The transition to New CourseWorks (Sakai) was accelerated this fall at the CUMC. The goal was to convert the remaining CUMC courses to the new platform. To date, much of this goal has been accomplished. The transition received excellent support from faculty and from the leadership at the Medical Center. Likewise, CUIT was responsive by making improvements to the infrastructure to handle the additional load and by releasing migration tools to simplify the moving of existing content.

An important component of the transition was insuring that faculty were adequately trained on the new system. The CCNMTL CUMC staff held 21 workshops over the summer attended by over 180 instructors and TAs. Additionally, 30 other instructors opted for one-on-one consultations. These hands-on workshops covered the basics of course management. Faculty learned how to navigate New CourseWorks, add syllabi and course materials, manage student assignments, and utilize the communication features in the system. During the 90-minute workshops, faculty used their course sites to practice during the hands-on components. Many faculty left the workshop with fully-functioning course sites. The cooperation from the schools' leadership was integral in insuring success by setting school-wide migration deadlines and effective communication mechanisms. As a result, the workshops were heavily attended and the semester has been without any major hiccups.

With the semester rolling along, mid-semester workshops have been scheduled for faculty needing a refresher and for those looking to learn about assessment tools within New CourseWorks.