Group items tagged

This small portion of the Horizon Report discusses "Critical Challenges" of using technology as a method for delivering content to students. The four main areas that present challenges according to the New Media Consortium, the organization that publishes the Horizon Report, are: A. Digital Media Literacy: We all know it is important, the challenge is that there isn't a consensus as to what skills constitute literacy. B. Assessment lags behind as new technologies emerge quicker than committees and such can adjust curriculum accordingly. C. The traditional university instruction models are being challenged by constantly emerging technologies that offer more economic ways to deliver content so that high quality courses are still offered. D. Instructors and students must be diligent to keep pace with emerging technology, which challenges both groups' to learn and develop literacy as it quickly evolves.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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 an article about choosing an LMS. I find it useful because it examines the specific use cases when considering a new LMS. It also links to a number of other useful articles regarding LMS features, satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

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

This is a User Experience test form. I am not sure how relevant it is to our work, but it might be something we use as a review tool. It also might be a useful resource to include in the project. I am not sure at the moment but I figured it would be good to include for now.

This is a committee report describing University of North Alabama's comparison of three LMSs including both Blackboard and Angel. The report looked at the ability of the LMSs to meet certain criteria including Wide user base, scalability, vendor stability, learning outcomes management and reporting and others.

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

This is an exhaustive study of the effectiveness of online learning conducted through an LMS. The study looks at how well learners can apply knowledge once they have completed tasks within an LMS. This is a resource for effectiveness and barriers to learning.

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 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.