D2L’s Brightspace has been chosen as University of Windsor’s next Learning Management System (LMS) after a comprehensive consultation process and a robust procurement process using a thorough set of assessment criteria.
Why the change?
An extensive LMS review and investigation into the requirements for UWindsor’s next LMS began when the current vendor, Blackboard, announced that it would no longer support the self-hosted versions of Blackboard Learn after 2023. The university’s contract with the vendor expires on April 28, 2023.
Consultation & Procurement Process
Information about the extensive LMS review can be found on the LMS Review page. Results of the university-wide consultation and environmental scan, along with some of the assessment criteria in the robust procurement process can be found in the documents.
Why Brightspace?
Brightspace addresses the needs expressed by the many faculty, staff, and students during the LMS Review. Brightspace provides:
- Modern, intuitive interface
A common theme found throughout the LMS Review was the need for an intuitive, modern interface. Faculty, staff, and students preferred Brightspace’s interface finding it modern, clean, and easy to use and navigate. - Desired functionality
During the LMS feedback period, the easy-to-use content creation tools and the integrated chat function were some of the features identified as desired by both instructors and students. Instructors particularly liked the Brightspace course dashboard, and the module creation options and process. Students identified Brightspace's assessment submission process and the file conversion tool as two of the most advantageous features. Students were impressed with the ability to preview an assignment prior to submission and the auto-save functionality the system provides, which prevents loss of work during stressful assignments. - Reliability
As a cloud-based system, Brightspace commits to a 99.9% global uptime and applies a continuous improvement model based on customer feedback. Updates and enhancements are delivered without downtime. - Mobile-first design
Brightspace is designed with mobile devices in mind providing instructors and students a modern, fully functioning interface on any mobile device. - Accessibility
Accessibility is a critical requirement of any digital system and D2L’s Brightspace meets the provincial accessibility standards, with several features to help instructors create more accessible learning opportunities for their students. D2L is also committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in both their products and the company as a whole.
Implementation timeline
A small pilot of early adopters will have the opportunity to use Brightspace, with MS Teams as their virtual classroom, for their Fall 2022 courses. All other courses will move to Brightspace for Winter 2023, to complete the implementation of the new system before the Blackboard contract expiration date of April 28, 2023. Blackboard will no longer be accessible after April 28, 2023.
View an accessible version of the timeline.
Contact
For questions or comments email brightspace@uwindsor.ca.