Unifying Digital Learning Across Montana’s Public Universities

Spanning a vast geographic area with a relatively small population, the Montana University System (MUS) serves students across multiple universities, community colleges, and two-year campuses throughout the state. The system includes institutions on both the Montana State University and University of Montana sides, each with several campuses and distinct academic communities.

For years, campuses operated independently when it came to learning management systems. Institutions on one side of the system primarily used Brightspace, while others relied on Moodle. This fragmented environment created a multitude of challenges for students and faculty, especially as learners increasingly enrolled in courses across institutions or transferred between campuses.

Students moving between institutions often had to learn entirely new systems, navigate different course layouts, and adjust to inconsistent digital learning environments. At the same time, some campuses were reaching the limits of their existing platforms and needed a more modern, scalable solution. University and campus leaders also recognized that aligning on a shared digital platform could support long-term initiatives such as course sharing and cross-institution collaboration.

As the Montana University System evaluated its options, leaders uncovered a set of key insights that reshaped their approach:

• The problem wasn’t just multiple LMS platforms, but a fragmented student experience across institutions.
• What looked like a technology decision was actually a system-level challenge around alignment, access, and collaboration.
• A future platform needed to support both consistency at the system level and flexibility at the institutional level.
• Usability wasn’t a preference, rather it was a requirement for adoption across faculty and students.
• Collaboration, including course and content sharing, had to be built into the foundation, not added later.

These insights informed a more intentional evaluation process. MSU conducted a comprehensive RFP involving both technical evaluators and faculty reviewers, with decision criteria focused on long-term adaptability and the ability to enable collaboration across campuses. According to John Thunstrom, System CIO for the Montana University System, this broader lens helped the system prioritize solutions that could support both current needs and future initiatives.

Montana University System selected Canvas as its unified learning management system and launched a phased implementation across its institutions. Rather than enforcing a single rollout timeline, system leaders allowed each campus to transition according to its own schedule, as long as the systemwide migration was completed before Fall 2025.

Some institutions completed the transition in a matter of months, while others took longer to ensure faculty and staff had the time and support needed to migrate their courses.

Several factors contributed to a successful rollout:

• Flexible, phased timelines that allowed each institution to move at its own pace
• Significant investment in training and implementation support
• A mix of in-person workshops, online resources, and drop-in sessions
• One-on-one support to help instructors adapt their courses
• Migration assistance that provided strong starting course shells instead of requiring rebuilds

The unified platform also laid the technical foundation for future system initiatives. Montana University System began preparing integrations with Parchment Course Sharing and expanded the use of Canvas Commons to support resource sharing and collaboration across institutions.

By Fall 2025, every institution within the Montana University System had successfully transitioned to Canvas, completing a coordinated systemwide rollout across the state.

Thae move to a unified platform simplified the experience for students taking courses across multiple campuses. Instead of navigating different systems and interfaces, students now encounter a consistent digital learning environment throughout the system.

Faculty have also benefited from improved usability and more consistent course design. Shared templates and the modular structure of Canvas help create predictable course navigation for students while making course development easier for instructors.

Students and faculty have responded particularly positively to the platform’s mobile capabilities. Many learners access coursework from their phones or tablets, allowing them to stay connected to their courses regardless of location.

For system leaders, the successful migration also created a strong technical foundation for future initiatives. With all campuses now operating on Canvas, Montana University System can expand collaboration across institutions, share content more easily through Canvas Commons, and move forward with course sharing initiatives that allow students to access learning opportunities across the state.