Centralizing LMS Services in a Postmodern World

CSU Chancellor’s OfficeKathy Fernandes, Director of System-Wide LMS InitiativesJohn Whitmer, Associate Director of System-Wide LMS Initiatives

Slides available at: http://slidesha.re/dOXVy5

“A notion that was once heresy, that the wisdom of a smart group is greater than the brainpower of its smartest member – is increasingly accepted in every discipline and every profession and at every age and stage of life”

-Tharp, quoted in Mehaffy, 2010

Outline

1. Cal State Overview

2. Postmodernity and Coordinated Autonomy

3. Vision, Strategy, Governance

4. Moodle Services Evolution

5. Challenges and Successes

CAL STATE OVERVIEW

CSU Demographicshttp://calstate.edu

23 campuses Approx. 433,000 FTE students 44,000 faculty and staff We are the largest, the most diverse, & one of the

most affordable university systems in the country We play a vital role in the growth & development of

California's communities and economy

About California State University (CSU)

• ~75,000 courses per semestero ~40% had online

components in 2009

CSU Campus LMS Usage (2010)

CSU Campus Moodle Uptake

•San Francisco State - 2007•Humboldt State - 2007•CSU Monterey Bay - 2009•CSU Maritime - 2009• CSU Northridge - 2010• CSU San Marcos - 2010• Sonoma State - 2011

POSTMODERNITY AND COORDINATED AUTONOMY

The Postmodern Condition

Postmodernism– “Characterized by the rejection of objective truth and

global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. It emphasizes the role of language, power relations, and motivations.” (Wikipedia)

– “Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism” – Frederic Jameson

Relevance to LMS Coordination?– One size doesn’t fit all: Moodle instance: educational

practices, technology practices, local expectations– Problem: lose economy of scale (create redundancy),

potential shared expertise, specialization of functions…– Need a strategy between top-down and going it alone

Coordinated Autonomy1

Focus on social/strategic aspirations, above functional requirements

Consistent with higher ed. culture: individualism and autonomy within open, public, and engaged environment

Principles: mass individualism, robust flexibility, undirected direction, persuasive standardization, open privacy

Approach behind UCLA Moodle Governance1. Term coined by Jim Davis, UCLA CIO Published writings at: http://bit.ly/h7V4Dc and http://bit.ly/fT4f2W

Stages of CSU Moodle collaboration

• Competitive

• Cooperative

• Collaborative

VISION, STRATEGY, GOVERNANCE

LMSS Environment LMSS = Learning Management Systems and Services

Evolution of System-wide LMS Collaboration

1. Perform LMS RFI and RFP (2008-2009)

2. Define LMSS Strategy (2009-2010)

3. Implement Governance (2010-2011)

4. Create Collaborative Projects that Benefit Multiple Campuses (2010-)

System-wide LMSS Strategy

1. LMS Futures Group (Provosts, CIOs, Faculty) prepared 4 documents:– LMS Critical Elements– External Scan of Market & Higher Ed Systems– CSU System-wide Recommendations– LMS Governance Recommendations

2. Organize stakeholders to implement recommendations, starting with Moodle

System-wide LMS Governance

MOODLE SERVICES EVOLUTION

Evolution of Moodle Implementation (1) Cooperation (2007-2010)

– Moodle Consortium (from 4 to 10 campuses)– Lynda.com licensed training content– External Moodle Hosting MEA & Sandbox

Collaboration (2010-2011)– Moodle CIG & Standards and Practices Group – Quickguides modular tutorial repository– CSU San Marcos Migration Tools– Shared CSU Code Base

Evolution of LMS Implementation (2) Collaboration v2 (2011-)

– Governance Expansion/Revision– Shared CSU Code Base Development – Metrics / Analytics– MoodleMoot US-West Coast 2011 – Distributed help desk?

Coordinated Evaluation & Assessment

CSU Campus Moodle Assessment – campus validation of strategy and services

CSU Campus Baseline Usage – to assess current depth and breadth of adoption

Moodle Analytics Development – provide real-time feedback to improve student performance

Challenges and Successes

Successes Formal strategy and

recommendations Cultivate and connect campus

leaders Communicate, communicate,

communicate Trust yourself. Full

consensus is unlikely It’s all about relationships

Challenges Anarchistic committees

and individuals Governance model ? Phased implementation Sustaining leadership

focus and support

Contact Information

Kathy Fernandes (kfernandes@csuchico.edu)Director of System-Wide LMS Initiatives

John Whitmer (jwhitmer@csuchico.edu)Associate Director of System-Wide LMS Initiatives