From the Director: A New Course Management System
by Derek Bruff, CFT Director
Happy New Year! We have another busy semester coming up at the Center for Teaching, as you can tell from our latest newsletter. Perhaps the biggest news is that the Center for Teaching will help Vanderbilt launch Brightspace as its primary course management system in summer 2017. Brightspace will replace Blackboard, the university’s current system. Brightspace has a robust set of features that we think instructors will find both useful and easy to learn, and D2L, the vendor that provides Brightspace, has shown a commitment in its products to faculty- and student-focused innovation.
I’m particularly proud of the process that led to the selection of Brightspace. That process, which began in early 2016, included a campuswide needs assessment survey completed by more than 1,000 students and faculty, public vendor demonstrations, and pilots of Brightspace and other systems under consideration. A selection committee consisting of students, faculty and staff from all 10 Vanderbilt colleges and schools reviewed the results of this process and recommended that Vanderbilt adopt Brightspace as its next course management system. That recommendation was approved by the Provost, and we now have a contract in hand.
We’re excited about the move to Brightspace, and we look forward to continuing to help the Vanderbilt teaching community use course management tools to support teaching and learning. For more information on Brightspace and the upcoming transition, see our Brightspace support site.
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