Also participating will be Bismarck State College, Dickinson State University, Mayville State University, Valley City State University and North Dakota State University.
"Ultimately, adoption of a system-wide learning management system would provide a centrally hosted, virtual teaching and learning environment, thus reducing individual campus costs for training, technical support and production and delivery of courses," said Robert L. Potts, chancellor for the North Dakota University System.
"A system-wide learning management system would create an enhanced learning environment for online courses as well as those that are a blend of online and classroom delivery," he said.
Neil Westergaard, director for Distance Education for WSC recently completed training for the system in Dickinson. "We are currently using a management system called WebCT," he explained. "This is an effort by the state to use one learning management system. There are currently three."
WSC started using D2L last week for its summer course program with online course offerings in business, English and Human Anatomy Physiology. Three or four online fall courses also will be using D2L, Westergaard said.
He noted that since this is a pilot program, funding will run out after the fall semester unless the education system decides to fully implement online higher education systems around the state.
"I found it easier to use from the standpoint of (an instructor)," Westergaard said. "From the students' point of view, they got into it very easily.
"It would be a benefit to the students. They would all be on the same learning management system. It will give students a common look and feel for online courses .... Costwise, it would be a savings to the state. Those are the ultimate goals."
"We are pleased to be working with the North Dakota University System and look forward to helping achieve its vision of a consolidated system-wide learning platform for teaching and learning," said John Baker, Desire2Learn president and CEO.
"We believe that our enterprise learning platform will provide the best possible experience for their staff, students and faculty to meet their goal of delivering a quality learning environment."
NDUS campuses began using learning management systems at varying levels in 1996, and they currently use four different software applications. The initial focus of the pilot project is to convert online courses from current applications into the Desire2Learn system.
The Higher Education Computer Network (HECN) which provides information technology resources to the campuses is hosting and supporting the common system. Servers are in place and configured, and site administrators and some faculty members have received Desire2Learn training.
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