The document summarizes Cuyahoga Community College's process for transitioning to a new Learning Management System (LMS). A taskforce with representatives from various campus groups was formed to lead a culturally inclusive and transparent review. The taskforce gathered input through surveys, focus groups, and continuous feedback. Tools like a needs analysis rubric and scorecard were used to evaluate vendors. The taskforce broke the large project into short sprints and recognized members' work through digital badges. After a thorough process, the taskforce recommended a new LMS to the college community.

1. LMS TRANSITIONS
LESSONS FROM A CULTURALLY INCLUSIVE AND TRANSPARENT
CHANGE EFFORT

2. ABOUT CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
• Largest community college in Ohio
• 52,000 students annually
• 4 campuses, 1 university center, multiple satellite
sites
• Large online presence, 30% of FTE comes from
online and blended/hybrid courses

3. INTERCONNECTED ED TECH NEEDS
• LMS
• Outcomes assessment
• ePortfolios
• Alternative transcripts
• Alternative credentials
• Digital badges
• Open Educational Resources
(OER)
• Competency-based education
• Provider partnerships
• Social learning
• Integration
• Legacy system transitions
• Soft skills

4. POLL QUESTION
• What primary needs do you feel are not being met by your
current LMS and other integrated edtech systems? (Pick your
top 2.)
• a) Mobile delivery
• b) Video streaming
• c) Social learning tools
• d) Modularization, digital badging, microcredentials
• e) ePortfolios
• f) Modern user interface and/or functionality

5. CONSIDERATIONS
• Large-scale project in strong shared governance structure
• College had Blackboard for 18 years
• Different cultures at each of the 4 campuses
• Many constituent groups; many different perspectives
• Lots of change going on simultaneously
• Online & educational technology structures & processes are
“old school”

6. LMS OVERVIEW VIDEO
• Explains justification for the
LMS Review
• Was distributed via Adobe
Presenter
• Same information was posted
on blog, distributed via email,
printed posters and flyers, and
presented at College-wide
events & faculty senate
meetings

7. COMMITMENT TO
TRANSPARENCY
• All information posted
online
• Demos from vendors
• Blog has 733 followers
(mostly faculty, some
students)

8. COMMITMENT TO
TRANSPARENCY
• Meeting agendas and notes
• Attendance records for all
Taskforce members
• Results from college-wide
surveys
• Presentations conducted in
Taskforce workshops and
sessions

9. THE TASKFORCE
• Short-term group
• 10 full-time faculty (all campuses); 1 adjunct; several staff were
also adjunct instructors
• Staff and administration from eLearning and Innovation, IT,
procurement, legal, accessibility services, Centers for Learning
Excellence, student affairs, students
• Formalized the expectations for what Taskforce membership
entailed

10. THE TASKFORCE
DEFINING EXPECTATIONS FOR FACULTY

11. THE TASKFORCE
EXPECTATIONS FOR STAFF &
ADMINISTRATION

12. ADJUSTED TIMELINE

13. COMMUNICATION
SHARED OWNERSHIP OF THE MESSAGE

14. POLL QUESTION
What primary methods do you use to communicate within your
college? (Pick top 2.)
A. Email
B. Portal and/or Intranet
C. Newsletters (physical or virtual)
D.Paper (flyers, posters, etc.)
E. Video updates
F. Faculty meetings and/or presentations

15. COMMUNICATION
• Faculty Communication Work
Group led faculty outreach
• Multiple means of outreach:
video, posters, flyers, emails,
online newsletters, postings
in portal

16. COMMUNICATION
 We kept track of all
communications on a “Traffic
Report”
 Over 75 communications went
out over the length of the
Taskforce involvement

17. SURVEYS, FOCUS GROUPS & INTERVIEWS OH
MY!
GETTING FEEDBACK IS JUST LIKE VOTING: DO IT EARLY AND OFTEN

18. SURVEYS & FOCUS GROUPS
• College-wide
• Separate surveys for faculty, staff and administration, and
students
• Focus groups for each of those populations at each of the
campuses
• Interviews with key stakeholders

19. ONLINE CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK FORM

20. TOOLS
NEEDS ANALYSIS, RUBRIC, AND SCORECARD PROCESS

21. TOOLS USED IN THE DECISION MAKING
PROCESS
1. Needs Analysis
2. Rubric
3. Scorecard
4. Consensus Tool

22. POLL QUESTION
What tools do you use when making committee or Taskforce
decisions? (Pick top 2.)
A. None – general discussion
B. Formal voting
C. Codified analysis tool (i.e. rubrics, surveys, etc.)
D.Consensus tool
E. Other specific internal process

23. RUBRIC
One tool in the process:
 Assessments
 Assignments
 Assignment Submission
 Calendar Integration
 Communication, Collaboration
 Content
 Gradebook
 Social Tools
 General User
 Site Maintenance
 Network
 Support, Training

24. SCORECARD
 Rubric categories
corresponded to
the scorecard
(necessary for RFP)
 Scorecard pre-
discussion
matched results of
rubric
 Consensus
decision process

25. CONSENSUS
 Codified way of making a
decision
 Clarified what decision was being
made
 Enabled individuals to clarify what
their stance was on it
 Provided opportunity for rich
discussion
 Used in 3 places:
 Who to send the RFP to (decision
changed)
 Downselect (from 5-3)
 Final decision

26. TASKFORCE OPERATIONS
SHORT DEADLINES, SHARED OWNERSHIP, AND CELEBRATION OF WINS

27. SPRINTS
• Short-term 2 week assignments
• Intense work over a short period of time
• Work Group leads determined what needed to be
done, assigned tasks
• Report outs every 2 weeks
• Adjusted as we went

28. DIGITAL BADGES
& RECOGNITION
• At biweekly meetings, digital
badges were rewarded based on
recommendations from Work
Group Leads
• Physical certificates with the
badges were also awarded

29. PUTTING A BOW ON IT
HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK OF THE TASKFORCE

30. MOVIE OPENING EVENT

31. COLLEGE-WIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS
LMS Review Overview
Video

32. LINGERING CONCERNS
• Self-hosted
• SaaS versus on-site
• To Ultra or Not to Ultra, that is the question