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Learning Management Systems

Instructional Design Australia

What are the different variations of this
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Virtual Learning Environments (VLE),

Course Management System (CMS),

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC),
Managed Learning Environment (MLE),
Learning Support System (LSS),
Learning Platform (LP),
Portal

Single piece of software that provides a platform for online learning content and
communication tools.

It is used to deliver a blend of traditional classroom instruction and Online delivery.

It allows easy management of the learning materials and tracking of student
learning.
Used by students, teachers and administrators.

It supports a collaborative learning community and Multiple modes of learning

What are the benefits and who can

benefit from a LP?

Enables leaders to:

Save time on administrative tasks

Simplify organisation

Easily and quickly communicate with parents

Enables Parents to:

Help children with homework

To know what is going on in the school

To get involved with the school

Enables administrators to:

Assist learners

Communicate on a one-to-one or one-to-many basis

Contribute to learning resources

Enables the teacher to:

Access resources and tools to support planning, information sharing within the
school and outside the school.

Share the burden of creating resources with colleagues.

Import material from other sources.

Tailor the curriculum to individual learners’ needs by

supporting personalised learning.
Extend learning beyond the classroom and traditional timetables.

Submit and track activities, including evidence for assessment

Enables learners to:

Personalise home pages with learning tools such as tasks, diaries and les.
Gives every learner access to a personal online web-space where they can store
course work and their achievements.
Store all their work.
Display their work to peers and teachers.

What features do LMS usually include?

Features that all Users have:

Differential access for students, teachers and administrators. This includes Login
Names and Passwords
Personalised working spaces. Individualised folders for participants home pages
and work.
Easy navigation, help pages, quick links, Pervasive references (links for everyone)

Searching facility within the LP and outside the LP

Easy-to-use content creation tools. Easy authoring tools for text, hyperlinks and
graphics. Web page editing with templates for content pages.
Information distribution including administrative information, Calendar, News &
Course announcements.
Communication and collaboration functions such as Email, Asynchronous
collaborative learning (discussion forums for group learning, threaded discussions)
Synchronous collaborative learning (chats for live instruction in classroom settings).

Features that Tutor Interfaces have:

Access control
Daily management tools
Flexible course design and delivery.

Support of reusable learning objects.

Syllabuses Teaching material.
Ability to track student progress.
Assessment tools.

Student Assignment Management,

Administrative applications.

Features that Student interfaces provide:

Access to learning resources with a personalised study units, course materials,

syllabuses, basic teaching material for self-paced coursework.
 Learning management tools. Study toolkit.
Collaborative tools- Discussion forums, Chat rooms
Online support

Other learning materials- Glossary, FAQs?, usefullinks

Self assessment such as online quizzes and exercises such as multiple-choice,
true/false and one-word-answer (formative assessment)
Assignment Boxes or areas for submission of student work (summative
assessment)

Examples of LMS and what they look

like?

Examples: Moodle, WebCT?, Blackboard,EduTools?,LrnLab?, ATutor?, Dokeos, dotLRN,
ILIAS, LON-CAPA, OpenUSS?, Sakai, Spaghettilearning

What do they look like?

Example 1 Eduweb

Eduweb was commissioned by NSW DET and created as a free product for public
schools. It is gaining popularity as web services are being implemented across the state.

Example 2 Moodle

Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment

Moodle is a Course Management system (CMS)
Software package for producing internet-based courses and web sites.

Opensource (free)
The most adaptable learning platform
Moodle over 100,000 registered users on this site alone, speaking over 70 languages
in over 150 countries.

A study called “An Evaluation of Open Source E-Learning Platforms Stressing Adaptation
Issues” found that Moodle outperforms all other platforms and also obtained the best
rating in the adaptation category. The other LPs?

thy compared it to were ATutor?, Dokeos, dotLRN, ILIAS, LON-CAPA, OpenUSS?, Sakai
and Spaghetti learning. Adaptability concerns the ability to customize the platform,
ability for individual personalization and adaptivity (automatic adaptation to the
individual user’s needs).

Example 3 LrnLab?
This is an example of a third generation of LPs?.

What are 3G Learning Content

Management Systems?

Shelley R. Robbins (2002) suggests the following stages in the evolution of Learning
Content Management Systems:

Stage 1: Generic content libraries

Stage 2: Learning management systems.

Stage 3: Outsourced e-learning platforms.

Stage 4: Learning content management systems.

I suggest there is a fth stage which includes these third generation LPs?. Laister and
Koubek (2001) looked the requirements for a 3rd Generation Learning Platforms and the
Motivation for Collaborative Learning. They viewed what I am calling stage 5 as a
transition from a content / resource based LPs? that focus on the interaction between
human and computer to a human-centred LPs? that is oriented towards communication
processes between people. These include virtual teams, knowledge- and learning
communities and a networked economy. 3G LPs? support collaborative processes
through ICT. They provide the environment and tools for an “open, participative and
re ective learning in community” (Laister and Koubek, 2001).

What is the potential for LMS?

LMS have the potential to free us from constraints that currently prevent the full
integration of technology in the classroom. The provision of a simpler, user friendly,
group friendly system may help us to overcome the barriers that we now face.

The change from command based computers to the GUI interface meant many more
people (such as myself) were more comfortable using computers. The simplicity and
ease of using a LMSs? has the potential to “free us from poorly designed software and
inhospitable organisational structures that currently constrain teacher use” (Cuban
Oversold and Underused, p 139).

Could this be what teachers need to get greater use of computers in schools.? The
learning management system used by LrnLab? has vastly simpli ed the process of
accessing information, creating documents, organising our work, handing in
assignments, communicating with the other students or lecturers. Teachers do not want
to have to learn complicated software programs. As the ease of use improves so too will
the frequency of use.

What do I need to setup a LMS and what

should I look for when I choose a LMS?

You need a:

web server which supports the language that the LMS is written in (PHP is
common),
database backend (such as MySQL?.)

You should look for the following features:

An open interface with other software such as Oasis which is the software the NSW
public schools use for administration. The LP must function as a stand-alone
application and it also needs to be able to interface effectively with other systems
such as Oasis for student data. The interfaces needs to support simple integration
formats such as XML .

Security The LP must contain security and encryption mechanisms to protect the
learning content and user data. The LP needs to have secure user privileges, which
 set permission to levels that users need but do not allow security to be
compromised. It should also contain an automatic backup system .
Automated implementation processes Deployment and implementation should not
be too di cult or take too long. It should have an installation wizard that gives you
options for customisation.
Easy-to-use content creation tools Teachers need to be able to create course
content with authoring applications they are familiar with or a simple WYSIWIG
editor embedded in the system. Content creators (teachers, administrators and
students) must be able to use standard authoring tools that they’re familiar with
rather than being forced to use tools embedded in the LCMS.
Flexible course design and delivery The LMs? must offer exibility within the system
so it can be adapted to the needs of the school or organisation.
Support of reusable learning objects Although the initial creation of learning objects
takes some time, the bene t comes when it can be used again. Often the rst use of
the object will suggest changes/editing but over time this is a time saving way
teachers can work.
Administrative applications The LP sould be able to manage enrollment and
progress of learners, as well as course content, timing, and tracking.
Assessment tools The best LPs? assess the learner’s prior knowledge to determine
entry point and assesses what he or she learns. It is important to have a system that
allows for a variety of assessment strategies: multiple choice tests, assignment
boxes, analyitic tools for participation etc.
Communication and collaboration functions As well as being able to study alone the
LP should provide opportunity to interact with the technology, teacher, or peers. The
learning environment is more effective if the student can interact with the learning
materials; become active learners. Asynchronous and synchronous communication
allows for collaborative work.
Facilities for content migration The LP must offer easy-to-use conversion tools. I.e.
converting from a word document to a web page in the LMS.

What sort of barriers will I have to hurdle

to make it work?

Barrier Solution

People resisting the Develop a shared vision, show strong leadership. Educate
change from the status all stakeholders about the bene ts. Demonstrate how easy
quo. Solution: it is to create courses and use the LP.

Resistance from “the Explain that education using the computer will always
belief – or fear – that require human teachers and facilitators. “IT’s role is to
the ultimate aim of augment (not to replace) the teacher” (Van Dam et al,
instructional 2005)
technology is to reduce
or even remove the
human element of
instruction.”

Finance: The cost of Gain administrative and government support if possible.

preparing materials is Emphasise the long tern cost effectiveness. Emphasise
high. The cost of that embracing technology can be a solution to increased
maintaining, revising “demands and reduced resources” (Bates 2000. P 216).
and updating courses is
high.

Expertise: The unique Create an Instructional designer position to maintain the

pedagogy of e-learning quality of the learning materials and work with subject
requires special skills in experts. Provide templates and best practice examples for
learning design and all staff to see.
interaction design.

Time and workload to Emphasise the time saving over the long term. Provide
implement, develop and relief from the classroom for teachers to develop
maintain the LP. materials and become familiar with the LP. Provide
technical support. Provide incentives and rewards for
effective implementation.

Students who are not Educate students on effective ways of organizing their
well-motivated or work; naming les and creating folders.
organised will reject
this learning
environment.

Students working alone Provide a mix between face to face and on line learning
will miss having according to the needs of the students. The tutor really
contact and interaction needs to be exible about the way they provide support.
with their peers and the
teacher.

Teachers have a Ensure that staff appraisals do not disadvantage teachers

diminished role and a
sense of loss of
control.
who use the LP extensively. Run professional development
programs that educate teachers about the advantages and
merit of learner centered teaching methods and how the
LP can facilitate this process. “The appropriate use of IT
will empower teachers to enhance their mentoring
roles”(Van Dam et al, 2005).

Course requirements Remind teachers that there are usually group work
emphasise individual objectives included in syllabi and show them ways of
teaching criteria and assessing individual achievements within a collaborative
objectives so it is environment.
di cult to make
assessments within
this collaborative
learning environment.

Introvert students who
nd it di cult to
communicate with
groups will feel a sense
of pressure.
Train teachers to identify and support these students.
Encourage teachers to talk about these issues with
students emphasising that it is natural for some students
to feel this way. Teachers need to be exible in how they
give feedback to students depending on the students’
needs.

References

Wikipedia Learning Management System

Assessing Learning Management Systems by John L. Hall: senior vice president of
Oracle University Jan 2003
Moodle

An introduction to learning platforms: British Educational Communications and

Technology Agency 2003-2004
Learning Platforms By Terry Freedman 2006
“Teachernet UK Learning Platforms Department for Education and Skills 1995–
2006”:Learningplatforms
An Evaluation of Open Source E-Learning Platforms Stressing Adaptation Issues*
Sabine Graf and Beate List Women’s Postgraduate College of Internet Technologies
Vienna University of Technology {graf, list}@wit.tuwien.ac.at 2005

The Evolution of the Learning Content Management System By Shelley R. Robbins

2002
Towards a Pattern Language for Learning Management Systems: Paris Avgeriou ,
Andreas Papasalouros Symeon Retalis , Manolis Skordalakis 1999
3rd Generation Learning Platforms Requirements and Motivation for Collaborative
Learning Johann Laister, Anni Koubek Technikum Joanneum © EURODL 2001

The Evolution of the Learning Content Management System By Shelley R. Robbins

April 2002

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