By Katelyn Larson
The college has acquired a desire to learn – literally. A new Learning Management System (LMS) called Desire2Learn has been purchased and will replace the current system, ANGEL, altogether.
Heading into its sixth year using ANGEL, the college has decided it is time for a change. In November 2012, the college discovered ANGEL would no longer be updated and knew they needed to look at other available products.
“ANGEL is never going to improve on its functionality,” said Ed Lovitt, director of Distance Learning. “It is what it is.”
Starting in March 2012, a long process to find the new LMS, involving the Distance Learning Advisory Council (DLAC), faculty and even student invitations, went underway. Around May, after looking over all the feedback, the college sent out a request for proposal for Desire2Learn.
The college is currently installing the system on servers on campus. This fall will be devoted to training faculty on how to use it and moving content from ANGEL to Desire2Learn. The goal is for the faculty during the Spring 2014 semester to have the option to teach either using ANGEL or Desire2Learn. By the summer of 2014, the college hopes to have phased out ANGEL completely.
“ANGEL has become obsolete; it’s basically stagnant,” said Gary Cromer, senior buyer.
For students, the new system means learning something different, but the change cannot compare to the benefits that come with the new system, according to Lovitt. Some of Desire2Learn’s features include, enhanced notifications, such as text messaging, as well as integration with social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
“I know that ANGEL has become outdated,” said Mac Phrommany, student. “I think an upgrade is a step in the right direction.”
Although the change may be a challenge for some students, the college is hoping to help them in any way so everyone can adapt to the new system quickly. DLAC especially, aspires to have the majority of students as pleased with the system as them.
“We could have stayed with ANGEL,” Lovitt said. “If none of the other systems provided us with what we needed, we would have. Desire2Learn however, did just that.”
Contact Katelyn Larson, reporting correspondent, at klarso27@jccc.edu.