Students returning to Utica University for the fall semester were met with significant changes in their digital learning platforms. Google products were replaced with Microsoft tools, and the Engage classroom was traded for Moodle.
After the swift change, student reactions were mixed.
Glory Stevens, a junior English major with minors in theatre and creative writing, expressed a neutral stance on the classroom shell change.
“Honestly, I think they function pretty similarly,” Stevens said. “From what I can tell, there isn’t much of a difference.”
Stevens revealed a personal preference, admitting she has long favored Microsoft Word over Google Docs. “Hot take: I’ve always preferred Word,” Stevens said. “I know that’s not the generally accepted opinion.”
Despite favoring Microsoft products, Stevens sympathized with those adjusting to the change.
“I can see how it’s annoying to have to swap to a new platform for some people,” Stevens said. “I don’t know when this change happened, but it was announced right before the semester started. I think they could have spread that around a bit sooner.”
Jasmina Ahmetasevic, a senior biochemistry major, has used Engage throughout her college career and felt that, despite similarities, the transition was noticeable.
“I’ve been using Engage for three years, so I was pretty used to it,” Ahmetasevic said. “Moodle is pretty much the same format, but it’s just a little different.”
Her main frustration, however, was with the shift from Google tools to Microsoft.
“I’ve used Google since high school, so Microsoft is a bit more confusing. I feel like Google is more simplified, it’s easier,” said Ahmetasevic.
For Iyonna Pemberton, a freshman nursing major, the adjustment to Utica’s new chosen platforms has been a frustrating one.
“I hate Microsoft, and I hate Moodle,” Pemberton said. “The Moodle pages are always glitching, and most of my professors just post links to different websites anyway.”
Pemberton, who was accustomed to Google tools in high school, was disappointed over the decision.
“At my high school, we used Google products. I wish we did here too,” Pemberton said.
Murray Spaulding, a sophomore construction management major, found little to distinguish Moodle from its predecessor, Engage.
“To me, they’re the exact same,” Spaulding said. “The shells look the exact same, so there’s no difference besides the name.”
However, Spaulding was vocal about his preference for Google products.
“I really like Google. I don’t like Microsoft. Google is way easier and more user-friendly,” Spaulding said. “Microsoft is not, so I don’t know why they changed that.”
Many on campus share Spaulding’s confusion about the switch to Microsoft, but Mike Roberts, Utica’s vice president for information technology, explained the logic behind the change.
“Google provides free products to higher education institutions like Utica University, but with certain limitations,” Roberts said. “We were beginning to exceed the resources Google offers at no cost, which meant the service could eventually stop working without warning. Since we already had a Microsoft agreement in place that included everything we needed, the decision was made to transition. Importantly, Google products such as Drive and Docs are still available, but we are slowing their usage to ensure long-term stability.”
Roberts identified two major benefits: improved security and faster response times.
“For example, what used to take hours to address in Google, such as reacting to phishing attempts, now takes just minutes in Microsoft,” Roberts said.
Despite the positives, the University recognizes some may be struggling with the transition and has introduced Microsoft Mondays.
“To support the community, we’ve introduced Microsoft Mondays, highlighted in the Morning Mention, where anyone can drop in to ask questions and get help with the Microsoft tools available to them,” Roberts said.
