Culinary Institute of Lenotre
Scaffold Migration & Archiving
Culinary Institute of Lenotre
CIL achieves faculty buy-in through seamless LMS migration
CIL Achieves Faculty Buy-in Through Seamless LMS Migration
Established in 1998 by third-generation French chefs Alain and Marie Lenotre, The Culinary Institute of Lenotre (CIL) is globally recognized for its expertise in French cuisine and pastry arts. Offering a comprehensive education, students delve into both classic and contemporary culinary methods, exploring a diverse range of dishes while gaining knowledge in nutrition, menu development, and wine fundamentals in associate degree programs. With flexible scheduling and financial aid options, the institute’s five-star programming, including specialty electives and seminars in advanced pastry skills, ensures a well-rounded culinary education tailored to individual needs.
In 2023, following a competitive RFP process, CIL decided to end its seven-year contract with Instructure for its Canvas platform. As the management team at CIL was considering other LMS options, they were impressed by the customer service at Anthology and the capabilities of their LMS, Blackboard® Learn. A switch to Learn became a no-brainer–the only challenge was how best to migrate courses to a new platform.
The team needed to handle a potentially massive workload efficiently to support faculty and staff. Manual migration was not feasible. That’s why the team at Anthology introduced CIL to K16 Solutions. With the help of K16’s automated migration solution, Scaffold Migration, CIL seamlessly transitioned all courses to Learn while sticking to their tight timeline.
Challenges
Convincing faculty
One of CIL’s biggest challenges was getting faculty buy-in on a new LMS. Many chef instructors didn’t have courses online and did not feel tech-savvy enough for an online platform. The management team needed to reassure instructors that the switch would reduce workload, not increase it. A simple transition with ample training time was essential to obtain their support.
Small but mighty team
CIL had just two administrators managing the transition, with limited capacity for more work and no additional staff to spare. Existing tasks left little room for migration tasks without overtime.
Adjunct help was expensive and time-consuming
Hiring adjunct help to reduce migration workload wasn’t feasible due to budget constraints and the time needed for hiring and training. CIL began to look for alternative migration solutions.
“It was a decision based on numbers. We knew that we needed K16’s help to stick to a timeline and have the most efficient project possible.”Samantha Kellen, Senior Business Office Manager at CIL
Solution
Once the team realized a transition wouldn’t be possible on their own, CIL’s contact at Anthology recommended working with K16 Solutions.
Their representative at K16, Sam Yaghoubi, demonstrated how easy the transition could be with Scaffold Migration. This demo and K16’s success stories convinced CIL to embark on the partnership.
“It was a decision based on numbers,” said Samantha Kellen, senior business office manager at CIL. “We knew that we needed K16’s help to stick to a timeline and have the most efficient project possible.”
The management team had regular check-ins with K16 to ensure accurate translation of information. “We also appreciated K16’s great communication and the ability to answer any and all of our questions,” Kellen said.
Results
No need to hire adjunct help
Scaffold Migration eliminated the need to enter data by hand. Staff didn’t have to work overtime or hire adjunct help to meet their timeline. CIL’s two admins oversaw progress via regular calls.
Testing ensured accurate translation
Some Canvas data didn’t directly match with Learn. K16 provided testing and minor customizations to resolve mismatches without manual work. “It wasn’t perfect every time, but the team made needed adjustments based on our feedback, providing the most accurate translation possible without extra work,” said Kellen.
Faculty felt supported in transition
The seamless migration freed up more time for faculty training. Instructors worked in a test environment and had two weeks before the new term to practice with Learn. Before classes began, instructors showed students how to log in and access classes. This extra training time was critical for faculty buy-in. “We were only able to do this because K16 gave us more time,” said Kellen. “I loved our K16 team. They were very helpful–I would recommend them to anyone. They always checked in with us, gave us an honest timeline, and made adjustments whenever we asked.”
“I loved our K16 team. They were very helpful–I would recommend them to anyone. They always checked in with us, gave us an honest timeline, and made adjustments whenever we asked.”Samantha Kellen, Senior Business Office Manager at CIL