Requirements for new learning management system outlined in proposal request

Purdue’s next learning management system will need to be intuitive, adaptable and capable of absorbing previously created course content, according to the request for proposals that outlines the features the University seeks in its next LMS, which will replace Blackboard Learn.

During the fall semester, more than 1,500 faculty, students and staff across all of Purdue’s campuses provided feedback as part of the Learning Management System Review. That feedback was then used to compile the request for proposals, which acts as a guideline for companies interested in providing Purdue’s next system.

A copy of the request for proposals, can be found on the Learning Management System Review website. Vendors interested in submitting a bid should contact http://www.purdue.edu/business/procurement.

“The goal now is for vendors to take this information and come back to Purdue and show us how their learning management system can help the University, both now and in the future,” says Jenna Rickus, associate vice provost for teaching and learning and the chair of the review’s steering committee.

Faculty and staff on the review’s committees and taskforces will evaluate the companies using the guidelines laid out in the request for proposals, which also includes a list of “case studies” – provided by Purdue faculty – which it asks prospective companies to consider. Those scenarios include:

• The ability to transition course pages previously created in Blackboard Learn into the new system.
• A system for providing support to large, multiple-section courses that expedites and simplifies the process of managing large courses.
• An emphasis on “usability” that makes it intuitive for instructors.
• The need for in-system tools to facilitate group work.
• The ability to provide technical and academic support to instructors, both during the transition and after.
• The option to create non-credit courses within the learning management system.
• The availability of tools that can easily make content accessible to all students.

Potential vendors who meet the list of requirements will be invited to hold on-campus technology demonstrations, which will include opportunities for questions and feedback from faculty, staff and students. Those demonstrations are expected to be scheduled for late February and March.

For more information about Purdue’s Learning Management System Review, including a list of the faculty and staff serving on the review committee and taskforces, visit www.purdue.edu/lms-review.

Writer: Dave Stephens, technology writer, Information Technology at Purdue, 765-496-7998, steph103@purdue.edu.

Last updated: January 14, 2019