With consultations over, the university is now seeking bids from potential software developers
SFU’s learning management system (LMS) has been WebCT since 2001, but now Blackboard Inc. has announced they are ending support for this application in December of 2012. This change has prompted SFU to undergo the WebCT Replacement Project to seek a contender for a new LMS. A request for proposals was issued on May 31 with a deadline for accepting proposals set for June 28.
For the replacement application, SFU began consulting other universities and students: 250 face-to-face consultations were completed in addition to 6,800 surveys. According to Mark Bachmann, communications officer, “flexibility [in an LMS] was the number one priority outlined during the consultation process.” The importance of technological features and functionality were stressed as the primary concern, followed by teaching and learning. Other features include accessibility and effective group communication among students. Bachmann quoted students’ concerns: “Does it let me access my marks on the bus [and] does it let me collaborate with other students?”
In addition to consulting with students, instructors, and staff, SFU must find a candidate to implement the new LMS. A 50-page document was composed so potential LMS providers can go through the whole application process. It has been posted on a government website (bcbid.com) where suppliers can bid on the proposal. For their bids, they fill out their background, capabilities, experience, and examples of past work. Bachmann says, “It’s almost like a job interview; because a company has to answer questions and provide references.” SFU is open to hiring a commercial system — a package built and sold by a company — or an open source system created by a community of developers. “We welcome commercial vendors and we welcome open source platforms [depending on which fits our needs],” said Bachmann.
Once a selection of shortlisted candidates has been chosen, and the June 28 deadline has passed, volunteers will test out the systems. Various tasks will be compared on each application, so that faculty members and students can see which system will meet SFU’s requirements for a new LMS.
