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Case Study: CMS in Transition: Managing Change
10/4/2005
Branding and Visual Identity
To create identification with the new learning environment, TELR branded D2L at Ohio State “Carmen,” a reference to the OSU alma mater song, “Carmen, Ohio” (http://www.osu.edu/download/index.php). The TELR visual design team came up with an appealing graphic identity, revising it in response to feedback from students, faculty and staff. The Carmen icon is now instantly identifiable across campus, and anchors not just the CMS interface, but also our campus communications and advertising campaign. We believe this attention to brand has been a key component of fostering acceptance of the new system.
Modularized Instructor Support
TELR developed an array of options for learning about Carmen that de-emphasizes one-to-one consultation and promotes system exploration. Instructors can explore the system on their own through an animated Flash? tour, interactive “WebCT to Carmen” comparisons, a tool-based help system or a scenario-based instructional site. An online community of practice facilitates collaboration and provides one of several communication paths for TELR to share information about the system. For those who prefer instructor-led learning, TELR designed a mix-and-match selection of mini-workshops. The longest— at 90 minutes —is the complete system overview in which instructors use one of their own courses as the instructional case. Instructors are encouraged to stack workshops to suit their schedules. About 400 instructors have attended a workshop in the past three months, and only a fraction of these have required follow-up assistance.
Bridging Applications
Based on feedback from faculty and an analysis of help desk calls, TELR developed a set of custom applications to manage aspects of using the new CMS that fall outside the system itself. First, we refined the software that packages WebCT files for transfer to Carmen until 90% of transferred courses required no hand touch-up. TELR also devoted significant time to the development of a website that helps faculty plan their move to Carmen and optionally select training. Behind the scenes software parses their prior use, if any, of WebCT to recommend an optimal schedule for the move. The software manages the workshop seats, waiting list, and email notifications and queues courses for transfer. Other applications manage many of the customization requests the TELR team would otherwise receive from faculty. The self-service aspects of the custom applications appeal to faculty and divert mundane tasks from professional staff to technology.
Through planning, several paths emerged to smooth the change process. TELR’s
investment in branding, diverse and modular instructor support, and custom application
development have helped the implementation stage for Ohio State faculty, staff
and students. In all three cases and throughout the project, our objective has
been a user-centered implementation that also respects the talents and dedication
of the institution’s technical and academic support staff.
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