A group of Tufts' administrators are looking into new systems to replace Blackboard, Tufts' online education service by fall of 2011.
The Learning Management System (LMS) Project group last month voted to pursue a replacement system for Blackboard. Under consideration are Sakai or Moodle, competing LMS programs, according to Neal Hirsig, assistant director for instructional services in the Department of Information Technology Services (ITS).
The group is made up of faculty and administrators from ITS, Tisch Library and several other offices, Hirsig said.
The university's Information Technology (IT) Committee, which is primarily made up of faculty members, voted to replace Blackboard on Tufts' Medford-Somerville campus in 2007.
The LMS Project group plans to recommend a replacement system in the spring. If approved by a steering committee, the group hopes to have the new system implemented on the Medford-Somerville campus by 2011, according to Hirsig.
In last night's Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate meeting, senator Shawyoun Shaidani, a freshman, announced the group's vote.
Shaidani cited operating costs as one reason for switching to Moodle. He added that the service's open−source nature, which allows for redistribution of material on the site, makes it more flexible and therefore easier for students and teachers to use.
"Moodle is a far better system, and I've heard nothing but good things about it," Shaidani said after the meeting.
Shaidani is one of two undergraduate student members of the committee. Trustee representative Emily Maretsky, a senior who is also a features editor for the Daily, is the other. Moodle is already in limited use in some Tufts departments, including several engineering classes.
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This article was edited from its original print version for purposes of accuracy on 12/8/09.
