ADVENTURES WITH MCGILL’S NEW (HOSTED) LMSPresented to CANHEITby Sharon RoyJune 10, 2012

Background1. McGilll

• Founded 190 years ago• International reputation for quality• 37,000 + students• ~ 2,000 Faculty members• 2 campuses (Downtown Campus, MacDonald Campus)

2. Sharon Roy • Director of Content and Collaboration Solutions (2007)• Background in Educational Assessment and Educational

Technologies (Laurentian University, Washington State University)

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Background2005 WebCT Vista implemented

2009-2010 User requirements gathering

• Open content

• Collaboration Tools

• Customizable environment

2010-2011 Rigorous selection process (RFI, CFT)

2011 Desire2Learn selected• Externally hosted

May 2012 346 Summer Courses go live in the new LMS

Fall 2012 ~2,000 Fall Courses will go live

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Course migration process1. WebCT courses auto-migrated to new system2. Each course checked by an LMS Site Editor

• Average 2.5 hours/course, up to 8 hours for some

3. Validation that no content or functionality was lost• 22-point checklist

4. Manual recreation of features that do not migrate5. Quality assurance report for each course

• What manual work was done, if any.• What action items should be carried out by instructor

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12/35

TrainingFlexible & Multiple Learning Styles

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Support• New myCourses website: www.mcgill.ca/lms

• Drop-in Clinics for instructors

• ICS Service Desk (helpline): • Phone: x3398• Email: itsupport@mcgill.ca

• IT Knowledge Base: www.mcgill.ca/it

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Why Hosted? 1. Money

• ~ 1/3 cost, even with “gold standard” BCDR

2. Upgrades• In theory (as yet an untested theory) it should be easier to stay

current with new patches and releases.

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Challenges1. Resources

• However much time you think you need x 2• However many staff resources you think you’ll need x 2

2. Contract• Clearly articulated SLA• Detailed Performance Guarantees

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