As the fall semester kicks off, the University at Buffalo (UB) has finished its campuswide migration to Brightspace, its new learning management system (LMS).
“With the implementation of Brightspace, our faculty and students will have a best-in-class learning management system to support a transformative academic experience,” said Graham Hammill, vice provost for academic affairs and dean of UB’s Graduate School.
The transition to Brightspace took place over three semesters, and the school said it engaged faculty, staff, and students throughout research, discovery and selection phases.
“The transition to Brightspace has truly been a campus-wide effort,” said Hammill. “Faculty and staff from all academic and many administrative units have worked hard over the past two years to have an inclusive and collaborative review and implementation process.”
Starting this semester, all classes at UB will be delivered using Brightspace. School leaders said the adoption of the new LMS supports the school’s goal to provide students with “transformative, innovative and research-grounded educational experiences.”
With the migration complete, instructors and students will now have access to a free Brightspace Pulse App, where they can view course content, grades, upcoming due dates, notifications and discussions in one place.
The transition is being managed by UB’s Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation (CATT). The school said in a press release that CATT staff continue to develop extensive training resources, as well as provide support to help users understand and implement the new LMS.
“The collaboration between the administration, faculty and various units within the university has been extensive to ensure the smooth implementation,” says Jessica Kruger, Faculty Senate IT Committee chair and LMS review committee co-chair. “It has been eye-opening to see how much time, effort and planning has gone into preparing for students and faculty to use Brightspace.”
The school previously used Blackboard’s LMS. The school noted that students and instructors with incomplete grades for 2023 winter, spring, and summer courses will have access to their course in Blackboard until December.
