Dear Patriots:
The current learning management system (LMS), Blackboard (Bb), has served George Mason University for more than a decade. Since Mason adopted Bb, new LMS solutions have entered the market and the university has grown, making this a great time to take stock of our faculty and students’ current and future needs in this space.
While the current version of Bb is fully supported, Bb has no plans for innovation in this version. In addition, the pandemic provided valuable insight and best practices in face-to-face, online, and hybrid course delivery, and our next LMS must reflect what we have learned about the unique learning needs present at Mason. As the landscape of higher education evolves, we invite the university community to be involved in the conversation to take inventory of current practices, explore future opportunities, and document our LMS needs for today and beyond.
This fall, the community will have many opportunities to share feedback that will be used for a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) to determine Mason’s next LMS solution. The project is a joint effort between Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Office of the Provost, as well as other stakeholder groups. A Steering Committee has been formed to lead this effort that will be co-chaired by Charles Kreitzer, Office of the Provost, Online Operations and Joy Taylor, ITS, Learning Support Services.
Faculty and student participation are key to this effort’s success. Visit the project website at lms.gmu.edu to learn how to get involved, stay current on the project’s progress, and provide feedback.
Mark Ginsberg
Provost and Executive Vice President
Kevin Borek
Vice President and Chief Information Officer