After an in-depth consultation and procurement process, Brock University announced on Wednesday, April 6 that its next Learning Management System (LMS) will be D2L’s Brightspace.

The modern, cloud-based Brightspace is well-suited to serve the needs of the University’s instructors and students. With a simple user interface, support for online marking and feedback, a mobile app and continuous updates, the LMS from Kitchener-based D2L offered significant upgrades from Brock’s outgoing system.

With the agreement now fully in place, Brock will use a phased-in approach to bring the Brightspace LMS online, with the aim of having it operational across all courses by January 2023.

“The Learning Management System is an important part of the academic experience for university students and it’s a tool they use every single day,” said Brock University Interim President Lynn Wells. “We also know that for instructors, having a modern and intuitive platform in place is important and beneficial on many levels. Today starts an important next chapter in Brock University’s academic story.”

In the coming weeks, Brock instructors and staff will have opportunities to explore the platform and interested instructors are being asked to volunteer to participate in an Early Adopters program to help shape Brock’s Brightspace experience. Instructors teaching in the 2022 Spring/Summer Term and interested in taking part are asked to contact edtech@brocku.ca

By the 2022 Fall Term, all instructors will have the opportunity to choose the Brightspace LMS or continue to use the existing LMS before the full implementation in the 2023 Winter Term.

“Today’s announcement begins the implementation phase of the LMS review process that started more than a year ago,” said Madelyn Law, Associate Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning, who oversees Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CPI) that led the LMS procurement process along with a resource selection team created by Brock Senate. “During the process, all members of the Brock community were invited to respond to a needs assessment survey, experiment with five modern LMS options and provide feedback.”

In October 2021, Brock Senate endorsed a plan for the University to acquire a new LMS. That launched a multi-stage RFP process that culminated in full-day vendor presentations, ultimately leading to Brightspace being selected as the top-ranked proponent.

“We want to thank everyone who has been engaged in this process, as all of the feedback collected was critical in identifying the LMS that best meets Brock University’s needs,” Law said.

In the coming weeks, more information, as well as testing and training opportunities, will be made available.

Further details can be found on CPI’s LMS web page.