Learning Management System (LMS) Solution

Transcription

1 Learning Management System (LMS) Solution Project Manger: Joyce Crockett Project Start Date: 5/1/09 VERSION: 1.0 Project End Date: 1/29/2010 REVISION DATE: [DATE] Identify document changes. Version Date Name Description Joyce Crockett Lanyce Keel Changed filename and made changes to project team, renaming stakeholders to committee, changing some of the verbiage on the decisions to be made and other areas based on the first two months of working with Moodle and preparing for first meeting in September. Incorporating the requirement gathering and campus assessment needs into the project and adding rationale in the problem statement

2 Contents Section 1. Project Overview Problem Statement Project Description Project Goals and Outcomes Project Scope Critical Success Factors Assumptions Constraints... 3 Section 2. Project Authority and Milestones Funding Authority Project Oversight Authority Major Project Milestones... 5 Section 3. Project Organization Project Structure Roles and Responsibilities... 6 Section 4. Project Communications Points of Contact Communication Plan... 7 Page i

3 Section 1. Project Overview 1.1 Problem Statement Describe the business reason(s) for initiating the project, specifically stating the business problem or opportunity. In June of 2009, the University system will sign a three-year contract with Blackboard our current Learning Management System (LMS). The cost of Blackboard continues to rise. In UNO s cost was $49,912 and in 2009/2010 the cost will be $84,084. In that same period of time, campus, faculty and student use of a course management system has changed. From a campus perspective, there is a need to document learning outcomes and demonstrate how assignments, courses and/or curriculum contribute to student achievement of these outcomes. Faculty are using more online Web 2.0 instructional tools that require integration with a LMS. Students come to campus with the expectation that they will be able to view a LMS from a PDA so they can complete assignments anytime anywhere. Blackboard is slow in addressing these issues. Purchase of the Bb Learning Outcomes solution, which measures student achievement, would double the price of the existing contract. While some plug-ins for Web 2.0 tools have been developed, this process is slow and does not address all major vendors. Blackboard release 9 became available in January/February 2009 and the interface for the faculty is quite different with a handful of new features as well as enhancements to many areas. Unlike previous upgrades, this version has a new interface for entering information into Bb. However maintaining the current version of Bb also presents a problem; the company anticipated plans to discontinue full support of the current release in Due to the continued price increases, the change in campus requirements, the learning curve associated with the new version and the support limitations of the existing version, it appears to be time to have a campus wide discussion to evaluate LMS requirements and what products exist for addressing those requirements at UNO. The campus wide discussion will include the merits of moving to the newest version of Blackboard. The discussion will be around these questions: 1. Review the campus requirements for a LMS 2. Based on those requirements, does UNO upgrade to Blackboard 9? If yes, when? 3. Does UNO start the planning process of migrating to another LMS? 1.2 Project Description Describe the approach the project will use to address the problem statement. ITS will follow this process, with steps 1-4 part of the preparation for steps 5 and Verify requirements 2. Learn Blackboard Release 9. Page 1

4 3. Investigate alternate LMS s (maximum of 2 or 3) and compare feature sets to Blackboard. 4. Set up test servers for alternate LMS s if resources permit. 5. Learn alternate LMS s. 6. Meet with campus wide committee in Fall Present recommendation to campus in January 2010, in partnership with campus wide committee. 1.3 Project Goals and Outcomes Describe the business goals and outcomes of the project. Develop investigative/comparison plans for Blackboard 9 as well as other LMS programs (Moodle and Sakai). Deliver, by January 2010, a recommendation to the campus regarding future directions of LMS at UNO. 1.4 Project Scope Describe the project scope. The scope defines project limits and identifies the products and/or services delivered by the project. The scope establishes the boundaries of the project and should describe products and/or services that are outside of the project scope. Project Includes Outline campus requirements for an LMS Learning plan (internal to ITS) for Bb9 and other LMS s Compare feature sets of Blackboard and alternate LMS s LMS Requirements at UNO Communication plan for stakeholders and campus Recommendation to campus Project Excludes If a new LMS is decided initial implementation would not include functionality beyond what UNO is currently using in Blackboard (e.g., eportfolios, content management, etc.) 1.5 Critical Success Factors Describe the factors or characteristics that are deemed critical to the success of a project, such that, in their absence the project will fail. Recommendations are based on addressing agreed upon requirements Ongoing, transparent communication with campus: Page 2

5 o Faculty o Undergraduate and graduate students o Faculty Senate and appropriate sub-committees o Student Government o Deans Forum o Academic and Student Affairs o Executive Cabinet o Staff Advisory Council o Campus Technicians Thorough research of alternate LMS s to ensure performance, integration and security issues, along with transfer of existing Bb course material. Campus wide committee involvement throughout the Fall 2009 semester. 1.6 Assumptions Describe any project assumptions related to business, technology, resources, scope, expectations, or schedules. 1.7 Constraints This is a high priority, high profile project for the campus. The university needs to provide a LMS that is flexible in meeting the expectations of students and faculty. A cost neutral solution for implementing and sustaining an LMS is of prime consideration. Adhering to the proposed schedule will be important so by January 2010 the campus will know what the next steps are for LMS at UNO. If a new LMS is recommended for implementation it will need to integrate with existing UNO IT architecture, including account activation/deactivation, password management, persistent ID, and helpdesk support. If the recommendation is to move to a new LMS, it must include an easy way to migrate current Bb course content. During the fall conversation with the campus committee there will be the start of a discussion on the type of data and how much is actually moved. New SIS integration with LMS. Describe any project constraints being imposed in areas such as schedule, budget, resources, products to be reused, technology to be employed, products to be acquired, and interfaces to other products. List the project constraints based on the current knowledge today. There is not a budget for this phase of the project. During this phase of the project the campus committee and stakeholders need to decide no later than January 2010 if Bb9 will be available for Fall The recommended solution cannot adversely impact the use of LMS in any course. The recommended solution must be cost neutral Page 3

6 The recommended solution must conform to university/governmental security, privacy, and compliance policies. Page 4

7 Section 2. Project Authority and Milestones 2.1 Funding Authority Identify the funding amount and source of authorization and method of finance approved for the project. Specific funding has not been authorized for this project. 2.2 Project Oversight Authority Describe management control over the project. Describe external oversight and relevant policies that affect project governance, project management, and/or vendor management. The project manager will be responsible for monitoring scheduling, communications, issues, and scope changes. If the project manager cannot resolve an issue, the issue will go to the sponsor. The sponsor will make the final go/no go decision for the project. 2.3 Major Project Milestones List the project s major milestones and deliverables and the target dates for delivery. This list should reflect products and/or services delivered to the end user as well as the delivery of key project management or other project-related work products. Milestone/Deliverable Target Date Evaluate Bb9 5/5/09 Set up Moodle 5/26/09 Investigate Moodle 8/14/09 Set up Sakai 8/14/09 Investigate Sakai 11/6/09 Start campus discussion September and run through mid-november 9/7/09 Complete recommendation 12/18/09 High level document LMS Requirements 12/18/09 Campus Groups reviews recommendation 1/20/10 Recommendation for Bb 9 upgrade and/or Continue investigation of other LMS 1/29/10 Page 5

8 Section 3. Project Organization 3.1 Project Structure Describe the organizational structure of the project team and campus committee, preferably providing a graphical depiction. Sponsor Lanyce Keel Project Manager Joyce Crockett Team Members Mike Zimmerman Pat Dargantes Brie Alsbury Ted Turgeon Shelley Schafer Campus Wide Committee Representatives from each college Representative from Student Affairs Representative from Academic Affairs Representative from Faculty Senate Representative from group who has many Bb organizations Student Government Student Government 3.2 Roles and Responsibilities Summarize roles and responsibilities for the project team and stakeholders identified in the project structure above. Role Sponsor Project Manager Team Member Campus Wide Committee Responsibility Final decision making Communication and advocacy Project planning Monitoring and controlling Communication and advocacy Requirements development Expert opinions Research Feedback Decision Making Communication Page 6

9 Section 4. Project Communications 4.1 Points of Contact Identify and provide contact information for the primary and secondary contacts for the project. Name Phone Brie Alsbury Joyce Crockett Lanyce Keel Mike Zimmerman Pat Dargantes Shelley Schafer Ted Turgeon Communication Plan Describe how each stakeholder will be kept informed, including communication methods, purpose, and frequency. A detailed communication plan will be developed as a deliverable in this project separate from this charter. Page 7