Group items tagged

This article says the LMS is a barrier to learning because it is a "silo". The way to remove the barrier is to use systems like "WordPress" that have flexibility, are more seamless, and have wonderful plug-ins for gradebooks, tools to submit assignments and discussion boards. This article goes on to remark that eLearning is best when LMS is invisible, which certainly isn't the case with traditional LMS's.

This site discusses "learning management system (LMS) deployment efforts" and the university's experience in replacing a different LMS.

Unlike other resources I've come across, this takes a look at the issue from a unique viewpoint. Instead of looking at the role of social media in an LMS, this asks whether or not social media should include an LMS. It evaluates the technology of the LMS in relation to social media tools, and takes a very quantitative analysis viewpoint.

This is a Power Point presentation that starts with a description of internet usage among teens and makes a case for the need of good LMSs. Additionally it offers graphics describing the parts possible as part of an LMS.

This website has a quick overview comparing the features of 7 different LMSs including two we are looking at, Blackboard and Moodle, in our SIG.

A "Click to Compare" site for a great number of different LMSs

This article is great for someone looking beyond the traditional LMSs out there. It suggests an alternative in WordPress and BuddyPress and provides a thorough analysis of how they can used, the differences, along with the pros and cons of using a non-traditional LMS.

This article discusses why BrainHoney was chosen as the "Best Classroom Management System" by the Software and Information Industry Association. Ease of use is one piece of the criteria and relates to the section of our SIG studying "Organization and Navigation within a LMS".

The learning management system BrainHoney won the award for Best Classroom Management system from the Software and Information Industry Association. The article explains that BrainHoney won the award amid steep competition.

This is an older article dating in the late 90's but it is interesting to note that some of the same problems still exist, just in a more modern version. Firstly, contact and communication with the instructor and class, is still a contemporary issue. We think this has been solved with email, texting and skype, but if the instructor doesn't believe that as much interaction needs to be given to online students as campus ones, then it still stands as a barrier. Also, technical skills of students and faculty is listed and still true today, as well as the lack of support services.

This site offers potential buyers the ability to "test drive" the Sakai learning management system and also provides a pdf describing the support programs available to clients. The pdf also highlights come of the communication features available with Sakai.

This is a blog post from the blog link that Cory provided on my behalf, below. Thank you, Cory! It indicates that building a class from the LMS up is not the way to go. It is better to start building a course first and then select an LMS based on what suits the needs of the course. What is interesting is that many of the barriers to online learning seem to link to elements other than the LMS itself. Hmmmmmm. The perspective of the author is from private industry, but I'm not so sure that is much different that formal education.

I'm adding this bookmark on Tracy's behalf. I've read many great articles from this blog before, and it looks like this entry has a lot of good information on barriers to a successful LMS.

This is a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Desire2Learn LMS at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is a 25-page "milestone" report of the methodology, student and faculty use, impact on learning, and many other outcomes of the implementation.

A comparison of Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Moodle, and SAKAI in light of their accessibility to all users, including those with disabilities. These LMSs were tested in eight categories including login, personalization, navigation, modules/tools, forms, authoring tools/content creation, help, and features affecting accessibility.

University of Wisconsin review of Desire2Learn implementation.

This blog post contains a list of test scenarios for LMS usability. The results of each scenario could help to expose problems or gaps withint he navigation and organization of an LMS.

Article describing American Public University's switch to Sakai. It focused on the fact that the decision to implement was influenced by "The flexibility Sakai provides to frequently add system enhancements to match our evolving organizational needs". This article was found through ProQuest so the link may not work.

This blog post states that LMS's are great when they have some good features, but there is a topping off point. When they get too fancy, the user has difficulty in navigation. There is a "sweet spot" so to speak in functionality. This blog post has an interesting reply within it for which the blog author gives a good response relating to the LMS serving as an obstacle to access course content. Learners can't get what they need quickly. This post is related to private industry, but I think still applies in the case of education.