UNI will be migrating the Blackboard Learn (eLearning) system from being hosted on our campus to Blackboard Inc.'s cloud based offering known as SaaS (Software as a Service). The decision to move to the cloud was based on a recommendation of the UNI LMS Review committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students that use the Blackboard Learn system. To learn more about the recommendation, please visit the Learning Management System Review website.
For this migration, we will be doing a full migration of data: meaning all the existing content and entire database records will be moved to SaaS. Below you will find a list of additional benefits as well as a timeline for the project.
Please contact us through the eLearning Support Forms if you have any questions or concerns.
Systems/tools that will not be available during this migration period:
- Blackboard Learn
- Panopto - Users cannot view existing sessions or upload new recordings, but users can still record offline.
- Turnitin
- Publisher courseware
- Respondus - Users cannot upload to Blackboard Learn, but can still create/edit tests
- Ally
Benefits:
- Zero impact to faculty and students during updates: With a cloud-computing environment, you benefit from continuous updates (new features, enhancements, fixes, etc.) with zero or minimal downtime.
- Higher quality: A SaaS model allows us to deliver maintenance, updates, and fixes to production faster than ever before, and the cloud platform easily scales during periods of high usage.
- Fast access to new features: A SaaS model allows us to deliver enhancements and new features faster than ever before, so UNI can have the latest and greatest features versus having to wait longer periods of time.
- Peace of mind: Experienced Blackboard staff manages server operations 24x7x365, so UNI can focus on other strategic, mission-critical projects.
- Supports UNI's Continuity of Operations Plan
- To learn more, please visit this Blackboard SaaS help page.
Timeline for Project:
- Jan-Mar 2018: Blackboard Learn admin team works with Blackboard Inc. to plan for Blackboard Learn SaaS.
- April-May 2018: UNI course cleanup - Blackboard Learn admin team will archive (back up and delete) semester-based academic courses that are Fall 2014 semester and older.
- May 2018: Blackboard Learn admin team will conduct a TEST migration of UNI data to SaaS.
- June-July 2018: Blackboard Learn admin team testing building block, authentication, and authenticating course data migration.
- August 1, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. CDT: UNI's Blackboard Learn System will turned OFF for migration and will no longer be available to users.
- August 2-7, 2018: Blackboard Learn System will be UNAVAILABLE for full migration of system to the cloud
- UPDATED: Released August 5, 2018 @ Noon CDT: Faculty & staff verification of courses in SaaS.
- August 20, 2018: Fall classes begin.