Portland State Moves to Desire2Learn

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/27/10

Portland State University in Oregon has finalized its decision to move to Desire2Learn's learning management system from its current implementation of Blackboard. The university said it expects its migration to take about six months. The product could be available to the general faculty in fall 2010 and may be included in summer courses as a pilot program.

Portland State conducted an evaluation process of several learning management systems earlier this year. The process included open demonstrations for faculty and students, as well as sandboxes in which users could try out the platforms. The university chose as finalists both Desire2Learn and Remote-Learner, which were given public demonstrations in January 2010. Remote-Learner is an open source application based on Moodle.

In a statement Portland U said Desire2Learn was selected based on its ability to meet the institution's technical and functional requirements, the existence of an integrated learning repository within the platform, and the preferences of faculty and staff participating in the evaluation process.

"We are very excited to enter into a partnership with a company so committed to research and development," said CIO Sharon Blanton. "The new tools in Desire2Learn Learning Suite, including Course Builder and Instructional Design Wizard, will save valuable time, enable broader adoption of the platform, and increase the quality of our online course experience for our students."

Desire2Learn is working with Portland U to convert 800 courses to its software. According to a late February article in the student newspaper, the Daily Vanguard, the price of the implementation was expected to be about $200,000.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • college student sitting at a laptop writing a college essay

    How Can Schools Manage AI in Admissions?

    Many questions remain around the role of artificial intelligence in admissions as schools navigate the balance between innovation and integrity.  

  • a hobbyist in casual clothes holds a hammer and a toolbox, building a DIY structure that symbolizes an AI model

    Ditch the DIY Approach to AI on Campus

    Institutions that do not adopt AI will quickly fall behind. The question is, how can colleges and universities do this systematically, securely, cost-effectively, and efficiently?

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • laptop screen showing Coursera course

    Coursera Introduces New Gen AI Skills Training and Credentials

    Learning platform Coursera is expanding its Generative AI Academy training portfolio with an offering for teams, as well as adding new generative AI courses, specializations, and certificates.