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Learning Management System Policy

 

Policy Title: Official Learning Management System (LMS) of Drexel University
No.
Effective Date: Fall 2020
Supersedes:
Next Review: 2025

POLICY HISTORY

Review/Revision Date:
This is a new policy; there is no previous policy on LMS.

PURPOSE AND APPLICATION

This policy designates the approved University LMS (currently Blackboard Learn, also known as Bb Learn, Blackboard) as the Official Learning Management System (LMS) of Drexel University, and this LMS is intended to be compliant with requirements of various federal, state, and accreditation agencies in support of all courses.

This policy is in keeping with Drexel University’s Acceptable Use Policy (IT-1). 
 

SPONSORING UNIT

Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Tel: 215-571-3228; Email: anandans@drexel.edu

STATEMENT OF POLICY

All courses shall have a shell within Drexel’s LMS for course management, communication, and dissemination of instructional and reference materials, including course syllabi. All technology-enabled learning activities and courses (including but not limited to face-to-face, hybrid and online delivery) must be conducted through Drexel Learn. Additional technologies can be utilized to augment the feature set of the LMS. These technologies need to conform to the same guidelines as the official LMS with regard to federal regulations, security protocols, etc. as outlined by Procurement Services. These technologies should integrate with the LMS wherever possible to ensure compliance with necessary guidelines. If utilizing non-integrated technologies in the classroom, the course shell in the LMS should be used as a dashboard and portal providing links to the technology along with details regarding the privacy policy and technical support information for students.

The policy described in this document refers to Blackboard Learn, the current LMS, which is centrally supported and administered by Drexel University Information Technology. This policy does not apply to previously approved LMS deployments supported by individual schools and colleges, or to emerging LMS services under development or in use for a specialized purpose. Exceptions to this policy may be requested in writing, summarizing the nature and the reason for the exception. Such requests will be directed to the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

SCOPE

Undergraduate students, faculty, professional staff.

RELATED INFORMATION

  • Support principles of academic integrity by having access compliant with federal regulations and current and future implementation of student monitoring for testing and evaluation.
  • Comply with federal regulation regarding verification of student identity for distance education courses and extend compliance to all online access including for web-enhanced face-to-face courses and hybrid courses by requiring authentication with Drexel credentials.
  • Comply with federal regulations regarding verification of student identity for the use of other technology enabled systems, the use of online textbooks, and extend compliance to all online access including for web-enhanced face-to-face courses and hybrid courses by requiring authentication with Drexel credentials.
  • Support copyright laws whereby copyrighted materials are made available for restricted access in conjunction with the Acceptable Use Policy.
  • Provide templates that allow for branding across programs, departments, schools, and colleges to provide a more seamless student experience.
  • Assistive technology for compliance with anticipated increases in accessibility requirements for all content.
  • Provide integration to a host of ancillary learning, course management, and communication technology such that students from the LMS are the students within the external technology.
  • Establishes a centralized platform for:
    • Assessment of student engagement
    • Course assessment, where applicable
    • Testing and evaluation
    • Analytics of student engagement and performance
    • Grade reporting
    • Monitoring access of learning management system
  • Consistent with Drexel’s (updated) IP policy that includes considerations of faculty intellectual property for educational materials.
  • Faculty are encouraged to use the LMS during class cancelations (e.g., holidays, inclement weather, etc.) or to make up missed classes by utilizing synchronous tools (e.g., Collaborate Ultra) or asynchronous tools (e.g., Assignments, Discussions, etc.).Banner courses will be archived and removed from the LMS two years after the end date of the course’s assigned term following the DU IT Course Removal and Archive Procedure. 

List relevant University Policies and Federal / State laws.

KEYWORDS AND DEFINITIONS

DREXEL LEARN, LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, COMPLIANCE, ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (IT-1).

APPENDIX: RELATED DOCUMENTS, FORMS AND RESOURCES

Support for Drexel Learn, including technical issues, resources, workshops and training.

Making Up Instructional Time Due to Suspension of Normal University Operations