The learning management system (LMS) is core to most online and blended courses, and facilitating a full version upgrade can be stressful. A medium-sized university shares its experience planning for and successfully executing a major LMS upgrade.
Planning for a full version upgrade to an institution’s existing learning management system (LMS) can be a daunting task even for the most seasoned professional. It is difficult to reach consensus on an ideal window for the upgrade, and no one is thrilled to hear the system will be down for an extended period of time. Faculty express concerns about changes to navigation and learning new functionality. Students and faculty both worry existing content will be lost. Additionally, IT staff and administrators stress that other systems connecting to the LMS or relying on it for data might be impacted. In order to mitigate these doubts and experience success, it is critical for the LMS upgrade team to create a project framework that is transparent, inclusive, and realistically attainable.
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to 1) recognize the challenges associated with a major LMS upgrade, 2) develop an LMS upgrade project plan with tangible benchmarks, and 3) identify and include key stakeholders in the LMS upgrade process. These objectives will be achieved through a presentation and interactive conversation focused on a practical, real-world example.
During the 2016-17 academic year, Loyola University Chicago embarked on a 12-month process to upgrade its primary LMS from Sakai 10 to 11. This upgrade directly impacted its roughly 16,500 students and 4,000 faculty and staff. The presenter will provide a step-by-step guide through this process, emphasizing factors that significantly contributed to the overall success of the upgrade. This includes initial discovery, creating a project plan and timeline, securing leadership approval, implementation, and closeout. Lessons learned along the way will also be pointed out. Although Sakai will be specifically referenced, the principles discussed are applicable to any LMS upgrade.
Loyola maintains three separate instances of its LMS. The first is production and the main course delivery platform. The second is a test instance that mirrors production in every way except rosters and course content. The last is a development instance which plays a significant role in future upgrades. This sandbox allows technicians to try out the latest release, create support resources, and provide key stakeholders with early access. The presenter will explain how “Dev” was essential in gaining university-wide support for this upgrade.
An effective LMS upgrade requires timely training and user-friendly documentation. This is further complicated by the diverse needs of students, faculty, administrators, and guests. The presenter will provide an overview the support offered to each Loyola user type, including frequency and mode of delivery. This segment will also mention how Loyola took this opportunity to reassess existing support resources, and to create a new self-help model.
A comprehensive communication plan that utilizes multiple distribution channels to reach all users types is a must for an LMS upgrade. Notifications should be concise and consistent, providing important dates and where to go for more information. The presenter will summarize Loyola’s communication plan and highlight specific broadcast and social media channels used to keep the university community informed.
It is important to capture the technical prep work leading up to the change, as well as during the physical LMS upgrade. A validation period should be planned for once the upgrade is complete and accessible again to users. It is also recommended the formal project closeout be scheduled after full on boarding of all users has finished. The presenter will display a visual representation of technical testing conducted at Loyola, and strategies adopted to overcome many of the obstacles encountered during the LMS upgrade process.
This session ends with a recap of where Loyola’s recognized challenges were interwoven into its project plan, and how key stakeholder participation across the university contributed to a successful LMS upgrade. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions and share related experiences. They will depart with fundamental concepts and resources to springboard their institution’s next LMS upgrade.