Blackboard to Moodle: A College Student's Transition

Today, intern and guest blogger, Diana DeMallie, provides a student's perspective on experiencing an LMS migration at her university.
-----------------

Let me introduce myself —I’m a rising senior at Loyola University and am interning this summer with Moodlerooms. As a Loyola student, I’m in the unique position of being a part of a transition from Blackboard to joule.

Prior to this, I had only been exposed to Blackboard, but I found the concept of any online learning management tool to be useful and necessary in today’s technology-based society. In the past few years, most professors have used the tool to post documents, grades, assignments, and PowerPoint presentations. At the same time, it has been essential for students to check it for updates on coursework in order to be fully prepared for class.

Loyola will make the full switch from Blackboard to joule in the middle of the summer, but this past spring, Loyola gradually began to implement joule into several classrooms as part of a pilot test. My Research Methods class was one of a few that participated in this test run, and the transition was successful. As with any transition, there was an expected level of difficulty in terms of comfort level and familiarity with a new tool. However, feelings of uncertainty and curiosity that were originally present turned to comfort and ease. With the exception of a few accidental document deletions, our class quickly became competent in navigating our way through joule and began to notice its advantages. One particular benefit that I found helpful was that updates and assignments for courses appeared on our school homepage; this ultimately acts as a reminder to complete assignments and readings just as effectively as traditionally opening an agenda would.

To help with the transition, Loyola started providing faculty training sessions for the new system, and online tutorials were sent out to students via email. In addition to an explanation of the system and the benefits of using joule, the email contained links to online tutorials, videos, questionnaires, and other tools to help people familiarize themselves with it.

I hope that more faculty members actively use joule on a regular basis and take advantage of the various tools it offers. By facilitating communication and collaboration among students and between students and faculty, joule clearly enhances the learning experience. It encourages participation and allows for online group discussions which can further clarify information learned in class. The difficulties in scheduling meeting times for group projects no longer becomes an issue when an online learning tool exists—students can just as easily interact with each other and share feedback without the hassle of finding a time to meet. Providing documents and links that can assist students outside of class makes learning easier as well.

I’m sure that this switch will continue to be successful, and I think I can speak on behalf of Loyola when I say that an online system is necessary and extremely helpful in making learning easier.