recommendation process will take place during Spring 2023. There will be no impact to courses during Spring, Summer, or even Fall 2023. The selection will be announced in Summer 2023 and there will be at least one-year to migrate courses to a new platform.
We don’t want to give up what we already have with Blackboard Learn, but this is an opportune time to evaluate other LMS provider’s tools to see if there are better options and also determine how third-party tools like Ally will function within other LMS platforms.
Help Desk services and user training will be part of any LMS contract going forward. Information Services and the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning will also provide LMS resources and training materials to support a smooth transition.
Faculty and students will be invited to share input and feedback through multiple methods during the evaluation process. A group of faculty members are being invited to build sample courses on all three platforms being reviewed. An LMS survey will be sent to faculty and students asking what features are most important. Each LMS provider will be on campus to provide an all-campus demonstration of their platform, faculty and students will be able to complete a feedback form on each platform. There will also be an open forum posted on this website where faculty and students can provide comments and feedback at any time during the review process.
As part of their contractual services, each vendor will provide a migration tool to move courses from Blackboard Learn to the new platform. Part of the LMS review is testing and evaluation of these tools by computer services and once a LMS provider has been decided, support will be provided to assist faculty with course migration.

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