June 23, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
Over the next two years, CUNY is transitioning to a new Learning Management System (LMS) called Brightspace by D2L.
The Board of Trustees approved Brightspace as the new LMS for all CUNY colleges following an extensive needs assessment and RFP process required by the expiration of the University’s contract with Blackboard. Brightspace was determined to be the LMS that best met CUNY’s needs. The transition to a new LMS will enable CUNY to expand online learning and continue to deliver engaging learning experiences using modern teaching and learning technology widely adopted by our peers.
We are pleased to share that the Office of the State Comptroller returned the approved contract on June 7, 2023, and we have a green light to kick off our transition to Brightspace.
The transition to Brightspace will span two and half years, from June 2023 to December 2025. Each college opted into one of the four Transition Group that best fit their schedule and workload. The groups will prepare for the transition at least a semester before starting teaching in Brightspace. A comprehensive training series and on-demand resources will be offered throughout the transition.
All courses at all colleges will be offered in Brightspace by Fall 2025. A detailed timeline is available on cuny.edu/lmstransition – this site will serve as a centralized hub for communications, as a repository of project updates, training schedules and resources.
Evan Silberman, CUNY Online University executive director, is leading the transition on behalf of the Office of Academic Affairs in collaboration with CIS. Our newly hired Interim Director of Change Management, Nathalie Zarisfi, will closely collaborate with the colleges in each group to facilitate the implementation, training and support leading up to start dates, and as the schools go live in our new digital learning environment. A Project Manager position has been advertised and will come onboard to coordinate the phases of the transition for each college in their chosen transition group.
This summer, the Brightspace Transition Steering Committee, Core Strategy Team and the CUNY Advisory Team will be charged with advising the transition, implementation, and training plan for CUNY’s move from Blackboard to Brightspace. Additionally, teams from CIS and D2L will configure Brightspace this summer for the colleges in Group 1, as well as a testing/training site for campus academic technology support units, Centers for Teaching and Learning, online education units and early adopters.
Training and on-demand resources for our campus communities will be developed, along with talking points to inform and prepare faculty, staff, and students for the new learning environment. We hope to recruit volunteers to test and refine Brightspace and provide feedback on training and resources for the transition.You can find the full governance framework, committee descriptions, an overview of the transition process, and a detailed timeline online at cuny.edu/lmstransition. The website will be updated regularly as the transition progresses. If you have any questions about the LMS transition, please contact us at lmstransition@cuny.edu.
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