In my mind, the question Benoit must ask himself is: How will I redesign this course?
He has taken on a great challenge by offering to put his course online. However, as we all know, it will not be as simple as posting his lecture notes and assigned readings. As Coates, James and Baldwin (2005) point out, using an LMS “is associated with the promise of enriched student learning” (p.24). Students will begin the course with certain expectations in terms of technology, and their expectations “need to be matched or exceeded” (Coates, James, & Baldwin, 2005, p. 24).
Benoit appears to have some technological expertise which will serve him well but he must now prepare himself for a more diverse group of learners because having his course online will increase access, bringing in a wider student population. In addition, the use of an LMS comes with some expectation of students progressing at their own pace. So, his course materials have to be organized, uploaded, and tested long before what would normally be the day of the lecture, in a face-to-face delivery format.
My guestimate is that he would need to devote 5-8 weeks to this course conversion, depending on the complexity of his learning resources. (I am basing this number on my own limit experience with content conversion, so I will readily concede my timeframe to someone who better knows what they are talking about. LOL!)
I would think that conceptualizing the redesign would take a full week. Only once that is done, could he begin to consider which platform to use. As a designer, I wouldn’t want the platform to dictate my design from the start. I would like to imagine how I would like the course to operate and then take a look at the two platforms to see what tools each has available to make my design come to life. I would risk poor IST support and/or give the unsupported platform a try if it meant keeping closer to my initial design concept.
Reference:
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.