Next year, a big change is coming to The Benjamin School, and it’s onCampus. That’s the name of the new learning management system (LMS) TBS is switching to. The LMS is still part of Blackbaud, the company that has provided NetClassroom and FAWeb to TBS students and teachers, respectively, for the past four years. However, with Blackbaud’s acquisition of Whipple Hill, another company which offers cloud-based management solutions to independent schools, Blackbaud has used Whipple Hill’s technology to upgrade its LMS and student information systems software.

The Benjamin School began using NetClassroom and FAWeb in 2011 as a replacement for the previous service, Edline, according to Mr. Crisafi, the Middle School’s educational technology chair. While these systems allowed teachers to electronically post homework and announcements to students, and also allowed students and parents to track grades and assignments, onCampus will make such communication even easier.

“A third party hosted our old system information system, which meant, as database manager, I had to access a virtual desktop to obtain certain information,” said Crisafi. “Now I can access my gradebooks, student records, and make system changes all from the same page. In addition, all teachers will have access to each student’s schedule, regardless of whether that faculty member teaches that student or not, and the interface will be easier for faculty to use as it is a drag-and-drop system that allows video embeds and all sorts of media-rich content. Overall, it is a better visual experience,” Mr. Crisafi explained.

Tatiana Ziff argues that the change in software is unnecessary due to NetClassroom’s usefulness. “I feel like Netclassroom covers every aspect of our schoolwork and I find it very helpful. I use it on a daily basis to organize my homework and what classes I have to stay on top of to keep my grades up. Honestly, I am confused on why we are getting a new version if this one works so well!”

However, Crisafi feels students will be won over once they experience onCampus. “The current interface in NetClassroom is clunky and information is hard to read and find,” said Crisafi. “With onCampus, it will be much easier for students to find their assignments, grades, report cards, and schedules. In addition, it will also integrate a bit with Google Docs, which NetClassroom currently does not do at all.”

All of the middle school teachers have piloted onCampus already and agree that it is a step forward in terms of what it offers. “The new program is a nice advancement from NetClassroom and is more student interactive,” said eighth-grade history and English teacher Mrs. Anne Franzen. “NetClassroom is not user friendly, and [onCampus] is user friendly because it can take your entire curriculum and organize it. Every assignment a teacher creates has the paperwork matched with it every year without having to re-share it with students. The teachers can also make quizzes and tests through this new program.”

The administration believes it is a worthwhile upgrade as well because it will simplify the flow of information between the School and parents. “Our goal is to find the most effective means of communication available for our students and parents,” said Head of Middle School and seventh-grade history teacher Mr. Charles Hagy. “We want our families’ experience to be enhanced through any decision we make. [onCampus] is going to greatly improve that because everything is going to be one page, one location.”

So while some students may not see a need for change, the faculty and administration feel otherwise. Hopefully, as Mr. Hagy believes, “[On Campus] is going to be terrific.”