Navigating the Evolving Landscape of USC's Learning Management Systems: From Blackboard to Brightspace

The University of South Carolina (USC) is undergoing a significant transformation in its digital learning environment, moving from the long-standing Blackboard Learn platform to a new, modern learning management system (LMS) called Brightspace. This transition is driven by USC's commitment to addressing emerging learning technology needs and fostering an innovative and supportive academic experience for both students and faculty. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of this shift, detailing the reasons behind it, the migration process, the functionalities of the new system, and the support available to the USC community.

The Imperative for Change: Evolving Learning Technologies

USC’s decision to transition from Blackboard Learn was not made lightly. After more than two decades of reliance on the platform, the university identified a growing need for enhanced innovation and flexibility in its learning technology. As Ashley Smith, a key figure in the transition, noted, "Blackboard announced its decision to sunset support for Blackboard Learn, which would essentially introduce a mandatory upgrade to Blackboard Ultra. Knowing that this would also introduce a significant change for our faculty, USC made the decision to pursue a holistic assessment to inform our next steps." This proactive approach aimed to manage the inevitable shift while simultaneously exploring opportunities for improvement.

This assessment was a multi-faceted endeavor, designed to capture the diverse needs and preferences of the entire USC community. It involved several key phases:

Pre-assessment Research: UX researchers conducted extensive qualitative user interviews with faculty and students over a seven-month period. This foundational research provided deep insights into the existing challenges and desired functionalities of an LMS.
Committee Evaluation: A dedicated committee, comprising 21 faculty members, 9 students, and 8 administrative staff, was established to rigorously evaluate three leading LMS options: Blackboard Ultra, Canvas, and Brightspace. This diverse group ensured that the evaluation process considered a broad spectrum of academic and administrative perspectives.
User Research: USC's product strategy and design team conducted further in-depth user research to specifically understand the nuanced needs and preferences of both faculty and students.

This thorough, user-centric approach underscored USC's commitment to selecting an LMS that would not only meet but exceed the expectations of its stakeholders. The goal was to embrace a platform that could truly support USC’s mission and enhance the learning and teaching experience across all disciplines.

The Transition to Brightspace: A Structured Approach

The transition from Blackboard Learn to Brightspace was a meticulously planned and executed project, characterized by a strong emphasis on collaboration and communication. USC recognized that a change of this magnitude required a robust governance structure and a clear implementation strategy.

Read also: Learn about Blackboard Learn at UD

Shared Governance and Project Management:

A crucial element of the transition's success was the establishment of a shared governance plan. This ensured that all stakeholders were actively involved in the decision-making process, fostering a sense of ownership and buy-in. Two key groups were instrumental in this process:

Core Strategy Team: This team met bi-weekly to expedite decision-making and ensure alignment with USC’s overarching mission and goals. Their consistent engagement was vital for maintaining momentum and addressing critical project milestones.
Brightspace Champions Group: Composed of faculty champions from each school, local IT staff, and instructional design support, this group served as a crucial link between the central project team and the broader university community. They provided on-the-ground support and feedback, helping to disseminate information and address faculty concerns.

The implementation timeline was ambitious, spanning just 11 months. As Ashley Smith acknowledged, "We had to be disciplined. If we had to course correct, we needed to course correct." This disciplined approach was supported by:

Foundations Week: At the project's inception, a four-day Foundations Week was held to align all team members on the project’s goals, deliverables, and mission. This intensive kickoff established a shared understanding and set the stage for effective collaboration.
Work Streams: The implementation was strategically divided into four distinct work streams: academic, technical, change management, and sustainment. This compartmentalization allowed for focused efforts and efficient progress within each critical area.

Course Migration and Uplift:

A significant aspect of the transition involved the migration of existing course content from Blackboard Learn to Brightspace. USC partnered with K16 for course migration and D2L’s creative services for course uplift. This process was viewed not as a mere checklist exercise but as a fundamental shift in how courses would be managed and delivered.

Instructor's course content from Spring 2021 - Fall 2023 in Blackboard was migrated into Brightspace automatically. This ensured that a substantial portion of existing course materials was readily available in the new system.
Turnitin assignment submissions were not migrated into Brightspace, as they were considered student coursework. This decision was made to maintain the integrity and privacy of student work. Instructors using Turnitin would need to re-establish these assignments within Brightspace.
Instructors are also able to request courses from the Blackboard Archive beginning July 25, 2024. This provides an additional avenue for accessing historical course content if needed.
Courses taught in Summer 2024 (20242), Fall 2024 (20243), and Spring 2025 (20251) will be ‘uplifted’ before they are released. Uplift refers to a process of cleaning up a course by fixing broken links, removing outdated references to ‘Blackboard’ throughout the content, and other enhancements to ensure a seamless experience in Brightspace.

The result of this migration and uplift process is that users will encounter different types of courses in Brightspace:

Summer 2024/Fall 2024 Brightspace blank course: This is a new, empty course shell tied to the Student Information System (SIS), where Summer and Fall students will be enrolled.
Course content from Blackboard: This refers to your uplifted Blackboard course that has been migrated over and cleaned up in Brightspace.
A Sandbox course: This is a dedicated space for instructors to practice and experiment with Brightspace functionalities without impacting live courses.

Embracing Brightspace: Features and Functionalities

Brightspace is designed as a modern, intuitive, and flexible LMS, prioritizing USC's emerging learning technology needs. It offers a range of features aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning experience, promoting engagement, and streamlining course management.

Read also: Learn Ultra Navigation

User Interface and Navigation:

Brightspace features a clean and modern interface, designed for ease of use. Key navigational elements include:

Ultra Base Navigation Menu: This provides a global view across all courses and organizations. Pages open as layers on top of the navigation menu, creating a streamlined visual experience.
Course Selector: Accessible via the Mini Bar, this allows users to easily search for and switch between courses.
Mini Bar: This top-level navigational tool provides access to personal settings, notifications, and the course selector.
Navbar: The second-level navigational tool within a course, offering access to course-specific tools and content.

Accessing courses is straightforward: clicking 'Courses' on the navigation menu displays them, typically in alphabetical order. A toggle button allows for a switch to a Grid view for a more visual layout. The search functionality within the Course Selector enables quick pinpointing of specific classes by semester, course name, or ID.

Instructor Tools for Course Management:

Brightspace equips instructors with a robust set of tools to manage their courses effectively:

Edit Mode: This essential feature must be turned 'On' to make changes to course content, such as creating announcements or adding new content areas.
Announcements: These are a vital communication channel for sharing time-sensitive information, including assignment deadlines, syllabus updates, clarifications, and exam schedules. Announcements appear prominently on the course homepage as a Widget.
Content Areas (Modules in Brightspace): These serve as digital folders for organizing course materials. Instructors can create Modules and Sub-modules to structure content by week, topic, or theme.
- Content Module: Weekly or thematically created modules to place content in.
- Content Sub-module: Organizes content within Modules.
- Content Topic: Refers to any content and activities (e.g., Assignments, Files, webpages, videos, etc.) placed within Modules and Sub-modules.
Assignments: Brightspace provides a robust system for creating links where learners can upload, link, or type submissions.
Discussion Forums: These are used to organize related discussion topics, facilitating asynchronous text-based communication.
Quizzes: A graded assessment tool for testing knowledge, offering a range of automatically and manually graded question types. Questions are managed in the Question Library and then imported into Quizzes.
Grades: The Grades Tool is the central hub for managing all course assessments. It includes:
- Grade Book: Where instructors set up and manage Grade Items and Categories.
- Grade Items: Represent all graded work, such as quizzes, discussions, and assignments.
- Grade Categories: Allow for the organization of related Grade Items, crucial for weighted grading schemes.
- Grade Schemes: Define how learner performance is represented (e.g., percentages, letter grades).
- Calculated Final Grade vs. Adjusted Final Grade: Calculated Final Grade updates automatically, while Adjusted Final Grade allows for manual modification.
Rubrics: A scoring tool used to evaluate graded work, dividing assigned work into parts for clear assessment criteria.
Groups: Used to divide a class into smaller clusters of students, allowing for group-specific discussions, assignments, and shared file storage.
Intelligent Agent: A tool that allows instructors to set up criteria to identify student engagement or completion of specific actions within the course, aiding in early identification of struggling students.
Progress Tracking: Enables students to monitor their activity and progress toward course goals.
Release Conditions: Allows content to be made available based on specific parameters, such as completion of other activities or group membership.
Brightspace Editor (Blackboard Content Editor): The primary tool for creating and formatting content within Brightspace, allowing for text entry, insertion of media, and formatting options.
HTML Editor (Content Editor): Used to create course content pages with formatting features.
HTML Template: Pre-structured page designs that can be imported to create unique course pages.
Insert Stuff and Text Options: Buttons for adding various types of content like files, images, videos, and weblinks.
Manage Dates: A tool to view, bulk edit, and manage the availability and calendar status of content.
Manage Files: Allows for uploading and organizing folders of content within a course.
External Learning Tools: Integrations with third-party tools like Zoom, Poll Everywhere, and BigBlueButton.
Awards (Badges and Certificates): Tools to provide students with digital recognition for achievements.
Activity Feed: A course social media-like feed for communication between instructors and learners, and among learners themselves.
Classlist: Provides an overview of all users enrolled in the course.
Context Menu: Accessed via a downward-facing chevron, providing access to more settings for content items.
Copy Components (Course Copy): A feature to copy items from one course to another.
Course Admin (Course Tools): Provides access to all tools used for building and maintaining a course, not available to learners.
Course Homepage: The landing page for students entering a course, often featuring Widgets like Announcements and Calendar.
Course Shell (Course): The official online classroom for a course.
Course Template: A file that can be imported to automatically set up specific course elements.
Create a File: An option to build new web (HTML) pages within a course.
Discussion Replies: Responses to initial posts in discussion threads.
Discussion Thread: The initial post made in a discussion topic.
Discussion Topic: The area where discussions take place, within a forum.
Due Date: The date by which a topic or module should be completed.
Element: Dynamic components that can be added to content without HTML coding.
End Date (Display Until Date): The date when a topic or module is no longer available.
Enter Grades (Full Grade Center): The area for instructors to view and enter grades.
Groups Locker (Groups: Share File): Shared storage for group members.
Heading structure: Important for navigation and accessibility.
Multi-select Question (Multiple Answer Question): A quiz question type allowing multiple answers to be selected.
Orange Dot: Notification indicator for new announcements, grades, or discussion replies.
Points-based Grade (Total): A grading system where the sum of all grade items determines the overall course grade.
Pulse (Blackboard Mobile): Brightspace's mobile app.
Question Library: Pool (Test Pool): A repository for quiz questions.
Question Library: Section: An organizational feature within the Question Library.
Quick Eval (Needs Grading): A central location to view and assess learner submissions.
Quiz: Question Library (Test Pool): The repository for quiz questions.
Brightspace Awards (Badges): Digital markers of achievement.

Support and Training for the USC Community

Recognizing that a transition to a new LMS can present challenges, USC has implemented a comprehensive suite of training and support options to ensure a smooth adoption of Brightspace.

Spring Faculty Kick-offs: Held during December and January, these events provide an overview of the transition to Brightspace and a review of available training and support.
Virtual Consultations: Instructors can schedule 20-minute virtual consultations with members of the USC Brightspace support team for personalized assistance.
Blackboard Help Section in the Self-Service Portal: This online resource offers a wealth of information and guidance on using Blackboard functionalities.
Service Desk: For immediate assistance, the Service Desk can be reached at (803) 777-1800.
ITSS Service Desk (USC Upstate): For USC Upstate specific assistance, contact the ITSS Service Desk at (843) 208-8086.

The university’s commitment to supporting its users is evident in the extensive resources made available. As Ashley Smith stated, “Our team has worked diligently to support this user base with countless resources, training, office hours…any sort of service needed, our team has stepped up to provide it.” This "one team mentality" extends beyond the core program team and D2L, encompassing all stakeholders in the successful adoption of Brightspace.

Read also: Drexel University LMS

Looking Ahead: The Future of Learning at USC

The move to Brightspace represents a significant step forward for the University of South Carolina, aligning its technological infrastructure with its commitment to innovation and student success. By embracing a modern, user-friendly LMS, USC is poised to enhance pedagogical practices, foster greater student engagement, and provide a more dynamic and effective learning environment for all. The university’s proactive and inclusive approach to this transition, marked by thorough assessment, robust governance, and comprehensive support, sets a strong foundation for the future of digital learning at USC.

tags: #usc #blackboard #learn #information