LMS Study Initiative

Letting your voice be heard. Charting the next path to the primary LMS platform at Pepperdine University.

Overview

The Learning Management System Study (LMS Study) is a University-wide initiative conducted by the Technology & Learning (TechLearn) team to measure the efficacy of and satisfaction with Pepperdine's primary learning platform. TechLearn partners with faculty and University leadership to evaluate community satisfaction, gather ideas for platform improvement, and compare alternate systems. This study occurs regularly before each LMS contract renewal in order to provide students, faculty, and staff with a feature-rich solution for traditional, hybrid, and online teaching formats.

From 2023-2025, after a careful review of the current LMS market, the institution's needs, and faculty feedback on our current and piloted LMS systems, Technology & Learning strongly recommended to the Office of the Provost and school deans that Pepperdine University transition to the Canvas LMS. Academic leadership approved this recommendation and announced the decision in early 2025. Pepperdine Canvas will replace Courses/Sakai as the official University LMS starting in Fall 2025.

LMS Study 2023-2025

Background

More than a decade ago, Pepperdine University selected Sakai as its primary (LMS), moving away from Blackboard Learn. This decision followed extensive feedback from students, faculty, and staff. We branded the platform "Courses," and since then Courses LMS has served Pepperdine well from the time it was piloted in 2009-2010 and officially adopted in 2011.

Prior to the July 2020 contract renewal of our Sakai LMS service, TechLearn conducted an LMS Study to evaluate community satisfaction with the system. Although the study concluded earlier than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty and student feedback regarding Courses was highly favorable. Consequently, TechLearn extended the University's agreement to continue using Courses through July 31, 2025.

In anticipation of the next LMS contract renewal period, TechLearn initiated another LMS Study in Fall 2023.

Goals

The goals of the 2023-2025 LMS Study included the following:

Conducting an LMS marketplace assessment
Evaluating Pepperdine's current academic needs for an LMS
Seeking faculty and student satisfaction levels with our current LMS
Piloting an industry-leading LMS for comparison with the current LMS

Outcomes

The LMS Study culminated in a pilot of the Canvas LMS during the Fall 2024 term, including faculty and student surveys on the pilot system.

LMS Market Review: The top four platforms included Canvas by Instructure (41%), Moodle (18%), Brightspace by D2L (17%), and Blackboard by Anthology (17%). In contrast, Sakai had roughly 2% of the LMS market.
Spring 2024 LMS Satisfaction Survey: In Spring 2024, TechLearn administered a general LMS perspectives survey to faculty (n=1,364) and students (n=10,196) across Pepperdine's schools. Key findings included:
- A strong student preference for a dedicated mobile app for their LMS.
- Instructors and students with prior Canvas experience expressed a strong preference for it over Sakai.
- The Pepperdine community expressed concerns and frustration regarding juggling multiple LMS platforms.
Fall 2024 Canvas Pilot: In October 2024, TechLearn sought feedback from the students and faculty participating in the pilot through role-based surveys and focus groups. 78.6% of faculty and 80% of student respondents participating in the pilot agreed that Pepperdine should adopt Canvas as our next LMS.
Canvas Recommendation: After a careful review of the current LMS market, the institution's needs, and faculty/student feedback on our current and piloted LMS systems, Technology & Learning strongly recommended to academic leadership that Pepperdine University transition to the Canvas LMS starting in Fall 2025. The Office of the Provost and the school deans approved the recommendation, and an LMS Transition to Pepperdine Canvas was initiated in Spring 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about the overall initiative and glean additional details about the latest study below. Select an FAQ topic to expand the answer.

What is the timeline for the most recent LMS Study?

Table of Learning Management System Study Timeline
Time Period	Actions
Fall 2023	Evaluate LMS marketplace
Spring 2024	Develop faculty and student surveys to measure perspectives of learning management systems at Pepperdine and elsewhere Obtain feedback on faculty survey from the Technology & Learning Faculty Steering Committee Complete Institutional Research Board (IRB) application and receive IRB approval for surveys Distribute faculty and student surveys Determine criteria for reviewing/comparing LMS platforms to our current solution Select LMS Pilot Vendor (Canvas) Configure the Canvas environment for a Fall 2024 Go-Live
Summer 2024	Promote the LMS Pilot Determine and coordinate the creation of pilot groups with school programs and divisions Create training and documentation for the pilot environment Host training webinars for faculty and support staff Go Live with the Canvas LMS pilot in late summer
Fall 2024	Launch the Canvas LMS pilot Support faculty, staff, and students during the pilot Gather feedback in the form of surveys and focus groups Analyze and summarize community feedback Produce a preliminary report and recommendation for academic leadership and faculty
Spring 2025	Continue to support students and faculty with the pilot Gather additional feedback for LMS considerations Publish the final LMS Study report for the University community

What is the LMS Study 2023-2025 Initiative?

The Learning Management System (LMS) Study is a routine University-wide initiative aimed at measuring the efficacy and satisfaction with Pepperdine's primary LMS, Courses (powered by Sakai). The outcome of the 2023-2025 LMS Study is a university-wide transition to Pepperdine Canvas.

Why pursue an LMS study?

Pepperdine recognizes how learning needs and available technologies continue to evolve. In collaboration with all Pepperdine schools, the Technology & Learning team regularly seeks feedback from students and faculty on their user experiences to inform data-driven decision-making. The formal study is a due diligence exploration and will repeat approximately two years prior to each LMS contract renewal.

Does an LMS Study initiative always mean that Pepperdine is moving to a different LMS?

Not necessarily. At its heart, the LMS Study has an investigative mission. The University seeks to gather feedback on the current LMS. Every three to five years, TechLearn will evaluate the LMS marketplace and seek community feedback about LMS needs and satisfaction. If the satisfaction survey communicates growing needs that are not in alignment with the current LMS, TechLearn will also pilot a leading LMS platform, and compare it with the current LMS. Based on the findings from these efforts, the TechLearn team will produce a report and share it with academic leadership and faculty. Ultimately, the Provost and Deans of each school will make the final decision about LMS direction. If the University decides to switch LMS platforms, then TechLearn will commence a transition plan to prepare and onboard the faculty and students for a new LMS.

What was the outcome of the 2018-2020 LMS Study?

Given the impact of COVID-19 and based on favorable feedback about the Courses LMS from the community in the early phases of our research, we closed the study and renewed our contract to offer Courses LMS (powered by Sakai) as the primary University LMS. You may review the 2018-20 LMS Study Executive Summary.

What was the outcome of the 2009-2010 LMS Study?

Prior to adopting Sakai as the primary LMS for Pepperdine University in 2011, the Technology & Learning team conducted a thorough needs and satisfaction assessment about our previous LMS from our faculty and students. The community overwhelmingly selected Sakai to replace the prior LMS. You may review the 2009-10 LMS Study Executive Summary.