Possibility of unifying online systems

A big concern for faculty members is the cost of a single LMS.

“If you look at the cost today for Pierce to use ETUDES, it would cost us over $100,000 a year,” Joseph Perret, professor of computer applications and office technologies, said.

A possible manual transferring of data from one system to the other is also a concern for Perret.

“Moodle makes our classes rich and vibrant and there is so much stuff available for the Moodle environment,” Perret said. “Etudes is a lot simpler.”

A concern from faculty member

Amy Sirott, associate professor of computer applications and office technologies, is whether the new LMS would still be offered for all of the classes taught at Pierce.

The taskforce is searching for ways to keep the system available for both online and web-enhanced classes, according to Bass.

“I am fighting for that,” Bass said. “Any LMS we are looking at would get an enterprise license for the district so that all classes would be able to use it.”

There is no certainty on whether Moodle would remain the governing LMS, according to Bass.

“We don’t know which LMS it would be,” Bass said. “A request for a proposal would go out and any LMS could bid for it.”

The state has a proposal that might implement a district-wide LMS and additionally a state-wide system.

“If there is a state LMS, we may all actually be able to use it for free,” Bass said. “So, we are not moving forward right now.”

If a single LMS is brought to a vote, all faculty members will have a chance to vote, according to Bass.

“The main focus is student success,” Bass said. “It’s not about saving money at all. It’s really about what is best for the students.”