Assignment 1- Individual Reflection
Working on this LMS rubric assignment provided an opportunity to engage with a practical challenge of selecting a learning management system for a secondary school setting. At first, our group needed time to clarify the assignment requirements as we found it difficult to decode at first. We then discussed and compared our real life individual teaching scenarios, and collectively decided on our scenario for Sunnyside Secondary in BC. Angela and I collaborated on writing the scenario, ensuring it reflected the realities of the current public school landscape in BC.
We then discussed the areas we thought were most important to an LMS and selected our rubric categories. My main contribution was the “usability” section of the rubric. I drew on the framework provided by Issa and Isaias (2015), who argue that usability within Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) encompasses more than functionality, it includes how easily a system can be learned, navigated, and personalized, and whether the system is memorable and enjoyable to use. This guided how I broke down the useability criteria in the rubric.
Looking at our two LMS systems we began assessing them each using our rubric. While Brightspace (D2L) offers more advanced features, our recommendation to begin with Google Classroom reflects our current technological readiness and need for accessibility. As Alharbi and Drew (2014) highlight, successful LMS adoption relies on usability for both educators and students. Since many teachers already use Google Workspace, Classroom’s integration would be an easy transition.
Despite lacking in-depth peer collaboration tools, Google Classroom supports communication and resource sharing, aligning with Vygotsky’s (1978) social learning theory. However, its limited data tracking and lack of analytics tools are significant drawbacks. Bates and Sangrà (2011) emphasize the importance of learning data for instructional planning, a strength of D2L. Similarly, Alturki and Aldraiweesh (2012) argue that visibility into student activity supports engagement, something Google Classroom lacks. Data privacy is another concern. Google stores data on U.S. servers, raising issues under BC’s FOIPPA laws (BC OIPC, 2021), whereas D2L complies with Canadian data regulations.
Still, we decided that Google Classroom is a practical starting point. Its simplicity allows educators to explore digital teaching with minimal risk. Ultimately we suggested a two-year pilot of Google Classroom to support teacher growth while allowing time to assess the need for a more robust LMS like D2L.
References
Alharbi, S., & Drew, S. (2014). Using the technology acceptance model in understanding academics’ behavioural intention to use learning management systems. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 5(1), 143–155. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2014.050120
Alturki, U., & Aldraiweesh, A. (2021). Application of Learning Management System (LMS) during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A sustainable acceptance model of the expansion technology approach by Educational Technology Department, College of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh. Sustainability, 13(19), https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910991.
British Columbia Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner. (2021). Cloud computing guidelines for public bodies. https://www.oipc.bc.ca/guidance-documents/2325
D2L Corporation. (2025, April 17). Your complete K-12 learning platform. D2L. https://www.d2l.com/solutions/k-12/
Google for Education. (2023). Google Classroom: Tools for every classroom. https://edu.google.com/products/classroom/
Issa, T., & Isaias, P. (2015) Usability and human computer interaction (HCI). In Sustainable Design (pp. 19-35). Springer.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.