The following message was sent to current and past PebblePad clients from the Associate Vice-President, Academic, and Chief Information Officer.
What is happening?
PebblePad has been the University's ePortfolio solution since 2018. After assessing information collected through a review of current and potential future use cases, cost/benefit analysis and market research, a decision has been made to begin a planned sunsetting and discontinuation of the platform. We recognize that PebblePad has become an integral part of certain courses and programs. As such, this decision was not made lightly.
PebblePad will remain available for a full year, until July 31, 2027, to provide uninterrupted access for planned courses while enabling the transition for current users to alternative solutions.
Why is this happening?
The University is committed to creating an exceptional learning experience for students. This aligns with the Digital Learning Strategy, in which the available educational technologies (EdTech) are streamlined to avoid duplication while pedagogical needs are supported. The University’s current EdTech ecosystem is complex, and costs are increasing unsustainably. In the current financial climate, funding for currently supported teaching and learning technologies, and those newly requested, will be limited. This will necessitate careful EdTech decisions over the next few years, with a focus on investments that deliver the most value towards a positive student experience. The decision has been made to end the relatively high-cost annual licensing fee for PebblePad due to under-utilization.
Instructors: How does this impact you?
PebblePad will remain fully functional during the transition period, ending July 31, 2027. You will need to transition course materials, assessments, student materials, and related workflows to replacement solutions during that period.
Students: How does this impact you?
As courses move to alternative tools over the next year, you may notice changes in how course activities and materials are accessed. If you have content stored in the PebblePad platform from current or past courses, you will be asked to transfer or save it elsewhere before the platform is retired on July 31, 2027.
What support will be available?
During the transition period, there will be a thorough needs assessment in consultation with current and prospective users to determine what solution(s) are appropriate. Additional information will be shared as transition and consultation plans evolve. Targeted support, training, and migration resources will be available to help transition from PebblePad.
For questions and support, please direct your inquiries to LEARNhelp@uwaterloo.ca.