Subject: LMS Selection and Transition Teams

Good Morning, CAOs:

Thanks to all of you who have engaged thus far as we begin our process to identify and transition to a new single LMS for our system.

This is an enormous undertaking, but one we expect will yield both a better and more cost-effective tool for our students and faculty for years to come while also opening new avenues for us all to more seamlessly collaborate on academic programming. 

To ensure every LMS user has an opportunity to provide input into this process, we will undertake a rigorous needs analysis and request for information process this Spring, guided by a multi-stakeholder steering committee with student, faculty, and staff representation. This needs analysis will provide opportunities for faculty, staff and students to interact directly with potential vendors and provide feedback on what features and experience our new LMS should provide. Their feedback will inform development of a Request for Proposals to be issued this summer that will in turn drive further campus-level opportunities for review and input in Fall 2022 before selection of our final vendor.

To assist with this needs analysis, we need your help to establish two additional campus stakeholder groups.

  1. Campus Implementation Teams
    • Suggested Membership: Campus IT, eLearning and Instructional Design, Academic Leadership, Faculty Leadership, Student Leadership, Registrar, Admissions
    • Role: Campus implementation teams will lead campus-level implementation planning and communications. They will be invited to provide feedback to RFI and RFP solicitations and invited to smaller-group vendor sessions. Implementation teams will be asked to take lead in communicating opportunities to provide feedback into the selection process to non-academic stakeholders.
  2. Academic Liaisons
    • Suggested Membership:An associate dean and/or faculty lead from each college-level academic unit.
    • Role: Academic liaisons will be invited to provide feedback on RFI and RFP solicitations and invited to smaller-group vendor sessions. Academic liaisons will be asked to take lead in college and department level communications regarding opportunities to provide feedback into the selection process.

These two groups will supplement the steering committee’s work and help to facilitate early and deep conversations at the campus level regarding our LMS options and the transition process. Please identify your participants for each group and send their names, contact information, and titles/affiliations to Joe Thiel at jthiel@montana.edu.

OCHE has also put together this website as a hub for information and communications on the LMS selection. As the process proceeds, this is where we will post a round-up of all communications and opportunities to provide input. Of course, we will also continue to brief you and request your guidance during our monthly system CAO meetings.

As always, please reach out if you have questions or suggestions. This is a key decision and process, but one we are enthusiastic to undertake so we can better meet the needs of students and faculty for years to come.

Kind Regards,

 

Joseph Thiel

Director of Academic Policy and Research

Montana University System