University to transition from Moodle to Blackboard in web-assisted courses

Miriam Arias/Staff Writer

During the last academic year, the University utilized Blackboard for online courses, while Moodle was used for web-assisted courses.

However, back in March, Blackboard announced the purchase of two main supporters of Moodle, Moodlerooms and Netspot, to enlarge Blackboard and enhance its capabilities and efficiency.

Vice President and CIO of IT, Robert Grillo, explained that “a single platform will enable students and faculty to integrate into one system.”

According to Grillo, the idea of an integrated system falls more into the realm of Blackboard, which now contains the two leading supporters of Moodle.

In reference to cost, Grillo stated that combining cost efforts on just one program rather than both will prove to be more effective because pursuing the Blackboard system as the sole educational software will relieve the University’s infrastructure and maintenance costs.

Other foreseeable benefits, as stated by IT, include: engaging in a single online course software, being able to login with the MyAccounts username and password and an accessible mobile application.

“I like moodle better; I think it is more user-friendly,” said Rafael Alberti, junior and biology major.

“I did not find [Blackboard] hard to use, [al]though it takes a bit of time to get everything set up at the beginning of the semester,” said Paul Kowert, associate professor of international relations. “I think it [does] make it easier to send messages to students.”

Senior and biology major Erin Muro agrees with Grillo:“I’ve had to use both programs, which can get confusing, so I like the idea of sticking to just one.”

The transition process will not be effective immediately; IT will offer the Blackboard learning support for the following 12 months to ensure that both faculty and students become well-acquainted with the Blackboard system.