Learning Management Systems

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Learning Management Systems
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Definition

• A Managed Learning Environment (MLE), Virtual
  Learning Environment (VLE), Learning Management
  System (LMS), or Learning Support System (LSS) is
  a software system designed to facilitate
  management and student involvement in e-learning.
  These terms describe a wide range of systems that
  organize and provide access to online education
  services for students, teachers, and
  administrators. These services usually include
  access control, provision of learning content,
  communication tools, and administration of user
  groups.

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Parts on an LMS

• Admin
• Logins
• Roles (student, teacher, admin)
• Content
• Content pages
• Display

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Parts on an LMS

• Communication
• Chat room
• Message boards
• Announcements
• Testing/Metrics
• Quizes
• Tests
• On-line gradebooks

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Popular LMS

• Blackboard
• WebCT
• IBM LearningSpace
• Docent
• TopClass
• VuePoint

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Open-Source LMS

• Whiteboard http//whiteboard.sourceforge.net/
• ILIAS http//www.ilias.uni-koeln.de/ios/index-e.ht
  ml
• Moodle http//moodle.org/
• Dokeos http//www.dokeos.com/
• GaneshaLMS http//www.anemalab.org/
• Learnloop

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Advantages

• Network students
• almost certainly absorbs less instructor time
  (and requires less expertise, while producing a
  more professional result) than creating a
  home-grown website for a course
• Manages learners (Thousands and thousands)
• Allows internal certification
• Unified delivery of training

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Disadvantages

• Most LMS are proprietary
• Once content goes in, VERY hard to get out
• Cold compared to another human
• Expensive
• Implementation (commercial)
• Maintenance (open-source/man-power)

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LMS Standards

• SCORM
• Sharable Content Object Reference Model
• AICC
• Airline Industry CBT Committee

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SCORM

• ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning)
• Roots in military training
• Focuses on the Web
• Creates standards for creation and aggregation as
  well as the play-back environment
• Imagine wrapping things in instructions

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Benefits of SCORM

• Allows for
• Reusability
• Accessibility
• Adaptability
• Affordability
• Durability

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Flash, Dreamweaver and SCORM

• Wrappers are based in XML
• Javascript communication between Flash and server
  is required
• Test environments are available
• Develop modularly
• Split sections into individual files
• Split content from tests

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Flash, Dreamweaver and SCORM

• Tools are available for Dreamweaver to ease
  development
• Similar tools help in the wrapping of Flash media
  and other multimedia