eLearning

Corporate Training Platform

Duration: 
January 2018–November 2018

Important Update for Completion of CPD courses in Blackboard

If you notice your completed CPD course has not been properly recorded in the Aurion HR system, please contact HR.

Currently registration of CPD course completion in the Aurion HR system is not a fully reliable process. The long term solution is either:

a) The selection of a new HR system with LMS capabilities (new system originally expected to be available by June 2019, but now more likely 2020).

b) The decision to go ahead with the dedicated CPD LMS recommended in this project.

Context

Continued delivery of online corporate training using the UQ Blackboard system is unsustainable due to the risk these large courses pose to the stability of the system.  Initial investigations into edX as a viable replacement have identified potential hosting and integration issues. The project now aims to identify suitable commercial off-the-shelf platforms for evaluation, with the aim of deploying the preferred option by the end of 2018.

Stakeholder consultation has identified the requirements that must be met to replace Blackboard as a training delivery platform for these courses.  

While this project aims to identify a replacement course delivery solution, it does not attempt to deliver an end-to-end business process improvement in the delivery of corporate training at UQ.  

Work completed to date

  • Relevant courses identified on Blackboard and relevant data obtained
  • Identified course owners have had 1-2 consultative meetings with ITS and ESS project staff to discuss the project drivers and potential options
  • Consultation with the course owners led to the identification of key functionality which were documented and shared with ITS (ESO and Instructional Design staff), as well as Staff Development for confirmation
  • Key functionality requirements document has been shared with course owners, providing them with the opportunity to edit and rate the functions according to their importance
  • A number of technical meetings have been held to determine the high level feasibility of edX as the solution, developing a test plan; and to initiate setting up a test instance.  
  • edX testing is currently underway
  • Met with Organisational and Leadership Development to discuss impacts of this project on Organisational and Leadership Development future work
  • Met with Senior Manager, Enterprise Apps, and Acting Manager, Enterprise Sys Ops, Information Technology Services to discuss resourcing, governance, and platform options
  • Submit business case for approval to ITS Project Advisory Board
  • Identified potential platform vendors
  • Developed working party
  • Developed EOI documentation for publication.
  • Finalise technical and functional requirements with expanded consultation, including working party
  • Finalise EOI documents and publication
  • Publish EOI (Published Monday April 16 - closing date Thursday May 10).
  • Begin evaluation of responses (technology, solution cost, functionality, cost of change) within working party
  • Shortlist solutions
  • Trial of shortlisted options
  • Complete evaluation report of trialled options
  • Select preferred solution
  • Proferred solution taken to ITS for consideration. A decision was made to wait for the HR system selection  process to complete since there is a reasonable prospect it will include CPD LMS capabilities. At that point all CPD courses on Blackboard will be moved to a system that copes with SCORM.

Next Steps

  • Funding and deployment of new HR system or the slected CPD LMS chosen in this project.

Governance

This project reported to the University Staff Development Committee (USDC) and the ITS CIO.