The Office of Distance Learning at Florida State University (FSU) transitioned from Blackboard to Canvas in 2017. The yearlong transition involved diverse teams within the FSU community. This presentation covers the complete process with an emphasis on course migration, accessible templates, faculty training and support, and user survey data analysis.
Context and Scope
The Office of Distance Learning (ODL) manages the learning management system (LMS) for the entire university. ODL supported Blackboard Learn as the university’s LMS for 20 years. In 2016, the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) selected Canvas as the state’s preferred LMS. FSU created an Opt-In LMS Feasibility Workgroup to research the BOG’s recommendation and, after extensive research, the workgroup recommended adopting Canvas. ODL’s objective was to migrate 95% of the university to a new system within a year.
In 2017, ODL successfully transitioned from Blackboard to Canvas. Collaborative efforts both external and internal to FSU contributed to our success. Externally, we coordinated with Canvas’s customer success manager, implementation consultant, and trainer. Internally, our technical support, instructional development, media, and assessment and testing units collaborated to complete the transition.
Project Phases
FSU finalized its contract with Canvas in December 2016. Prior to contract approval, ODL transition team members attended Canvas conferences and conducted research on successful transitions at other institutions. We analyzed the Canvas system, import of course and enrollment data, stakeholder needs, migration best practices, and user support mechanisms. During Summer and Fall 2016, we held meetings on learning Canvas and brainstormed strategies for the transition, faculty support, and system integration and support. By the time the transition was officially announced, all teams were prepared to begin the move.
The following timeline highlights the key objectives of each transition phase:
Spring 2017
- Canvas preparation
- Canvas campus-wide orientation week
- Canvas open to all instructors and staff for development of courses and organization sites
Summer 2017
- Canvas pilot
- Canvas training
- Improvements based on pilot feedback
Fall 2017
- Soft launch of Canvas
- Canvas training
Spring 2018
- Full launch of Canvas
- Blackboard being phased out
Summer 2018
- Blackboard retirement
Project Teams
ODL’s units worked collaboratively on the transition project. The breakdown of the tasks is as follows:
Technical support unit:
- Monthly meetings on Canvas implementation
- FSU instance setup
- Branding
- Authentication
- LTI and API information and tools development
- Third-party integrations (Kaltura, Turnitin, Blackboard Collaborate, EvaluationKIT, WebAssign, etc.)
- Canvas logs and data replication
- Blackboard organization migration
- Building the FSU Canvas Transition Center website (timeline, training, support)
Instructional development unit:
- Course template best practices with design principles and Quality Matters standards applied
- Template building using Design Tools
- Course migration best practices
- Universal design and accessibility
- Faculty pilot
- Training and support
Media unit:
- Migration videos
- Social media (live streaming and content posting)
- Icons on my.fsu.edu
- Marketing campaign (postcards, newsletter, promotional items)
- Button graphics
- Student spotlight
- Raffle
Assessment and Testing unit:
- Individual course migration
Results
In one year, instructors have migrated more than 5,000 courses to Canvas. As of Spring 2018, students were enrolled in Canvas courses only. Our access to Blackboard will end on July 1, 2018. During the first semester of Canvas going live, our Canvas support team reported a smooth transition. The collaborative efforts of all ODL units led to the success of this large-scale project.
We have collected survey data on the pilot group and our training (workshops, webinars, and one-on-one consultations). We have completed hundreds of training sessions and individual consultations. Our data show that more than 90% of the attendees were satisfied with our training efforts.
Although the transition project has ended, we will continue to upgrade the Canvas system, integrate new tools, and work to improve the efficacy of our LMS. We will make courses more accessible, ensure course quality, and empower faculty, staff, and students to use Canvas to the fullest for quality education.
Session Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Identify our purpose for transitioning to a new LMS
- List the transition phases
- Select the templates created from Design Tools and promote universal design and accessibility
- Describe the support mechanisms for faculty, staff, and students
- Integrate instructor/student feedback from the user surveys into a transition plan for other institutions
Who Might Benefit from This Presentation?
- Institution Type: Higher education
- Audience Level: All, expert, intermediate, novice
- Target Audience: Administrators, faculty, instructional support, training professionals, researchers, all attendees
Materials
We will distribute presentation slides, handouts of template design examples, and a universal design and accessibility checklist during the presentation.