About the LMS project

Message from our project sponsor

Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning & Teaching

Charles Sturt is committed to excellence. This is reflected in our ideals, vision, and strategy. It is demonstrated by our academic output, the success of our graduates, and the technology enhancements and upgrades to facilitate the best outcomes for all staff and students.

Charles Sturt’s University Strategy 2030 has our students at the forefront, with student progress and retention a strategic focus. We are excited that the new learning management system (LMS) by Brightspace will be a significant enabler of the University’s strategy by providing the tools to serve the evolving needs of our students and staff.

The Brightspace platform will:

  • provide the tools to create the innovative and immersive student experience we strive for
  • support student access to content wherever they are
  • support student engagement through an interface that is easy to navigate and consistent across all subject sites
  • simplify processes and improve workflow
  • improve student experience through personalised, relevant communications based on how the student engages with their subjects

When the opportunity arises, please explore this new platform and watch out for the support that will be offered to you as our implementation progresses.

Professor Janelle Wheat
Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning & Teaching
Charles Sturt University

The LMS implementation project at Charles Sturt is focused on enhancing academic activities and student outcomes. By transitioning from Interact2 to a new Learning Management System (LMS), we aim to support Academic Quality Policy through advanced tools and an improved learning environment.

Since 2013 Charles Sturt’s LMS has been Blackboard Learn (known as Interact2). Blackboard has decided to replace Blackboard Learn with a new system known as Learn Ultra.  As Charles Sturt’s license with Blackboard expires in December 2023, the decision was made to explore implementing an LMS with progressive technology to enable students and faculty to work in a supported and enhanced learning environment.

Brightspace has been chosen as Charles Sturt’s new learning management platform. Its intuitive interface, consistent design, and enhanced user functionality support the University Strategy 2030 by providing the means to increase student engagement with powerful simplicity.

The Division of Learning and Teaching will engage with faculty to establish a series of processes leading to a consistent design and definition for the course and subject sites across the university, enhancing the student experience.

Brightspace Benefits

The LMS implementation project will deliver improved technology to make our LMS more engaging, flexible, and consistent.

For our staff, the project will deliver the following: For our students, benefits include: The benefits for our university will include the following:
  • straightforward and more consistent processes
  • improved technology and user experience
  • more automation
  • continuous improvement and ongoing innovation 
    opportunities
  • enhanced functionality to better serve our students.
  • student-focused processes that are more streamlined and efficient, resulting in a better student experience
  • opportunities for greater engagement with their lecturers and to quickly seek support
  • better navigation and consistent access to information
  • a consistent, clean technology infrastructure with 
    standardised and streamlined processes
  • increased agility and speed when changes occur in the external environment
  • increased opportunities to think and act innovatively
  • improved ability to work collaboratively and share data
  • an LMS that is secure and compliant with applicable legislation and  regulatory standards regarding system and data security and privacy

The LMS Design Principles:

Ensure simple, clear and consistent site layout and navigation.

Enable a range of pedagogic use-cases and curriculum requirements.

Support academic and professional staff when designing curriculum.

Minimise duplication, rework, and manual effort.

Check out the LMS design principles.

Any questions, please email polaris@csu.edu.au or search our frequently asked questions.