From Pioneer to Leader: How Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez’s LMS Solved Its Virtual, Branding & Scalability Challenges
Even well-established universities with decades of experience must evolve over time. The Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, also known as "UCSH" or more commonly as "La Silva," is a pioneering institution in Chile when it comes to implementing eLearning programs.
As industry standards for eLearning programs evolved, UCSH recognized the need for a learning management system (LMS) to maintain program effectiveness. This shift to an LMS empowered the university to address significant challenges in recent years.
But what were these challenges, and how did Open LMS aid in overcoming them? Let's delve deeper.
The Challenges: Mandatory Virtual Classes, Branding Alignment, and Simultaneous Faculty Training
UCSH implemented Open LMS in 2017, even before its acquisition by Learning Technologies Group (LTG) and subsequent rebranding in 2020. In that same year, as Open LMS relaunched as a new company, UCSH faced the first of three key challenges that the platform would help address:
- Pandemic-driven flexibility (2020): With the sudden shift to mandatory virtual learning due to COVID-19, UCSH recognized the limitations of traditional distance education approaches. The new reality at the time demanded significant flexibility and adaptability to address the variety of challenges faced by students, such as uneven internet access.
- Branding alignment (2022): UCSH identified a disconnect between the platform's user experience and the university's established brand image. It desired a platform experience that fostered a sense of belonging for students and faculty.
- Scalable faculty training (2023): Following the implementation of its first gender and violence prevention training sessions, UCSH needed to efficiently train faculty members and administrative staff across four different faculties at the same time.
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The Solution: A Highly Configurable Platform With a Rich Ecosystem of Partners & Plug-Ins
Open LMS's superior stability and its ability to allow for specific tool configuration became essential to address all these challenges:
In 2020, Open LMS's built-in features and partnerships enabled UCSH to achieve the flexibility and adaptability required for a mandatory transition to eLearning. For example, the integration with video-centric collaboration tool, Class Collaborate, provided everything required for engaging virtual sessions. Additionally, the robust forum feature became a vital substitute for in-person discussions during evaluations. On top of that, the option to download the course content for offline viewing through the Open LMS mobile app addressed student concerns about limited internet access.
In 2022, UCSH began its rebranding project in collaboration with the Open LMS team. It implemented the Open LMS Snap theme on the production site with differentiated branding for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students, so courses looked on-brand, up-to-date, and professional. In addition, the LMS tracking features opened up a means to collect evidence of students' autonomous work hours, serving as a complement to face-to-face programs.
Finally, in 2023, Open LMS enabled the creation of five courses optimized for easy tracking, enabling a course completion status block and detailed reports through the partnership with Intelliboard. Also, by leveraging Open LMS's exclusive personalized learning designer (PLD) plugin, the system is now able to automatically send congratulatory messages to learners who successfully complete the five courses. This fosters a sense of accomplishment and encourages further engagement.
“Open LMS’s ability to handle large-scale training initiatives was instrumental in our success. By leveraging the system’s robust reporting features, we were able to efficiently track faculty and staff progress across all four faculties during the training process. This real-time data ensured we could identify any knowledge gaps or areas needing additional support, allowing for adjustments and ultimately a more successful training experience for everyone.”
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The Results: A Leading Virtual Campus Recognized by Stakeholders
Today, UCSH affirms that it has “two comprehensive ecosystems supporting all educational processes”. On one hand, there’s the information ecosystem, consisting of various devices linked to bibliographic resources. On the other hand, there's the rich eLearning ecosystem built around Open LMS, which integrates all the modules that have expanded the university’s learning environment: Turnitin, Class Collaborate, accessibility tools, Intelliboard, a customized app for mobile navigation, and more.
“The UCSH Virtual Campus is a top-tier service with a stable, continuously updated LMS. A dedicated team of professionals guides and supports technological innovation with digital resources, and their comprehensive approach values both the pedagogical and practical applications of technology. They are further assisted by experts from Open LMS, who understand their goals and know how to effectively leverage the technology to reach them.”
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Are you looking for a future-focused LMS to tackle your eLearning challenges? Contact us or request a demo to see the full power of Open LMS in action!