The document discusses the context and implementation of a new collaboration and learning environment at Delft University of Technology. Key points: - TU Delft had a high ambition for open and online education and needed a more flexible system to replace its 17-year use of Blackboard. - It conducted a best value procurement process and selected Brightspace as its new platform in July 2016. - The implementation involved setting up the technical, functional, and change management aspects in an interdependent way. - A two-stage migration strategy was developed to move all courses to the new system by September 2017 while focusing on education quality and minimizing burden on teachers.

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A Collaboration &
Learning Environment
to enable to be a
university leader in
education innovation
Willem van Valkenburg
@wfvanvalkenburg

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Willem van Valkenburg
Production & Delivery Manager
TU Delft Extension School
Vice-President
Open Education Consortium
twitter.com/wfvanvalkenburg slideshare.net/wfvanvalkenburg
Migration Manager
TU Delft CLE Project

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Topics
1. Context of the TU Delft
2. Project setup
3. Implementation & migration
strategy
4. Lessons Learned
5. Education Innovation
6. Questions, remarks, discussion

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1
Context of Delft
University of Technology

5. 23.000 students
1.500 lecturers
2.900 courses
1.800 non courses
16 Bachelor programmes
35 Master programmes
1 campus
600 online students
1 educational vision
17 year using Blackboard

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Impulse for change
• High ambition towards open and online education
• Increasing ambition in improving campus and online
education:
• Address changing needs in campus, blended and
online education
• Acquire a system that is both flexible and stable in
rapidly changing world
• Obligation to start tender procedure to replace Blackboard

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2
Project
Setup

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Preparation - what do we need?
• Developed education scenarios
• Did Proof of Concept pilots with different platforms
• Started making a list of requirements

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Change in tender process
• Too many requirements (>1000) for a standard tender
• Risk of ending up with a less desirable product
• Clear focus on educational processes
• Need for more control in final choice
• Focus shift from product to supplier

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Best Value Procurement
• Moving beyond formulating requirements
• Formulation contextual and functional specifications
where suppliers offer their solution(s)
• Supplier as expert need to show their view on risks and
opportunities
• Two phases:
– Phase 1: public: selection of 5 suppliers
– Phase 2: non public: selection of final supplier

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Let there be
Brightspace
July 2016 final decision &
signing of contract

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•Integrations
•Roles and permissions
•Functional set up
•Implementation of design
•Course structures – learning
design
•Support
•Training
•Migration
•Single Sign On (SSO)
•Provisioning users & courses
•Integrations
• Change management strategy:
• quality improvement
• user involvement
• Identity, graphics, communication
(student, staff, project)
Change &
communication
Technical
implementation
Functional
implementationMigration
Interdependent sub projects & teams

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3
Change &
Implementation

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Premises for change & migration strategy
1. Education Quality improvement (relative to current use
of Blackboard)
2. Focus on unburden teachers (during migration)
3. Teachers only have to use one platform
4. Students only have to use one platform
5. High-quality support for teachers and students
available
6. Faculty support/ESA only has to use one platform

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– Learning environment not as portal
• Focus on supporting the collaboration and learning process:
lean and mean design
• Landing page only content and widgets directly related to
collaboration & learning
– Cleaning up content of 17 years:
• Start with a clean slate
• No automatic migration
Other goals and starting points 1/3

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– Student experience crucial - less is more
• More structured way of setting up courses by teachers through
a standard basic course structure
• Less flexibility for teachers to change some components
• Importance of mobile and offline use
Other goals and starting points 2/3

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– Extensive involvement
of faculty & faculties:
• Central Advisory Group:
– 1 teacher, 1 student and 1 staff
member per faculty
• Faculty Project Group
Other goals and starting points 3/3
Both groups are heavily involved in
advising and discussing choices in
functional and design implementation

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Final choice in migration strategy
- One faculty to go first as pilot
(February 2017)
- All other (7) faculties all at once
in September 2017
- Rolling migration: per quarter
- Two stage migration:

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Two-stage migration
All courses are migrated in the first year:
– Focus is on migrating all courses
– Teachers and students have one platform
– All courses will be using same course structure
– Resources: less didactical support, more
hands
– Bb not used for live education after Sept 2017
Second year
– Focus is on improving and innovating courses
– Teachers are used to the platform
– Resources: more didactical support, less
hands

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• Role Landing page
(difference between staff and
students)
• Course homepage
• Course top nav bar
• Course left menu
• File/html templates
Change through guiding
elements in Brightspace

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Menu of support options
Faculty and/or teacher chooses in
which order or make own strategy:
– Individual
– Training
– Workshops
– DIY or SA’s
– Work sessions
Change through extensive support

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4
Lessons
Learned

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• The department of Education &
Student Affairs is in the lead
• It is NOT an IT project
• Strongly connect to educational
leadership in the faculties
1. It’s Education!

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• Opportunities to change rules,
regulations and policies.
• Issues in current rules and
regulations will surface. Be
prepared!
2. Cleaning the House

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• Be strict in following rules and
regulations
• Changes are for all or for none
• Update your governance model
• You need a Friendly Dictator
3. No exceptions

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• There can’t be too much support
• Invest in training of your team
• Keep focus on improving your
support
• Take a look at our support
website https://brightspace-
support.tudelft.nl
4. Support is crucial

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• Unexpected issues will appear,
deal with it!
• Keep your focus on your strategy
• Create a flexible team
5. Be prepared

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5
Education
Innovation

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Education Innovation
• First foundation in order
• Platform that is stable
• Good governance
• Great team
• Time for the fun stuff
• Learning analytics
• Adaptive learning
• New tools

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Questions