The evaluation project includes focus groups, surveys and open forums to gather data as well as pilot groups conducting comprehensive reviews of Blackboard and Moodle. This data will be presented to the Information Management Council, (IMC). The IMC will draft (or forward) a recommendation based on findings and submit to Kathryn Morris, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Scott Kincaid, Chief Information Officer.
There are three possible outcomes for this LMS evaluation project:
1. We confirm Blackboard as our desired LMS system. In this case the pilot ends, we issue the recommendation and the project is closed. We would continue to renew Blackboard on an annual basis.
2. We choose Moodle as a replacement for Blackboard. Implementation would be phased in beginning with the Fall of 2012:
- 2012-2013: Faculty members are encouraged to use Moodle but may still use Blackboard; communities are migrated to Moodle and all courses are migrated to Moodle by the start of the 2013 academic year
- 2013-2014: Moodle is in production and Blackboard is retired and not available
3. We find neither Blackboard nor Moodle to be the desired LMS system and commence a pilot with a new tool. The alternate tool would be piloted in 2012-13 with a decision on the best course of action made at the end of the spring semester, 2013.