Now that the Spring LMS (Learning Management System) Pilot is underway, we would like to update campus concerning the progress that has been made, what has been completed, and what is still to come. We have 40 instructors teaching 77 different class sections in our 3 pilot systems (an expanded version of Desire2Learn, Canvas and Schoology). This equates to over 3,000 students currently participating in this pilot.

In addition to using these “real world” scenarios, we are asking our participants to try out a series of usage tests.  These usage tests are fairly simple, and involve basic tasks such as “send an email to your class”, or “post a video for your class to watch”.  By breaking down the objectives of this project into fundamental, system-agnostic use-cases and quantifying how successfully pilot participants fare in each scenario, we hope to be objective in our decision making process. We plan to involve students in these tests by offering them publicly in our computer labs and campus technology stores later in the semester.

Lastly, we are working with The Center for Educational Development and Research (CEDaR) to perform additional research on the feasibility of the implementation of the systems we are testing.

Based on this feedback, we hope to have a final decision made by the end of this summer. Our contract with D2L expires during the summer of 2015 making this an ideal time to evaluate alternatives. We will be posting here soon with more information as the pilot progresses.

It is our hope that this pilot will be as transparent and detailed as possible. We welcome any and all feedback and questions, please email us anytime at academictech@ou.edu.