Group items tagged

This article reflects the theoretical views on what inhibits learning within online classes. It begins by identifying students enrolled in higher ed today as differing significantly for those considered to be "traditional" students. Students today want a "stripped down", as stated by the author, version of education. They don't want to pay for that which they won't use. Contemporary students are more interested in high quality courses that focus on learning the topic at hand, rather than the extra experiences one can attain by attending university in a traditional fashion.

One of the more interesting points regading the pedagogical element of online learning is that higher ed instructors don't take classes in how to teach students, which can make for some less than stellar instructors. And, this phenomenon is exaccerbated by technology and distance learning. In other words, those with poor classroom teaching skills are generally worse online teachers.

*This article is on the older side (2002), but I liked that it addressed distance learning as a category and highlighted general barriers to distance learning. Perhaps all problems are related to the LMS.*

This article outlines ten principles for the design of both online and traditional learning environments. The article links and references research on how the mind works as a basis for these principles. It addresses topics such as what interactions should occur in learning, how to address a variety of learners, the role of mentors, directors and facilitators, and the development of knowledge based on individual experiences.

In this link within a blog post, the author indicates that the LMS can be a barrier itself because some "on demand" information isn't easily plugged into the LMS. Even if you can provide a link within the LMS, it doesn't provide a seamless experience for the user.

This article references a number of pieces of research on online learning and distance education. This includes six elements of a distance learning program as well as descriptions of which students may be served by online vs. traditional education.

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 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.

Although this website is for a specific learning management system. It provides a number of criteria for comparing LMSs including: fee type, source code availability, licensing model, installation type, business orientation, eLearning standards compliance, content creation possibilities, programming language, platform, and integration possibilities. Although not all of these apply to our SIG project this website can give us a good idea of the different iterations of LMSs on the market.

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 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.

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 site allows one to "click to compare" 40 different LMSs (including different versions of the same system). 

This is a good article for understanding how an LMS can be used to enhance student learning through communication. It discusses the benefits to using an LMS or VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) and acknowledges that less tech savvy teachers may be apprehensive. The articles discussions of social learning point to a need for analysis of all discussion and communication functions within the LMS we examine.

A good blog post focusing on social learning theories and how social learning can be an important aspect of an LMS. Also addresses some of the pitfalls of an LMS being too social.

This is a report comparing and contrasting LMS and LCMSs. The report points out the essential functions of each, how their use differs and then how the two work together to engender learning. The focus od this report is on learning in an organization, but it is a good introduction to the differences of LMSs and LCMSs. Essentially, an LMS is used to automate the entire learning process from content delivery to assessment, whereas a LCMS is used to house learning objects that can be used to build different learning experiences.

This PDF addresses a number of issues related to learning management systems. Specifically, I plan on pulling out some information relating to collaborative learning and customization for creating an engaging learning experience.

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.

This is a short blog post, but I liked that it confirmed some information from other articles I read about the "clunky" nature of the LMS and how this prohibits the desire to use it just when person is in a learning moment. This particular article relates to private business LMS's, but I think the point is still valid, and maybe even more so as it substantiates that this is not just an issue with education, but with people. The LMS can be a barrier to learning in general.

I found this resource particularly useful. It addresses some of the key barriers and misconceptions about integrating social media into the classroom. Contains some interesting facts and figures regarding interaction on social media websites and how this usability could be linked to learning management systems.