Background

The University currently offers two centrally supported VLEs, Blackboard Learn and Moodle. Both these services are supported by information Services (IS) and benefit from the highest level of resilience with infrastructure located in both the University's main hosting sites. These VLEs are supplemented by a range of 'best of breed' software products which offer additional support for teaching and Learning activities. This is one of series of migrations scoped by the VLE Consolidation Project TEL038.

The eeSurg VLE has been custom built and supports the Certificate, Diploma and MSc in Surgical Sciences (Edinburgh Surgical Skills Qualification – ESSQ). It is one of a number of bespoke VLEs commissioned by academic programmes within the University. In common with many of the bespoke VLEs, it provides a highly customised user experience, with a strong sense of programme branding, but has not been built in a resilient manner.  Although supported by second line support teams during standard office hours, it is not classed as High Priority in the University Disaster Recovery Classification.

The VLE Consolidation Project completed an initial review of the bespoke Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) created by the Learning and Teaching Section (LTS) of the College of Medicine (eeSurg) supporting the ESSQ MSc in Surgical Sciences and a decision has been made to migrate the MSc in Surgical Sciences to Blackboard Learn. The VLE Migration project will manage the transition from the existing eeSurg system to Blackboard Learn.