A message from Fiona Allan, Vice-President, Academic:
Over the last year, Niagara College engaged in a robust review and consultation of our Learning Management System (LMS) (currently Blackboard), followed by a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, taking an important step towards a modern digital platform to support course and program delivery, student success and the innovative, applied education for which NC is so well known.
We consulted with faculty, staff, and students about their needs to identify our strategic priorities for a learning management system. During the RFP process, College representatives systematically compared and tested some of the LMS platforms on the market today, evaluating written proposals, live demonstrations, and testing environments by LMS vendors.
Niagara College is excited to announce that we will be moving forward with D2L’s Brightspace as our new Learning Management System, which will enable us to transform the teaching and learning experience and meet the needs identified in our consultation process.
Brightspace is used by more than 1,100 organizations worldwide and across the education spectrum, from K-12 to higher education and corporate customers. With over two decades experience, their focus is on the user experience: personalization, flexibility, ease-of-use, and accessibility. Brightspace is as an important investment to position NC for future growth and the evolving needs of our learners and colleagues.
In addition to aligning with our collective priorities, Brightspace has many innovative and intuitive features, including:
- Robust tools that support accessibility, including an accessibility checker, auto-generated captions for video and audio content, and more.
- A grading tool which allows for multi-modal feedback, audio and video (auto-captioned).
- Easy to use and customizable engagement tools like instant messaging, chat options, group collaboration tools, and more.
- Integration with Turnitin, which NC will adopt to check for plagiarism and support academic integrity.
- A seamless mobile experience with the Pulse App for android and iOS.
- Robust learning analytic dashboards that provide individual learner metrics, course engagement data, and assessment data. Intelligent Agents, a tool built into the platform, can help faculty gain insight into their course while also sending customizable messages to students, for example: when they missed a deadline or assignment.
As we make the transition to Brightspace, Niagara College wants to thank Blackboard for being a trusted partner for more than two decades.
Visit www.niagaracollege.ca/brightspace to learn more.
The LMS Review process was a major undertaking, and we want to thank the over 1,200 students, faculty and staff who were involved throughout the process, from completing surveys, attending a town hall session, or taking part in a demo.
We recognize that this is both exciting news and a significant organizational change, and we are committed to supporting faculty, staff and students throughout the transition to Brightspace in Winter 2024.
This summer, planning work is underway, including the development of a transition timeline and plan, and training of key staff and faculty.
In Fall 2023, we will move into the transition phase. Blackboard will continue to be used for teaching, and faculty will have access to courses in Brightspace.
Throughout the fall, asynchronous training and resources will become available, and the Centre for Academic Excellence will lead intensive training, drop-in support, and consults.
To support a smooth transition, the College has invested in migration services to move courses from Blackboard to Brightspace. Beginning this summer, NC will work with K16, a white glove migration service and industry leader.
The move to Brightspace also presents a great opportunity for collaboration, as more staff and departments can integrate an LMS within their work.
In the coming weeks and months, the CAE will offer information sessions to faculty, staff and students to learn more about how Brightspace will support our evolving teaching and learning needs at NC. More detailed information about the timeline will be forthcoming.
For more information on the transition to Brightspace, visit www.niagaracollege.ca/brightspace.
Fiona Allan
Vice-President, Academic
Niagara College
