Bruin Learn is the branded name for UCLA’s learning management system (LMS). An LMS is essentially a course-specific website that provides robust functionality such as discussion boards, document access, and automatically-graded quizzes. Bruin Learn is based on Instructure’s Canvas platform, and is part of the university’s overall effort to standardize information technology, including those tools used for instruction. With Bruin Learn, UCLA aligns with the other UC campuses, the Cal State University system, and CA community colleges in using Canvas, and this consolidation around a common platform for all state public higher education will enable students to more easily take courses intersegmentally.
In the fall of 2021 UCLA changed its learning management system platform from Moodle to Instructure’s Canvas product. Prof. Jan Reiff, OTL’s founding leader, championed the campus review and selection of Canvas. Jan asked many OTL staff to lead and assist in crucial areas of the Bruin Learn project, including:
- Participating on numerous committees, subcommittees, workgroups, and in the campus community;
- Leading and providing academic and instructional support, media design and production;
- Managing software acquisition, licensing, and integration.
Along the way, our team helped campus appropriately repurpose extensive infrastructures, deploy resources, engineer web-enabled processes, promote standards-compliant services, and repurpose team building communities. To speak with us about instructional design in Bruin Learn, please reach out to us at contact@online.ucla.edu or submit the form using the button below. Both the email and the form are sent to the same location, so use either method and we will get back to you as soon as we can!