This document provides an overview and status update of Tri-C's Learning Management System (LMS) review project from May 2014. It outlines the project plan, assumptions, timeline, roles and responsibilities, communication efforts, and next steps. The key goals are to analyze if their current LMS (Blackboard) still fits the institution's needs and to potentially select and implement a new LMS if warranted. The project utilizes work groups, biweekly meetings, and "sprints" to gather input and make progress towards completing a needs analysis and selecting a new system by December 2014 if needed.

1. LEARNING MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM REVIEW
Project Status: May 2014

2. INTRODUCTIONS
Getting to know you,
getting to know all about
you

3. PROJECT PLAN OVERVIEW Intentions, Scope,
Assumptions

4. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Blackboard has been our LMS
since the late 1990’s (18 years)
New LMSs in the marketplace
with new features and
functionality
Need to analyze if Blackboard is
still the best institutional fit

5. ASSUMPTIONS
There are several assumptions that are guiding the investigation into a
possible new LMS implementation at Tri-C. They are:
1. The current LMS (Blackboard) may or may not be the best
institutional fit for an LMS. This can only be determined by a
review of all feasible LMSs.
2. There will not be an LMS that matches perfectly with the college’s
needs.

6. ASSUMPTIONS
3. Only with a thorough review of enterprise-level LMSs can we
determine what the best institutional fit for the needs of students,
faculty, and staff will be.
4. The process must be inclusive. All are encouraged to participate
and provide feedback as we conduct a needs analysis, prioritize
our needs, and implement a rubric-based selection process.

7. HOW WE EXECUTE THE PROJECT PLAN
Synchronous meetings every 2 weeks at every campus location
Sprint activities in between synchronous meetings
Tight knit work groups
Communication on the eNET site

8. WHAT PARTICIPATION ENTAILS
Faculty participation overview Administration and staff
participation overview

9. LMS REVIEW PROCESS MAP

10. ROLE-BASED LEADS & SPRINTS How the team will function

11. PROJECT ASSIGNED ROLES
Project Champion & Sponsor
Project sponsor
 undertaken as one of two charges of
the Tech Forum Governance Committee
Project champion
 Dr. J. Michael Thomson
Organizational Roles
Project lead
 Sasha Thackaberry
Project coordinator
 Melanie Thompson
Project Manager in
Implementation Phase
 Alicia Christy

12. DETERMINING WORK GROUPS
Technical Integration Work Group
Communication Strategy Work Group
Social Learning Work Group
Publisher Materials Work Group
College Referral Work Group
RFI Process Work Group
?

13. DETERMINING ROLE-BASED LEADS
Faculty lead
Technical leads
Administration lead
?

14. WHAT ARE SPRINTS?
2-week long assigned activities
Cross-functional mini-teams (3-4 people tops)
Flexible groupings – sprint groups will configure as necessary for tasks
Specific deliverables due at the end of 2 weeks
Sprint report-outs occur in the bi-weekly meetings

15. GENERAL TIMELINE January 2014 – June
2016

16. GENERAL TIMELINE
January – June 2014: Needs Analysis and Rubric Development
July – August 2014: Demos, sandboxes, initial application of rubric
for down-select
Fall 2014: RFI process, sandbox classes, testing
December 2014: final determination

17. GENERAL TIMELINE CONTINUED
Spring 2015: pilots, training preparation
Summer 2015: pilots, training, content migration
Fall 2015: concurrent systems (if a change is made), training
Spring 2016: concurrent systems, training
Summer 2016: all courses in hosted system solution

18. PAUSE – MINDWIRES
PRESENTATION
Our experts

19. REVIEW OF PROGRESS TO DATE What we’ve done thus far

20. PROJECT PLAN
Flexibility built in
Project success highly dependent upon completion of short-term goals
to keep the timeline on track
Share project plan to date here (eNET site)
Share Needs Analysis to date here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AklwpuBcseSvdDVrd3
R0SVgxR1VrNlVjdE5wTVF3aGc&usp=drive_web#gid=4

21. LMS REVIEW ON ELI BLOG
Central place for documentation
of all progress
Not the Taskforce’s collaboration
space (eNET)
Up-to-date info
Ability to ask and answer
questions quickly

22. TASKFORCE MEMBERSHIP STILL
NEEDED
Who we’re missing

23. OUTSTANDING MEMBERSHIP NEEDS
Student ambassadors
Adjunct faculty
Finalized list of full-time faculty

24. ENET SITE Collaboration and tools
(click below)

25. COLLEGE-WIDE
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING
Keeping it real
Keeping it transparent

26. COMMUNICATIONS TO DATE Streams & stakeholders

27. STREAMS USED FOR COMMUNICATIONS
eLi blog
Blackboard Tab
Blackboard login page
Blackboard announcements
College-wide email preparation for survey
College-wide emails for participation in focus groups

28. STREAMS USED FOR COMMUNICATIONS
College-wide emails for students
Announcements with Faculty Senate at each campus
College-wide Cabinet
eLi Advisory Committee
Distance Learning Committee
Technology Forum Committee

29. IDENTIFIED GAPS Where we need to do
more work

30. MORE WORK NEEDED
Continual challenge of communication
Miscommunication about the process and the goal
“Followers” on blog has steadily increased

31. COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
Need for college-wide integrated strategy
Creative ideas – use multimedia?
 Placard video?
 Animated video?

32. CALLS FOR PARTICIPATION Surveys, interviews, focus
groups

33. CALLS FOR PARTICIPATION
Surveys
Focus groups
Interviews
Handling questions as they arise – real-time answers on the blog

34. NEXT STEPS Where do we go from
here?

35. HOMEWORK
Go to eLi blog and “Follow”
Read all materials on eLi blog about the LMS Review
Go to eNET site
Introduce yourself on the discussion board
Join one or more work groups
Fill out doodle poll for best availability for biweekly meetings

36. SEND QUESTIONS
If you have the question, someone else has the question – let’s answer
it for everybody
Instead of email
 Use the blog for College-wide questions
 Use the eNET site for Taskforce-specific questions