Learning Management Systems (LMS): Inside Matters

Shakeel Iqbal

doi:10.22610/imbr.v3i4.935

Abstract

By the end of last millennium, many universities and colleges started using internet to meet their distance learning needs. Different course management systems (CMS) were developed to meet the needs of online and hybrid courses. These CMS later on transformed into Learning Management Systems (LMS). Many educational institutions have already started using LMS and there are still many who are considering adopting one. The big question before the late adopters of this online learning technology is which LMS they should opt for? This study will be useful for those who are in the process of selecting an LMS as well as those who are in the business of designing one. A survey was conducted to get feedback from the faculty of higher education institutions to find out the major barriers in adoption of e-learning and to find out what kind of functionalities and teaching methodologies should be supported by LMSs. Results indicate lack of training, lack of incentives to use e-learning, lack of technical support and lack of time to develop e-courses are the major barriers in adoption of e-learning by the faculty members. As far as the desired functionalities in an LMS are concerned ability to create student groups for group activities, availability of discussion board, announcement board and online quizzes, file sharing/transfer functionality were the most sought functionalities. The most desired method of teaching that need to be supported by LMS had been group problem solving, discussion based strategies, problem based learning and simulation. The results of survey will be helpful for the adopter as well as designers of LMS.

Highlights

Before the advent of World Wide Web (WWW) many universities and colleges were using offline resources, such as CD ROMS and pre-recorded sessions, as well as online resources like satellite and closed circuit television for distance learning
The purpose of the survey was to find out the answers to following three questions: 1) What are the main barriers in elearning adoption as far as the faculty is concerned? 2) What are some of the functionalities that need to be there in an Learning Management Systems (LMS)? 3) What are the main pedagogical methods that should be supported by an LMS? A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed in person and through email to the faculty members of different universities which included both the private and public sector universities
The questionnaire was divided into four sections: Section 1 recorded the demographic profile of respondents, Section 2 recorded the faculty responses with respect to the barriers they consider most important for adoption of e-learning in higher education, Section 3 was designed to record the faculty responses with respect to their desired functionalities of an LMS and Section 4 captured the teaching methodology to be supported by LMS

Summary

Introduction

Before the advent of World Wide Web (WWW) many universities and colleges were using offline resources, such as CD ROMS and pre-recorded sessions, as well as online resources like satellite and closed circuit television for distance learning. At the start of this millennium, online education was realized as a competitor of brick and mortar campus. Many teachers started viewing internet as a tool of learning and teaching and not just a container of information (Burniske and Monk, 2001). Some of the limitations of classroom-based teaching such as dependency on textbook as well as lack of communication between the expert and the student paved the way for Web Based Education (WBE) (Darbhamulla & Lawhead, 2004). Many universities have started using LMS to support their courses (Yueh and Hsu, 2008)

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Conclusion