About the Institution
California State University, Fullerton is a public university in the 23-campus California State University system. The 40,000- student institution is ranked the best online college in the state and first for awarding bachelor’s degrees to underrepresented students. Cal State Fullerton embraced learning management systems early on, starting with WebCT in 1997. Since then, CSUF oversaw two major LMS migrations, from Blackboard to Moodle in 2011 and, most recently, from Moodle to Canvas in 2020. With each transition, Cal State Fullerton’s IT team gained significant experience in effective LMS migrations. CSUF Chief Information Officer, Amir Dabirian, said the switch to Canvas — converting 15,000 courses in just one year — was the most painless of his career, thanks to a cross-functional task force, frequent stakeholder communication, and faculty support.
"[LMS migrations] require coordinated support. This is not just an IT project. You need buy-in from everyone in academic affairs."
Amir Dabirian,
Chief Information Officer at California State University - Fullerton
Key Insights
Cal State Fullerton’s LMS “non-negotiables” included minimal downtime, cloud hosting, strong mobile capabilities, and robust 24/7 support.
CSUF set a one-year timeline for migration, to ensure quick adoption and limit confusion among faculty and students.
Agile project management is a must. Stretching out migrations over multiple years creates more issues.
CSU-Fullerton’s 8-step migration strategy included: evaluate needs, engage stakeholders, study options, recommend a solution, develop a plan, communicate, execute, support.
Multi-channel communication is key for successful migration. When transitioning, CSUF set up a project website and surveyed stakeholders frequently.
CSUF set up a cross-functional taskforce to evaluate and recommend a LMS, giving all departments a voice in the process.
The pandemic offered a unique opportunity for CSUF to “move the needle forward” in shifting learning online.
Download Case Study