Learn@UW Executive Committee
Current Projects
Instructure Canvas Pilot - Spring 2013
The Learn@UW Exec Committee sponsored a small scale pilot project to investigate the features and gather user feedback on the Instructure Canvas Learning Management System. The project is in response to the recommendation from the LMS Task Force report in 2011-12.
Severn campuses with 13 courses were delivered using Canvas during the Spring 2013 semester. About 300 students participated in the pilot. Feedback from participating faculty, students, and support staff were gathered and presented in this report.
The Learn@UW Exec Committee decided to pursue other venues to further gather needs and feedback regarding the use of LMS this coming year to determine the next course of action.
LMS Exploratory Task Force
In the Summer of 2010, the Learn@UW Executive Committee formed this task force to report on the current state of the learning management system.
UWS currently supports Desire2Learn (D2L) as a system wide learning management system. Our contract with D2L ends July 2013. With the fast changing LMS landscape, new technology possibilities, and an agreement with the state's Department of Administration to study the LMS market prior to the next renewal of contract, the Learn@UW Executive Committee has formed the LMS Exploratory Task Force as a first step to address the future direction of LMS platform at UW System.
Further information: LMS Exploratory Task Force
Faculty Survey on Online Teaching, Learning & Support - Spring 2010
UWS has been monitoring the usage and satisfaction of faculty/teaching staff on the common learning management system, Desire2Learn, regularly. The last two surveys were conducted in 2005 and 2007.
In Spring 2010, the Learn@UW Executive Committee continued this effort in conducting a survey to all UWS faculty and instructional academic staff regarding their use and satisfaction with the learning management systems (e.g., Learn@UW/D2L, Moodle, etc.). In addition, questions on other software systems or functionality, needs and desires were also polled. The results of this survey will help guide the committee and UW System as it works with Desire2Learn to improve its product and develop budget requests.
Further information: Faculty Survey on Online Teaching, Learning & Support – Spring 2010
Instructional Software Inventory - June 2010
The Learn@UW Executive Committee wanted to place efforts on expanding planning and support for instructional software beyond the learning management system (D2L). The committee feels that one of the first steps is to get a good inventory of the software that are currently used and purchased by individual academic departments or colleges or the campus at each institution. Such information, in combination with the responses received from the recent "Faculty /Teaching Staff on online teaching, learning and Support" survey will help determine the need and set priority to investigate volume licensing and CSRG funding request possibilities, or technical support strategies.
With the assistance of the provosts, an inventory of instructional software was collected. The result was not expected to be exhaustive. A list of the most popular instructional software was compiled and reviewed by the Exec Committee. A deeper review and course of action is currently being developed. Campuses who have updated information or interest in working on volume licensing of certain software may contact Lorna Wong (lwong@uwsa.edu).
2008 Learning Support Infrastructure Workgroup Report
In 2002 a Task Force on e-Learning investigated the learning technologies landscape and issued a report that led to the acquisition and implementation of a centralized learning management system, Learn@UW. Since that time, many new technologies have emerged, while others have become less central to e-Learning, prompting a need for re-evaluation. Toward that end, in July 2007 the Learn@UW Steering Committee created the Learning Support Infrastructure Work Group (hereafter referred to as eLWG) to review e-Learning technologies and make recommendations for a vision and strategic direction for a learning support infrastructure over the next five years. The eLWG was charged with:
- Assessing the UW System's e-Learning architecture;
- Examining the application of new collaborative learning pedagogies, Web 2.0technologies, and learner-centered interactive technologies; and
- Considering support issues related to the growing use and demand for new learning technologies.