The University’s contract with the learning management system (LMS) provider D2L Brightspace (LEARN) is set to expire October 31, 2023. As per Policy 17 – Quotations and Tenders, a renewal of the D2L contract, or the signing of a new contract with an alternate LMS provider, requires the University to initiate a publicly advertised competitive bidding process. This legal requirement ensures fair market competition for all potential vendors.
This is an opportune time to conduct a review of the LEARN environment to help us better understand how the system may or may not be meeting the needs and expectations of our campus community. To support this work, members of Information Systems & Technology (IST), Centre for Extended Learning (CEL), and Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) have launched the LMS Review project to inform a recommendation for moving forward with Waterloo’s LMS environment, including an approach to licensing and resources to support a transition, should the University change LMS vendors.
Opportunities to learn more about this project and provide feedback:
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LMS
Review
project
information
session
- This session will take place via Teams on Thursday, September 22, 2022, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please use the Team link to create your own calendar entry.
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LMS
Review
survey
- During the week of September 26, 2022, all University employees and students will receive an email invitation to complete the LMS Review survey and provide feedback on the LEARN environment.
Stakeholder consultations and environmental scan
Project team members are connecting with LEARN “power users” and support staff, and areas that have a unique use case for the platform. Consultations with faculty and students will be held during the fall. The project team has also completed an environmental scan to understand what other learning management systems are available and the features/functions they offer. Team members also consulted with other Universities who have recently undertaken an LMS review to learn from their experiences.