Have you ever been awake late at night, finishing homework that’s due tomorrow, only to find that Blackboard is down when you attempt to submit it? The Center of Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) have plans to improve students’ experiences.

During Wednesday’s Student Government meeting, Ann Marie VanDerZanden, director of CELT, shared plans to switch from Blackboard Learn to a new Learning Management System by spring 2018.

The university’s Learning Management Systems (LMS) license with Blackboard Learn is coming to an end, so CELT and the Office of CIO found it necessary to replace it and preferably to improve it.

There are various programs that are currently being considered to replace Blackboard Learn.

Other universities, specifically the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa, have also been implementing new programs, and their experiences have been taken into account.

The change in LMS is intended to improve student and professor experience, VanDerZanden said.

Along with the visual aspects, other considered factors include mobile app abilities, ease of instructor use and overall accessibility, VanDerZanden said.

CELT also supports the idea that “change provides opportunity.” The organization urges instructors to consider accessibility, course updates and other ways to make course content improvements along with the LMS change.

IT, CELT, college staff and select professors will be introduced to the new program in July 2017, giving instructors a chance to become familiar and to integrate their courses before student rollout.

Throughout the integration process, CELT plans to have an active support team for new instructors in order to create an ease of usage and transition.

The subsidization of graduate prep courses also was discussed during the meeting. 

Many students pursuing graduate school have difficulties preparing for examinations, Sen. Danielle Nygard, proposer of the bill, said. Through the Princeton Review, the Student Government proposed to implement preparatory online courses for GRE, GMAT and LSAT at a portion of the price.

“When students have more opportunities, it allows them to do more things and be the best that they can be,” Sen. Cody Woodruff said.

This bill was passed at 26-0-1, giving $150 per student enrolled in the Princeton Review’s preparatory courses in fall 2017. For that semester, the Student Government will present up to $37,500 total on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Orders that were passed during Wednesday’s meeting are as follows:

• Confirmation of Monica Pietig, Ashley Dvorsky and Nicholas Holaday to StuGov Supreme Court

• Funding Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow

• Funding ISU Trap and Skeet Club

• Approving the 2017-18 Election Apportionments

• Additional Clause to the Events Committee, stating that the president can determine whether an events committee is necessary for a given year

• Funding Iranian Students and Scholars Association

• StuGov President Cole Staudt to attend a meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday to continue discussion of the medical amnesty bill, with intent to move it out of Senate by 3/31