Moodle at DePauw:A Model for Managing Change

Michael Gough&

Lynda S. LaRoche

DePauw University

About DePauwCollege of Liberal Arts and School of Music

Enrollment 2,298

Faculty (FTE) 238

Rules of ThumbPeople don't like change

Technology changes at warp speed

Researching, relearning and training costs productivity

IT can underestimate the impact of a change

Recipe for strife between ITand the rest of the campus community

Our ModelBring stakeholders onboard

Identify factors pushing for change

Test and weigh options

Pilot with early adopters

Create a flexible roll out timeline

Communicate via multiple channels

Offer strategic support and training

Gather feedback

Bring Stakeholders OnboardWho’s primarily affected by the change?

Users: faculty and studentsSupport: Instructional & Learning Services /

Information ServicesElectronic Reserves: Library E-Services: Student information systemStreaming Audio / Media Resources: School of

Music

Enable stakeholders to be an active part of the process

Identify Factors for ChangeFaculty Survey – Blackboard Basic

How are you using Blackboard? What does it do well? How does it lack? What do you want to do with a learning management system?

Results – Faculty Feedback on Blackboard Basic You cannot cross-link files or areas across courses. It is not easy to navigate – “it’s clunky”, too many “clicks”. It’s not reliable because it’s down a lot. It’s good for distributing my classroom handouts, but it does

not have enough interactive features. It’s not learner-focused. I have to fit my pedagogy into the tool instead of fitting tools

into my pedagogy…it’s compartmentalized.

Identify Factors for ChangeAdministrative Factors

Single sign-on capabilities (LDAP)

Integrate with other university systems

Sustainable and reliable

Predictable cost structure

Solid technical support from vendor or user community

Cross platform functionality

Customizable

Planning StrategyFaculty Driven Decision

Partnership between Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) and the Academic Technology Advising Committee (ATAC)

FITS provided expertise

ATAC openly communicated with campus through every stage

ATAC made the final recommendation on what system best fit the needs of our campus

Test and Weigh OptionsSystems we originally researched: Sakai,

Blackboard Enterprise System, Angel and Moodle

After further research and evaluation, the decision to focus our attention on Blackboard Enterprise System and Moodle was made

We already had experience with Blackboard and easily learned about the features of the Enterprise System

Moodle was new to us, so we spent significant time extensively testing it

Focused TestingAgain, we focused our attention on feedback

received from stakeholders

Usability of desired features

Flexibility of the system – capability to make changes to code, licensing restrictions, etc.

Integration with other campus systems

All features supported by Blackboard Basic must be retained

Robust support system

Implicit and explicit costs – licensing, training, support, etc.

1st Pilot with Early AdoptersThe Academic Technology Advising Committee

(ATAC) recommended running a pilot on Moodle

We sent a call out to campus and received several faculty volunteers

1st Pilot with Early Adopters“Train the trainer” sessions were held to

ensure we had sufficient staff available for supporting our pilot volunteers

Considerable learning was done and important information was obtained

The results of this first pilotwere positive, so a second pilot followed that wasequally successful

What We LearnedNo magic wand to easily convert courses from

Blackboard to Moodle, but we did find bFree

Design factor in creating Moodle courses

Enable faculty and support staff to informally discuss what was going on – Moodle Users Group

Assure faculty you will be there for them as they go through the transition

What We LearnedPilot testing provided an opportunity for support

staff to gain a better understanding of what would be involved in training and supporting Moodle

The Academic Technology Advising Committee (ATAC) decided to recommend Moodle be adopted as the sole learning management system on campus

Over communication is better than a lack of communication

Create a Flexible TimelineThe larger the change the greater the need for

careful planning and flexibility

Build enough time into your timeline so faculty members do not feel pushed into using a new system

When issues arise, listen to faculty members, let them know you understand their concerns and adapt your timeline appropriately

"I don't have time to upgrade right now."

Transition Timeline Fall 2006 – Research, build test servers, extensive testing, “train

the trainer” sessions

Winter Term 2007 – Training for faculty piloting system

Spring 2007 – First pilot

February 2007 – Faculty demonstrations for campus-at-large

March 30, 2007 – Recommendation to transition

Summer 2007 – Training for faculty participating in 2nd pilot

2007/2008 Academic Year – Provide both Blackboard and Moodle to campus

Fall 2007 – 2nd pilot also begins the transition to Moodle

Fall 2008 – Blackboard retired

Communicate Multiple WaysOpen communication during every phase of this

project was a key factor in making our transition successful

Use every avenue of communication possible Newsletter published by Faculty Instructional Technology Support Informative emails Blog Campus Newspaper WGRE - our campus radio station

Word of mouth from early adopters proved invaluable

Offer Strategic Support TrainingTarget early adopters firstTiered trainingBe available!Moodle Transition

Intro to Moodle SessionsMoodle User Groups (MUGs)Moodle ShowcasesFull-day WorkshopFITS Summer Workshop

"I don't know where to get help."

Moodle Training StrategyMinimal Users Major Users Early

Innovators

Open Labs X X X

Intro Sessions X X

Faculty Showcases

X X

MUGs X X

Workshops X X X

Gather FeedbackCriticism is not a bad thing

Implement tweaks based on feedback

Reflect on the whole process

Moodle transition processFeedback gathered from MUGs and ShowcasesFeedback from student workers

“They don’t listen to me."

Lessons Learned from MUGsAdding items were automatically previewed

Not able to edit gradebook, limited options

Quiz timer not accurate

Uploading a file to the advanced upload of files feedback removes grade and feedback

Moodle Adoption

Spring 07 Fall 07 Spring 08 Fall 080

100

200

300

400

500

LMS Usage

BlackboardMoodle

Num

ber

of

Cours

es

Conclusions – Lessons Learned The 5 Stages of LMS Grief

1. Denial or “I just figured out how to use

Blackboard!”

2. Anger – Concerns over learning another

system

3. Bargaining or “Give us one more

semester!”

4. Depression – Low attendance at first

5. Acceptance or “Hey - this is cool!”

Contact InformationMichael Gough, Instructional Technologist and

Coordinator of Student Instructional Technology Supportmichaelgough@depauw.edu

Lynda S. LaRoche, Assistant Director of Instructional & Learning Services and Moodle Support Coordinatorllaroche@depauw.edu

Thank you!