Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Student Housing
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
News

Software Evangelist Wants to Put Learning-Management Software in the Cloud

By Nick DeSantis February 26, 2012
Adrian Sannier says his new product hits the sweet spot between true open-source systems and traditional learning-management platforms.
Adrian Sannier says his new product hits the sweet spot between true open-source systems and traditional learning-management platforms.Ida von Hanno Bast

Adrian Sannier knows what it’s like to place big bets on outsourcing data to the cloud.

When he was a technology officer for Arizona State University’s office of the president, he was one of the first university leaders to shift control of student e-mail to Google’s free service. His wager paid off: He said at the time that he saved $400,000 and brought in new features faster than his staff ever could. Now hundreds of colleges have followed that lead.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Adrian Sannier knows what it’s like to place big bets on outsourcing data to the cloud.

When he was a technology officer for Arizona State University’s office of the president, he was one of the first university leaders to shift control of student e-mail to Google’s free service. His wager paid off: He said at the time that he saved $400,000 and brought in new features faster than his staff ever could. Now hundreds of colleges have followed that lead.

Mr. Sannier recently left academe for the software industry, and he says his new product, OpenClass, can use the cloud to transform learning-management systems that run college-course Web sites and digital grade books.

THE INNOVATOR: Adrian Sannier, Pearson

THE BIG IDEA: Colleges should outsource their course software and get out of the coding business.

He says universities should not have to endure the disruptive, slow upgrades that plague traditional systems. By distributing quick, constant enhancements through the cloud, he says, OpenClass will let universities improve their tools without the usual headaches.

The new product rode into the market on familiar coattails last fall—Pearson, the major textbook provider that runs it, offered it to any university using the Google Apps for Education platform. Already, 2,600 institutions have tried the system.

There is one catch: Pearson. The publisher, which these days produces a range of education software as well, will use this portal to promote its e-textbooks. It’s a sign of a blurring line between educational content and Web-based services. Many in academe worry that the publisher could make it hard to plug in texts from other publishers. In feisty speeches at education-technology conferences, Mr. Sannier has insisted that OpenClass will incorporate all types of content. “We’re not giving this product away to shill you into something else,” he said at OpenClass’s introduction.

Mr. Sannier admits that OpenClass isn’t truly open source—clients cannot modify its code. But, he argues, most professors have neither the technical chops nor the interest to create their own systems.

OpenClass, he said, hits the “sweet spot” that will allow the best ideas to scale beyond the digital walls of traditional learning-management systems.

“The notion of a closed community that’s managed—which has been at the heart of the LMS market until now—those are some of the boundaries that we’re knocking down.”

Adrian Sannier speaks at Abilene Christian University: “If Not Now, When?”

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Technology
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
About the Author
Nick DeSantis
Nick DeSantis, who joined The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2012, wrote for the publication’s breaking-news blog, helped coordinate daily news coverage, and led newsroom audience-growth initiatives as assistant managing editor, audience. He has also reported on education technology, with a focus on start-up companies and online learning.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

UCLA students, researchers and demonstrators rally during a "Kill the Cuts" protest against the Trump administration's funding cuts on research, health and higher education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles on April 8, 2025.
Scholarship & Research
Trump Proposed Slashing the National Science Foundation’s Budget. A Key Senate Committee Just Refused.
Illustration of a steamroller rolling over a colorful road and leaving gray asphalt in its wake.
Newly Updated
Oregon State U. Will End a Renowned Program That Aimed to Reduce Bias in Hiring
Dr. Gregory Washington, president of George Mason University.
Another probe
George Mason President Discriminated Against White People After George Floyd Protests, Justice Dept. Says
Protesters gather outside the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 14, 2025 to protest the Trump administrations cuts at the agency.
An Uncertain Future
The Education Dept. Got a Green Light to Shrink. Here Are 3 Questions About What’s Next.

From The Review

Photo-based illustration with repeated images of a student walking, in the pattern of a graph trending down, then up.
The Review | Opinion
7 Ways Community Colleges Can Boost Enrollment
By Bob Levey
Illustration of an ocean tide shaped like Donald Trump about to wash away sandcastles shaped like a college campus.
The Review | Essay
Why Universities Are So Powerless in Their Fight Against Trump
By Jason Owen-Smith
Photo-based illustration of a closeup of a pencil meshed with a circuit bosrd
The Review | Essay
How Are Students Really Using AI?
By Derek O'Connell

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin