Recording of Brightspace LMS info session is posted; info sessions for Blackboard Ultra LMS offered this week

Academics, Faculty & Staff, Technology

Oct 30, 2023

person's hand pointing at a laptop screen with another hand touching the keyboard

Users of Blackboard, Cincinnati State’s current learning management system (LMS), are invited to participate in reviewing LMS options for the future during LMS Vendor Information Sessions.

To assist those who aren’t able to attend the live presentations from product vendors, the LMS Evaluation Team is providing recordings of the sessions. All faculty and staff members who use Blackboard are encouraged to review possible LMS choices and provide feedback.

To view the first vendor presentation, for the Brightspace learning management system:

Log into Blackboard
In your list of Blackboard courses, locate the LMS Evaluation Portal site
Go to the “Informational Sessions”‘ section
After you view the vendor presentation, please complete the Feedback Survey available from the “Surveys” section of the site

If you have trouble accessing the LMS Evaluation Portal site or have questions, please contact Dr. Stephanie Stafford (stephanie.stafford@cincinnatistate.edu).

Schedule for additional live remote vendor presentations:

Blackboard Ultra (Vendor company: Anthology)
- Monday, October 30, 5-6 p.m.
- Friday, November 3, 9-10 a.m.

Canvas (Vendor company: Instructure)
- Wednesday, November 15, 10-11 a.m.
- Wednesday, November 15, 5-6 p.m.

Recordings from these sessions will be added to the LMS Evaluation Portal site.

If you did not receive an Outlook Calendar invitation to the vendor presentations and would like to attend, contact Dr. Stafford.

Background:

Blackboard Original, the learning management system (LMS) currently used to support all Cincinnati State courses and to support some employee organizations and services, is being phased out by its parent company and replaced with a newer version that is significantly different from the current version.

The LMS Evaluation Team invited vendors of three LMS options–Brightspace, Blackboard Ultra, and Canvas–to provide overviews of their products, so members of the Evaluation Team and other stakeholders can learn about features. tools, and capabilities of each system.

Next steps in the LMS Evaluation process are expected to include asking vendors to develop sample courses that faculty can try out and then provide feedback.

The evaluation process will be completed and a new LMS will be selected during the 2023-24 academic year. Transition to a new LMS will occur during the 2024-25 academic year, with full use of a new system expected to launch in Fall Semester 2025.

If you have questions, you can contact Stephanie Stafford or the other members of the LMS Evaluation Team: Jon McKamey, Julie McLaughlin, Bob Nields, Peggy Rolfsen, Frankie Baker, and Tracy Metsch.