At first, my “one” question was going to be ‘what are they going to use his office for?’ If the department head is asking a sessional instructor at a research-intensive university to turn his course into an online course . . .
Anyway, back to the task. This discussion question seems to be framed by the issue of support structures for the choice of LMS.
For Benoit, the advantages of Blackboard seem to be that he is used to the platform, and that it has university based support staff for that structure. The advantages that are provided by going with Moodle are that it is not administered by the university’s IT department and there is some use of it in other departments.
To make a decision about which platform to choose, Benoit may need to consider:
Will technical support for students be a key factor in the deployment of his Business Writing course? Bates chapter on ‘students’ advocates knowing their needs precipitates choice of technologies.
Will Benoit continue to think of his writing course as governed by an alignment to the learning outcomes of the university? The Spiro article speaks to the demise of LMS systems in favour of students finding information on their own terms. The Newman article writes that post-secondary institutions are uniquely poised to integrate infrastructure and support services. Is it time for Benoit to branch out and create his own course disconnected from/parallel to the one he is creating for the university? Can he create a new amalgamation in his course that blend the best of university benefits and his own creative initiative? If I have one question to ask (on behalf of Benoit) would be “Where do you want this to go?” Will the need for Business Writing courses continue at this university? Could this be an opportunity to build his skill base, create something new evidenced by his experience of designing and uploading other content?
If Benoit estimates that he will spend 5 hours a week developing his course, and it is going to be “live” next term then he should double/triple the hours a week he spends in the guess of 14 weeks. If he decides to go with Blackboard, which he knows an earlier version of, he will be accustomed to the framework and be able to “plug” in his prepared content. If he decides to go with Moodle, he will not only have to learn the structure, but figure out how/where to place content, feedback, assignments, online forums, among others. But is “plugging in” information really the answer?
Whether he decides on Moodle or Blackboard, isn’t really the question. I think Benoit will need to decide whether he will: a) rely on the university for direction and support; b) rely on more personal direction and a bigger role in supporting his students; or c) somehow blend the best of all invested stakeholders, creating something that will serve the here and now, but take him to another frontier.
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in digital age http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/ (Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework)
Coates, H., James, R., & Baldwin, G. (2005). A critical examination of the effects of Learning Management Systems on university teaching and learning. Tertiary Education and Management, 11,(1), 19-36. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11233-004-3567-9
Newman, A. (2015). Evidence of learning: a framework for facilitation. EDUCAUSE Review, 50,(6), 47-62. Retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/10/evidence-of-learning-a-framework-for-facilitation
Porto, S. (2015). The uncertain future of Learning Management Systems. The Evolllution: Illuminating the Lifelong Learning Movement. Retrieved from http://www.evolllution.com/opinions/uncertain-future-learning-management-systems/
Spiro, K. (2014). 5 elearning trends leading to the end of the Learning Management Systems. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/5-elearning-trends-leading-to-the-end-of-the-learning-management-system