Mark Schneider is the Director of Learning Technology and formerly an instructor of mathematics at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), a polytechnic located in western Canada. In 2023, NAIT selected D2L Brightspace to replace Moodle as their new learning management system (LMS). In the final part of a four-part series on transitioning from Moodle to Brightspace, Mark reflects on the entire migration process, sharing lessons learned and advice for those looking to make a similar switch. You can catch up on part one here, part two here, and part three here.
A Quick Journey to Success
We embarked on our journey with Brightspace in July 2023 and launched in September 2024. Looking back, it was a rapid transition, but it was the best way to ensure a seamless student experience. Delaying the process would have disrupted our students, because some courses would have been in Moodle, while others would have been in Brightspace. The timeline was a good balance between ensuring that we were improving the student experience but also accounting for staff workload.
The biggest piece of advice I would give to other institutions looking to migrate to a new LMS is to stay student focused.Mark Schneider Director of Learning Technology, NAIT
The Challenge with Multiple Stakeholders
It’s easy to get distracted when you think about the multiple stakeholders that invest in an LMS. It’s easy to get pulled into a direction that is instructor-focused or support-staff- focused or administration-focused. Each group has different priorities. While we did take into account their needs and feedback, we wanted to ensure that our decisions were guided by what would improve the student experience.
The biggest piece of advice I would give to other institutions looking to migrate to a new LMS is to stay student focused. Always question whether the feedback and requests you receive will enhance or detract from the student experience. Staying laser-focused on our students was key to our success.
‘A Breath of Fresh Air’
Our students love Brightspace, and hearing that has been a breath of fresh air for the organization. The feedback from our students has been overwhelmingly positive. Our recent surveys show over 80% favorable results regarding their experience with Brightspace.
They’ve mentioned that they like the user interface, the mobile nature of the system, and they find it easy to use. Brightspace offers them a better overall learning experience. This strong feedback validates our decision to transition and the steps we took along the way.
Faculty and Staff Reactions
While most staff feedback has been positive, some still prefer the previous LMS. However, as they become more familiar with Brightspace’s functionality, we expect them to embrace the new system. The consistent and intuitive user interface has been a significant improvement for both students and faculty.
With Brightspace, we achieved full automation by January 2024, saving thousands of hours and improving the instructor experience.Mark Schneider Director of Learning Technology, NAIT
Achieving Full Automation
One of our biggest wins was achieving full automation in course provisioning. Previously, we manually created over 13,000 LMS course sites annually, a process that took considerable time and effort. With Brightspace, we achieved full automation by January 2024, saving thousands of hours and improving the instructor experience.
Leveraging D2L Services
We invested in D2L’s Lumi and Creator+ tools to enhance our migration process. Lumi, in particular, has been a game-changer, helping us recover content losses quickly and efficiently. It has also encouraged our instructors to explore open educational resources, improving the student experience by reducing the need for costly publisher materials.
Benefits of Brightspace
For those considering a switch from Moodle to Brightspace, the biggest benefit has been the consistency in the student experience. Brightspace offers a more uniform and intuitive interface, reducing student frustration and improving engagement. Additionally, view the transition as an opportunity to refine processes and focus on student-centered improvements.
Our journey with Brightspace has been transformative.Mark Schneider Director of Learning Technology, NAIT
Final Thoughts
Our journey with Brightspace has been transformative. The support from D2L, particularly our learning administration manager, has been invaluable. The transition has saved us time, improved our processes, and most importantly, enhanced the student experience. For any institution considering a similar move, staying student-focused and leveraging available tools and support will be key to a successful transition.
Written by:
