In an era where technology plays an increasingly critical role in education, community colleges face significant challenges when it comes to integrating new systems that enhance student learning and outcomes. Large-scale technology transitions, such as the implementation of a new learning management system (LMS), require careful leadership, strategic planning, collaboration, and strategic communication across diverse stakeholder groups.

At Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), a comprehensive LMS review and implementation process conducted over nine semesters exemplifies the power of shared governance in action. This article explores the leadership lessons learned through this process, showcasing how a collaborative, inclusive approach led to the successful adoption of D2L’s Brightspace LMS. The case demonstrates how shared governance not only enhances decision-making but also ensures that technological choices reflect the needs of diverse communities within the college.

The Importance of Shared Governance in Higher Education Leadership

Shared governance, defined as collaborative decision-making across faculty, staff, administration and students, has long been recognized as essential to higher education leadership, particularly during institutional transitions (Kezar & Eckel, 2004). By distributing leadership responsibilities, shared governance fosters transparency, accountability, and innovation. During times of technological transformation, this model enables institutions to adapt effectively, ensuring that decision-making has collective ownership, is not dominated by a single group or perspective, and reflects the needs of the entire community (Kezar & Holcombe, 2017). Similarly, insights from the Lumina Foundation (2020) emphasize that resilient leadership and collaborative decision-making are vital for institutional adaptability and continuity during crisis situations, reaffirming the central role of shared governance in sustaining academic quality and equity.

At Tri-C, shared governance was the backbone of the LMS review and implementation process. Faculty, staff, administrators, and student representatives engaged meaningfully in structured evaluations and collaborative discussions that influenced every major decision. The deliberate use of cross-functional teams ensured that diverse perspectives were heard and that institutional decisions reflected the needs of the entire academic community.

The Need for Change: A Comprehensive Review Process

The decision to review Tri-C’s LMS was prompted by multiple factors: the sunsetting of Blackboard Learn support beyond December 2023, a decade-long gap since the last LMS evaluation, and a post-pandemic surge in demand for robust digital learning tools. Tri-C recognized the need for an LMS that could better support accessibility, mobile learning, and student engagement in both fully online and hybrid environments.

To meet this need, Tri-C developed a six-semester review process rooted in shared governance. More than 24 faculty members taught real-time courses using three candidate LMS platforms—Blackboard Ultra, D2L Brightspace, and Canvas—while over 400 students participated in pilot courses and offered structured feedback. Thirteen campus stakeholder groups, including the Distance Learning Steering Committee, Online Learning, Instructional Design, Faculty Professional Development, and Information Technology Services, engaged in the evaluation process, ensuring robust and informed decision-making. The college’s investment in professional development for the faculty reviewers, compensating them for their participation in the training phase, marked a significant departure from previous LMS reviews and underscored the institution’s commitment to shared governance (Cuyahoga Community College, 2024).

Faculty Training and Development

Faculty development was a central pillar of Tri-C’s successful LMS implementation. Recognizing that the transition would be challenging for faculty at varying comfort levels with technology, the college launched a comprehensive training plan grounded in cross-functional collaboration. The Faculty Professional Development, Instructional Design, and Online Learning teams co-developed a rich suite of implementation supports. Faculty were required to complete a three-hour asynchronous Brightspace Basics course. In addition, the college offered both in-person and virtual Build-A-Brightspace workshops to support hands-on learning (Cuyahoga Community College, n.d.-a).

These efforts were complemented by asynchronous how-to resources and a peer-coaching network of faculty champions, ensuring that faculty at all experience levels had access to timely guidance and real-time support. This professional development strategy emphasized capacity building and long-term sustainability, reflecting the college’s commitment to empowering faculty through professional growth and shared ownership.

Strategic Communication: Informing and Engaging Stakeholders

From the outset, Tri-C recognized that consistent, clear communication would be vital to the success of the LMS transition. To support transparency and engagement, the college implemented a multi-modal communication plan designed to reach all stakeholders. Communication vehicles included the LMS Review website, the Brightspace for Faculty website, and the Brightspace for Students website (Cuyahoga Community College, 2024, n.d.-a, n.d.-b). These platforms provided updates, timelines, training resources, and answers to frequently asked questions. In addition, Tri-C hosted virtual town halls to solicit feedback and respond to concerns in real time.

To further reinforce messaging, the college employed email campaigns, text messaging, digital signage, campus posters, and video messages from Tri-C leadership. These varied outreach strategies ensured that all stakeholders, faculty, students, and staff remained informed and invested throughout the transition.

Results and Impact

The result of this inclusive and well-structured process was the selection of D2L Brightspace as the new LMS in spring 2024. Brightspace was chosen for its accessibility tools, mobile functionality, and user-friendly interface, all attributes that directly impact student success.

Feedback from students highlighted Brightspace’s intuitive design and inclusive features, such as screen reader compatibility and embedded accessibility tools. The LMS also enhanced communication between students and instructors, creating more responsive and interactive learning environments.

Faculty reported higher levels of confidence and satisfaction due to the training and support infrastructure provided. The use of the Ally accessibility tool helped ensure that content was inclusive and compliant with digital accessibility standards, further aligning with Tri-C’s mission to serve diverse learners equitably.

Leadership Lessons From Collaborative Technology Transitions

The successful implementation of a new LMS at Tri-C highlights the importance of shared governance and collaborative leadership in driving institutional change. Several key leadership lessons emerged from the process:

• Collaboration Drives Ownership: Involving stakeholders early and often builds institutional trust and shared commitment to success. Shared governance allows for more thoughtful, well-rounded decision-making.
• Flexibility and Responsiveness: In large-scale technology transitions, it is essential for leaders to remain flexible and responsive to the needs of faculty, students, and staff. By maintaining an open line of communication and being willing to adjust plans as necessary, leaders can navigate challenges more effectively.
• Focus on Professional Development is Essential: Investing in faculty training, support, and compensation yields long-term dividends in user adoption and institutional morale. In this case, compensating faculty reviewers for their participation demonstrated the college’s commitment to shared governance and professional growth.
• Communication Sustains Momentum: Transparent, multi-channel communication helps manage expectations, increase buy-in, and prevent misinformation.
• Shared Governance Works: This model is not only feasible but necessary for complex institutional changes, especially those involving academic technologies.

Next Steps and Future Innovations

Looking ahead, Tri-C plans to continue evaluating the effectiveness of D2L’s Brightspace, with a focus on gleaning faculty and student feedback about the new system via surveys, faculty LMS Wishlist feature requests, and focus groups. Upcoming enhancements to the LMS will include advanced customization options, allowing faculty and students to tailor their learning environments to better meet individual needs. Additionally, the college will implement ongoing feedback mechanisms to ensure that the LMS evolves in response to student and faculty input. By anchoring its decision-making in shared governance, Tri-C has positioned itself as a model for inclusive, future-ready innovation in online learning.

Conclusion

The LMS review and implementation at Tri-C demonstrates the transformative potential of shared governance in community college leadership. Through cross-functional collaboration, intentional training, and strategic communication, the college led a technology transition that prioritized equity, engagement, and student success.

The leadership lessons learned through this process offer a roadmap for other community college leaders seeking to navigate similar transitions, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, flexibility, communication, and a student-centric approach. As community colleges continue to adapt to changing technological landscapes, shared governance will remain a key leadership strategy for driving innovation and institutional success.

References

Cuyahoga Community College. (2024). LMS review. https://www.tri-c.edu/online-learning/lms-review/index.html

Cuyahoga Community College. (n.d.-a). D2L’s Brightspace for faculty. https://www.tri-c.edu/online-learning/technology-resources/brightspace/brightspace-faculty/index.html

Cuyahoga Community College. (n.d.-b). D2L’s Brightspace for students. https://www.tri-c.edu/online-learning/technology-resources/brightspace/brightspace-students/index.html

Kezar, A. J., & Eckel, P. D. (2004). Meeting today’s governance challenges: A synthesis of the literature and examination of a future agenda for scholarship. The Journal of Higher Education, 75(4), 371-399. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/170795

Kezar, A. J., & Holcombe, E. M. (2017). Shared leadership in higher education: Important lessons from research and practice. American Council on Education. https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Shared-Leadership-in-Higher-Education.pdf

Lumina Foundation. (2020). COVID’s lessons for global higher education. https://www.luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/covids-lessons-for-global-higher-education.pdf

Lead image: LMS review and implementation presentation at Cuyahoga Community College’s spring 2024 convocation

Delia (Dee Dee) Ann Pfister, Ph.D., is Associate Vice President, Academic Professional Development, Instructional Design, and Online Learning, at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

Opinions expressed in Leadership Abstracts are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.