So what is an LMS anyways?
I spent a lot of time answering all sorts of leading questions for this section and then found the wonderful video (above) that summed it all up for me. It certainly cuts down on the amount of text you need to read. Here are the highlights of my answers:
A learning management system is a system that organizes content and provides one place for learners to go to access information, submit assignments, take quizzes, converse with colleagues and generally go through the learning outcomes and goals of a course or unit of study. There are many popular LMSs employed by educational institutions as well as corporations to provide units of studies where student learning can progress and be tracked in order to provide an accurate assessment of their learning throughout the module. Typically divided into units or sections, an LMS can encompass an entire course of study, a short training session or anything in between as suits the needs of the learners using it. Some common features of LMSs can include: launching platforms, communication and collaboration technologies, content management tools, assessment and testing capabilities, ‘virtual’ classrooms or meeting places, reporting tools, accessibility structures (for mobile devices) and support options.
In addition, many Web 2.0 tools provide an alternate to the standard LMS. Communication technologies, collaboration tools and websites that allow you to include course content and have added quizzing, assessment and collaboration tools are popular alternatives to the commercial systems available today. With an internet connection, the accessibility of these tools allow us, as educators, to incorporate what we need where we need it and provide the best possible education for our students.
A learning management system is a system that organizes content and provides one place for learners to go to access information, submit assignments, take quizzes, converse with colleagues and generally go through the learning outcomes and goals of a course or unit of study. There are many popular LMSs employed by educational institutions as well as corporations to provide units of studies where student learning can progress and be tracked in order to provide an accurate assessment of their learning throughout the module. Typically divided into units or sections, an LMS can encompass an entire course of study, a short training session or anything in between as suits the needs of the learners using it. Some common features of LMSs can include: launching platforms, communication and collaboration technologies, content management tools, assessment and testing capabilities, ‘virtual’ classrooms or meeting places, reporting tools, accessibility structures (for mobile devices) and support options.
In addition, many Web 2.0 tools provide an alternate to the standard LMS. Communication technologies, collaboration tools and websites that allow you to include course content and have added quizzing, assessment and collaboration tools are popular alternatives to the commercial systems available today. With an internet connection, the accessibility of these tools allow us, as educators, to incorporate what we need where we need it and provide the best possible education for our students.
504_wrap_up_lms.mp3 | |
File Size: | 5527 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
What are some LMS and non-LMS services and how do they compare?
Many LMSs are quite similar and provide the same type of options in their own platform. In this way they remain competitive and provide expected service levels and options of tools and activity levels. Similar to the Apple vs. Microsoft debate, there are options to create the same types of courses and activities on all platforms. Though the intricate workings of each will be different depending on the system you’ve chosen, pretty much anything you will be able to do in Moodle you can expect to be able to do in D2L and vice versa.
Areas in which these resources may differ are in the costs associated with each as some commercial options might be hosted by a company that wants to make money for the use of their product or in the specific types of activities that you can include using that platform. The alternative or work around for this problem is to make use of non-LMS service alternatives that are readily available – and often free to use - on the internet.
A major player in the non-LMS league is Google docs. Google is building an empire and providing a variety of services to users under the same umbrella. Not quite organized and connected like a true LMS, they provide options for discussions, collaboration and the building and sharing of information through various of tools. They have a monopoly on accessing information, too, in the form of Youtube – arguably one of the most watched websites on the net, and of course their search engine which is a go to tool for many internet users. Google even has a grade book that can be translated into 70 different languages whereas most other grade book options have two – English and Spanish. They are trying to be accessible to a worldwide market and are constantly adding new tools and resources to their repertoire.
What components are necessary for a complete LMS?
In order to have a complete LMS you need to have to ability to provide access to content, allow for users to work within content and discuss aspects to do with that content, download and upload documents that allow them to evidence their learning and provide assessment tools and tracking systems so that students and teachers are aware of their learning progress.
In the example of Moodle or D2L (which are the two LMSs that I am most familiar with), the LMS would provide a homepage where reading lists, links to content in the form of webpages, videos or text resources, contact information and discussion post questions can be housed. This information can be grouped by topics or subjects and can be openly available to students from the beginning of the course or released to them on specific dates. Also available on this site would be a calendar to track important dates, an announcement section where students can learn of important information provided by their instructor, access to a grade book where instructors can post grades and students can access them and access to course documents or support in case students need help navigating their way through the course.
From the homepage students can follow links to activities, webpages (for example a course wiki or survey activity) on which students can complete work, reading materials to supplement learning outcomes and any other resources that the instructor wants to expose their students to.
Once students have completed activities, there needs to be a place where they can upload or dropbox their assignments for the instructor to asses. This would be linked directly to the grade book where students and instructors could track grades.
Also inherent in any LMS is the ability to store content – either in the form of class resources for students to review or in the form of student work. As a way to evidence their learning, students should be collecting their work in an ePortfolio in order to be able to reflect back on their learning process and show evidence of their learning to others.
What are the pros and cons of using a commercial LMS?
The pros of using a commercial LMS is definitely housing all of your content and information in one place that students get good at navigating and learn to easily work within. It also allows users to have one username and password, reducing the need for a list of logins for students to memorize.
The drawbacks of relying on one singular LMS is that it can be limiting in the types of files you can use, the sorts of activities that you can provide your students with and the accessibility of your site in the case of upgrades, power outages, server crashes, etc. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is not always the best practice.
Also, there is the cost of implementing, maintaining, providing support for and upgrading the system and that cost has to be paid by someone along the line of users. There is also the problem of people who don’t have consistent access to the internet. If all activities must be completed online, users will not have the option of working on their course work wherever and whenever they want. We have to be cognizant of the need to allow users to access other programs or complete work as they see fit with the resources they have available to them.
How flexible are LMSs?
In reality LMSs are only somewhat flexible – they tend to have a set look (some call it sterile) and standard options for activities. I found that you could incorporate a lot of different aspects and expect that with every upgrade more options will become available, but as long as we recognize their limitations and are willing to work around them, we can incorporate other tools that will still allow us to build a comprehensive course for our students.
What are the costs (real and implied) for using a LMS (commercial, open source) and non-LMS?
real – licence, training, support, hosting services, upgrades, development of LMS, user access fees
implied – providing onsite support, maintaining updates and upgrades, data input over the years, server space
Many LMSs are quite similar and provide the same type of options in their own platform. In this way they remain competitive and provide expected service levels and options of tools and activity levels. Similar to the Apple vs. Microsoft debate, there are options to create the same types of courses and activities on all platforms. Though the intricate workings of each will be different depending on the system you’ve chosen, pretty much anything you will be able to do in Moodle you can expect to be able to do in D2L and vice versa.
Areas in which these resources may differ are in the costs associated with each as some commercial options might be hosted by a company that wants to make money for the use of their product or in the specific types of activities that you can include using that platform. The alternative or work around for this problem is to make use of non-LMS service alternatives that are readily available – and often free to use - on the internet.
A major player in the non-LMS league is Google docs. Google is building an empire and providing a variety of services to users under the same umbrella. Not quite organized and connected like a true LMS, they provide options for discussions, collaboration and the building and sharing of information through various of tools. They have a monopoly on accessing information, too, in the form of Youtube – arguably one of the most watched websites on the net, and of course their search engine which is a go to tool for many internet users. Google even has a grade book that can be translated into 70 different languages whereas most other grade book options have two – English and Spanish. They are trying to be accessible to a worldwide market and are constantly adding new tools and resources to their repertoire.
What components are necessary for a complete LMS?
In order to have a complete LMS you need to have to ability to provide access to content, allow for users to work within content and discuss aspects to do with that content, download and upload documents that allow them to evidence their learning and provide assessment tools and tracking systems so that students and teachers are aware of their learning progress.
In the example of Moodle or D2L (which are the two LMSs that I am most familiar with), the LMS would provide a homepage where reading lists, links to content in the form of webpages, videos or text resources, contact information and discussion post questions can be housed. This information can be grouped by topics or subjects and can be openly available to students from the beginning of the course or released to them on specific dates. Also available on this site would be a calendar to track important dates, an announcement section where students can learn of important information provided by their instructor, access to a grade book where instructors can post grades and students can access them and access to course documents or support in case students need help navigating their way through the course.
From the homepage students can follow links to activities, webpages (for example a course wiki or survey activity) on which students can complete work, reading materials to supplement learning outcomes and any other resources that the instructor wants to expose their students to.
Once students have completed activities, there needs to be a place where they can upload or dropbox their assignments for the instructor to asses. This would be linked directly to the grade book where students and instructors could track grades.
Also inherent in any LMS is the ability to store content – either in the form of class resources for students to review or in the form of student work. As a way to evidence their learning, students should be collecting their work in an ePortfolio in order to be able to reflect back on their learning process and show evidence of their learning to others.
What are the pros and cons of using a commercial LMS?
The pros of using a commercial LMS is definitely housing all of your content and information in one place that students get good at navigating and learn to easily work within. It also allows users to have one username and password, reducing the need for a list of logins for students to memorize.
The drawbacks of relying on one singular LMS is that it can be limiting in the types of files you can use, the sorts of activities that you can provide your students with and the accessibility of your site in the case of upgrades, power outages, server crashes, etc. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is not always the best practice.
Also, there is the cost of implementing, maintaining, providing support for and upgrading the system and that cost has to be paid by someone along the line of users. There is also the problem of people who don’t have consistent access to the internet. If all activities must be completed online, users will not have the option of working on their course work wherever and whenever they want. We have to be cognizant of the need to allow users to access other programs or complete work as they see fit with the resources they have available to them.
How flexible are LMSs?
In reality LMSs are only somewhat flexible – they tend to have a set look (some call it sterile) and standard options for activities. I found that you could incorporate a lot of different aspects and expect that with every upgrade more options will become available, but as long as we recognize their limitations and are willing to work around them, we can incorporate other tools that will still allow us to build a comprehensive course for our students.
What are the costs (real and implied) for using a LMS (commercial, open source) and non-LMS?
real – licence, training, support, hosting services, upgrades, development of LMS, user access fees
implied – providing onsite support, maintaining updates and upgrades, data input over the years, server space