Message from Chris G. re Angel . . .

Here is the message from Chris G. that was sent out to all faculty this week:

As the school year winds down, I wanted to take a moment to provide some updates around the College's Learning Management system. We are noticing the results of everyone's effort to add a blended learning component to their courses. Thanks! Your work is appreciated.

College Usage
We've broken the million mark for student log-ins during a single semester! Over the last few years, we've seen the average number of student log ins go from 855,670 in the Fall of 2009 to 1,060,417 last Fall.
The maximum number of users logged on at a single time is now up near 1200. For a College our size, this is impressive!

System Stability
Your patience this Spring, as our hosting service struggled to keep up to the demands placed on its Angel server, is appreciated. We have moved from a single load bearing server to three load bearing servers. We now have the ability to add additional servers without requiring a system outage for the process. The future looks good.
Special thanks to everyone who took extra time to communicate to our hosting service encountered errors. This helped ferret out ghosts & glitches.

Angel Updates
Over the summer we will be updating Angel from 7.3 to 7.4. This is considered a minor update. For instructors, things will look and feel the same.
Updated features include a more comprehensive learning object repository, enhanced rubrics, and some additional back-end features for our system administrators. Gradebook functionality will not change. Blackboard also provides support for a very functional mobile app.
The update process will require a day or more of summer downtime to transfer and test data.

PD Workshops
The month of May is a great opportunity to attend workshops on Angel, blended learning and other instructional topics. Check out the new EET website for registration information.

Angel - Blackboard - Moodle
Since Blackboard bought out Angel, institutions like Lethbridge College have been eager to pinpoint merger implications. Support for Angel 7.3 ends this Fall. As previously communicated, we'll launch the formal consultation process for a new Learning Management System (LMS) in the Winter/Spring of 2012. This positions us for full implementation to the new LMS for Fall 2013. We continue to conduct lots of background research on the two main replacement options: Blackboard Learn & Moodle.


FAQ: Should I Add Content to Angel if We're Migrating in a Few Years?

Definitely!
The major features in major Learning Management Systems are very similar. The type of activities you create, such as quizzes, content pages, discussion forums, surveys, etc. transfer well from one system to another. Creating content is the most labour intensive part of any online course.

Our students won't wait. A recent Lethbridge College student surveys show students expect their instructors to use a Learning Management System. Students indicate, among other things, Learning Management Systems are extremely useful for keeping track of grades, submitting assignments, accessing sample quizzes and accessing online course outlines.

The more you use Angel, the better decisions we all can make about which Learning Management System best meets your needs. Usage also helps identify the type of support resources required for a seamless transition.