Illinois Valley Community College is changing up their education software and moving away from Blackboard.

IVCC instructor Dawn Lockwood sat down with IV Leader to answer questions regarding the learning management system (LMS) and discussed the new software.
According to Lockwood, Brightspace is an equivalent to Blackboard. It hosts assignments, along with tests and quizzes.

The reason for the change from Blackboard is the lack of customer service as well as need for a more modern system. In terms of what students can expect from Brightspace, Lockwood stated the modernity of the LMS will be key.

“It works in your browser and the app will give you alerts” she said.

Brightspace will be activated as the LMS for Illinois Valley Community college May 1. Brightspace will also be here to stay for the foreseeable future as the college is locked into a three-year contract, Lockwood said.

When asked if she could name one word to describe Brightspace, Lockwood said, “Bright,” because of the newness of the LSM and the future of it at IVCC.

Ellen Evancheck, IVCC IT systems coordinator, gave her insight on Brightspace and what students can expect. Evancheck said students who answered the survey wanted an easy-to-use LMS. That is what they are getting.

“The Brightspace Pulse app provides a great way to stay on top of notifications and due dates on mobile devices, and the Brightspace system works well on any mobile device’s browser,” she said.

“All course content is accessed from the content link in the top navigation bar.”

Change can be difficult to endure and the decision to change is hard. IVCC is taking up the challenge to bring in their learning software.