The process of preparing a rubric for Athabasca University’s new Learning Management System (LMS) was helpful in exposing the fact that a single framework could never meet the needs of every institution. Nor could a single framework meet the needs of one institution over time as needs and priorities are constantly changing. For example, when Athabasca University began contemplating the need for marketing their courses in South East Asia, it was clear that the direct demands placed on their current LMS would change, such as the need for functionality over low bandwidth internet and meeting security and accessibility regulations in different countries (Squires, 2017).
After considering all of the requirements that an LMS must fulfill, I think it is also important to recognise that choosing the “right” LMS is not necessarily going to solve all of an institutions issues. The way the system is used plays a crucial role in how the LMS provides learning experiences to students. Most obviously this refers to instructors and their ability to build and maintain a course site that promotes student learning and engagement. An instructor who lacks experience and support will be unable to access the full educational value of any LMS, no matter how elaborate its’ features are (Coates, James, & Baldwin, 2005). What is less obvious is how LMS performance is dependent on course content. For example, a course that contains lots of video, audio, and graphics, can significantly reduce a student’s internet speed and compromise their learning experience (Bates, 2014). These situations emphasize the importance of providing vigorous user training when adopting a new LMS, lest the University population misunderstand and underestimate the capabilities of the system and unnecessarily begin to seek a new LMS (Squires, 2017).
What I have taken away from this assignment is that there are countless factors to consider when choosing a new LMS system and it is unlikely that any one LMS will be able to fully satisfy each of those factors. It is an exercise in determining your priorities and finding the LMS that most closely meets your needs and requires the fewest compromises. Once you have decided on your new LMS, it is critical to teach all users about its capabilities. Otherwise, it will never be able to live up to your expectations.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Choosing and using media in education: The SECTIONS model. In Teaching in digital age. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/
Coates,H., James, R., & Baldwin, G. (2005). A Critical Examination of the Effects of Learning Managements Systems on University Teaching and Learning. Tertiary Education and Management, 11, 19-36.
Foreman, S. (2013, June 5). Five Steps to Evaluate and Select an LMS: Prove Practices. Retrieved from https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1181/five-steps-to-evaluate-and-select-an-lms-proven-practices
Squires, J. (2017, October 25). 5 Best Practices for Increasing LMS User Adoption. Retrieved from https://www.docebo.com/2017/10/25/5-best-practices-for-lms-user-adoption/