Moving to a New Learning Management System

The University of Alberta is investing in the infrastructure required to deliver a world-class educational experience - both within our classrooms and beyond. To shape a modern teaching and learning experience, the University will be procuring a new Learning Management System (LMS) to support the changing needs of our institution.

The need for a new Learning Management System

Fourteen years ago, the university responded to the growing needs of the organization by adopting Moodle (eClass) as its LMS platform. Feedback from faculty and students has shown that our current LMS no longer meets the strategic learning needs of the university. A new LMS is needed to enhance program and course delivery, foster greater engagement between students and instructors, and significantly improve the student experience. All English-language universities in the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities have also invested in upgrading their LMS Infrastructure recently.

A modern LMS will leverage the technological and pedagogical expertise of the university to enhance our on-campus teaching and learning while enabling purpose-built online learning, to efficiently deliver mixed modality learning: asynchronous, hybrid/blended, hyflex, bichronous and remote synchronous learning. It will also enable the use of more robust analytics.

Modern LMS Features

Some of the features of the new, modern LMS will include:

  • Providing tailored privileges and templates for specific programs, Faculties, or Colleges. Templates are based on student-centered course design.
  • Options to add interactive and multimedia-rich content and incorporate game-based and social learning.
  • Having a user interface that is similar to other platforms students and instructors use in their daily lives.
  • Enhancing mixed-modality learning (face-to-face, hybrid/blended, asynchronous, remote synchronous, bichronous, and hyflex).
  • Using analytics to enhance the student experience and integration with other relevant systems like campus solutions and the syllabus management tool.

New LMS Project LeadershIP

Project Sponsors:

Shari Baraniuk, AVP and CIO (Information Services & Technology - Finance & Administration)
Karsten Mundel, Vice Provost (Learning Initiatives)
Jessica Butts Scott, AVP (Online Learning & Continuing Education)

Project Manager:

Robert Brennan, Senior Project Manager (Office of the Provost)

Timeline of the Move to the New LMS

We are fully committed to providing robust support during the Learning Management System (LMS) transition and beyond. This support will include onboarding and training on how to use the new LMS to maximize its functionality and the porting of courses from Moodle to the new LMS. We recognize that some units with specialized integrations with Moodle may need more support to investigate new tools, or integrate existing tools during the transition.

Our support commitment extends beyond the transition period, and we are dedicated to sourcing solutions to ensure your ongoing success. A support plan will be developed that includes details on onboarding and training, porting of existing courses, and transitioning to the new LMS that will be shared with our community.