Comment by Interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Evans
UNE is on track to launch a new Learning Management System (LMS) in late 2023 that represents more than just a new technology platform. The way the LMS is designed embodies principles that will shape how the University approaches online learning into the future.
UNE’s current learning environment has a range of capable tools and platform integrations, but these have been added organically over time without integrating the overall experience for the people who use them. The sum of the parts remains the sum of the parts.
The new LMS is a core component of a new approach to building a learning environment at UNE. By taking a holistic view of the suite of tools and processes within this environment, and recognizing that each experience within the LMS is shaped not just by software but by users, we can ensure that systems are designed with users in mind. And the sum of the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.
LMS users – educators, professionals and students – will find that there is less friction in using the system, due to the consistent design, and greater ability to leverage relationships and data from across the university.
The LMS’s architecture signals a long-term shift in how UNE conceptualises its online learning environment. There is now a strong emphasis on user experience, with a focus on context – when you are engaged in work within a particular context, all the tools you need should be to hand, in ways that enable effective experiences.
The new LMS, to be called myLearn, will replace the current LMS, which was introduced over a decade ago to service a different educational environment with different user priorities. myLearn will be phased in for T3, 2023.
After consultation with staff and students, it was decided to give the new system the in-house name “myLearn” over a proprietary brand name to convey ownership by the UNE community.
Staff involved in the transition of units from the old into the new LMS, with its focus on user experience, will be supported by Project Uplift – a suite of dedicated resources that will underpin the transition of units into the myLearn User Experience through a review and development program.
Project Uplift also includes a range of other workstreams and events, such as the upcoming Uplift Festival
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