There are two main thrusts in formal learning: academic education, and corporate training (including government and the non-profit sector). In educational institutions, the learning model uses courses of fairly long duration (weeks to months) for the long-term educational benefit of the learner. In corporate training, the model is usually short courses (hours to days) for immediate updates, with specific focus on job functions and objectives. Some corporations try to emphasize the importance of their training services by calling them “universities” such as McDonald’s University and General Motors University. As part of their long-term development plans, many businesses also provide support for their employees to attend educational institutions for longer courses and degree programs. For centuries, both systems have relied upon classroom-based, instructor-led facilitation in which a live teacher leads the process.
Distance learning by correspondence has been with us now for many decades. When e-learning became a reality over 10 years ago (first on CD-ROM and then over the Internet), it extended the opportunities for distance learning, and new options and models became possible. The education and corporate training models have evolved separately and somewhat differently.
In the online education environment, it is generally assumed that an instructor leads the course, is available by chat (synchronous), via email and discussion groups (asynchronous), and sometimes via virtual classrooms. In the corporate online learning environment, there is a high degree of dependence on self-directed learning often using courses that have been purchased off-the-shelf from third-party vendors. Only occasionally is an instructor present. As a result, the communication/collaboration tools for email, chat, and group activity are well developed in education LMSs while they are less so in corporate LMSs.
Education LMSs are primarily for the delivery of instructor designed online learning and include course content creation (or course authoring) capability as well as some tools to manage the content. While corporate LMSs provide features to help manage classroom instruction, the e-learning is often assumed to be primarily asynchronous, self-directed courses. Many of these courses are purchased from off-the-shelf courseware vendors. As a result, corporate LMSs do not typically include course authoring or content management features. The larger corporate vendors do often offer suites of tools that do include these capabilities.
In most educational institutions, computer systems for registration already exist, so the features for this in education LMSs are limited while many corporate LMSs offer full capabilities for managing classroom learning from registration to assessment as well as e-learning. It is highly desirable that in an educational institution, the LMS can send data to and from the registration system, and in corporate training the LMS can communicate with the human resources information system.
The focus of both education and corporate LMSs often tends to be more on the administration and technical requirements of the organization rather than on the dynamic facilitation of learning. Some instructors and designers are frustrated by the constraints (both technical and learning) of using these systems and would prefer more dynamic learning support systems such as student weblogs and learning wikis. (See Chapters 25 and 26 for further discussion of these tools). Some of the open-source systems, especially when combined with social learning tools, are more student-centred than the commercial ones.
Online and classroom learning each offer different advantages for different learners. Many people argue that classroom learning is better. Some believe that the classroom offers interactivity—a dynamic exchange of information, questions and opinions between students and instructor and among students. Unfortunately interactivity in a classroom often involves a minority of students who choose to participate, and for others it may not be interactive at all. We have been conditioned since the age of five to believe that learning only happens in a classroom. The reality is that we are continuously learning in all situations. One benefit of the classroom is the social structure and support of schedule, deadlines, the physical presence of the instructor, and other learners. Self-directed online courses offer the obvious advantages of time flexibility—they can be done almost anywhere and at anytime at the convenience of the learner, and they can be repeated several times if necessary. Well-designed online courses can be more effectively interactive than many classrooms in that they require active learning on the part of each student in responding to questions, doing an activity, getting feedback—there is no back of the classroom in an online course—and give them the added flexibility of the freedom from time and place constraints.
Features of Education Learning Management Systems
The original educational learning management system was probably PLATO, which was developed in the early 1960s. In the late 1970s there were initiatives like the Open University in the UK Cyclops system and CICERO project, Pathlore’s Phoenix software, and Canada’s Telidon project. Wikipedia has an extensive listing of initiatives in its article, History of Virtual Learning Environments.
In formal education LMSs were first used to support distance education programs by providing an alternative delivery system. They are also now used as platforms to provide online resources to supplement regular course material and to provide courses for students who require additional flexibility in their schedules, allowing them to take courses during semesters when they are not physically present or are not attending on full time basis. This also benefits students who are disabled or ill and unable to attend regular classes.
Education LMSs primarily support e-learning initiatives only. Systems for regular classroom support are already in place.
The model for an LMS designed for education is that an instructor creates a course using web-based tools to upload the necessary materials for the students, and sets up collaborative tools such as:
- email
- text chat
- bulletin board presentation tools (e.g., a whiteboard for collaborative drawing and sketching)
- group web page publishing
Students access the course materials on the Web, do both individual and collaborative assignments, and submit them to the instructor. Most education LMSs offer the following features:
Tools for instructors:
- course development tools—a web platform for uploading resources (text, multimedia materials, simulation programs, etc.), including calendar, course announcements, glossary, and indexing tools
- course syllabus development tools with the ability to structure learning units
- quiz/survey development tool for creating tests, course evaluation, etc.
- grade book
- administrative tools to track student activity both as individuals and in groups
Tools for students:
- password protected accounts for access to course materials
- course content bookmarking and annotation
- personal web page publishing
- accounts for access to the collaborative tools (email, discussion groups, collaborative web page publishing)
- access to grades and progress reports
- group work areas for collaborative web page publishing
- self-assessment tools
Administrative tools:
- management of student and instructor accounts and websites
- monitoring and reporting activity
- e-commerce tools for sale of courses
- communication and survey tools
Some may also offer, maybe at extra cost, some of the following features:
- learning object management (course content management for reusability)
- e-portfolios
- file and workflow management
- streaming audio and video
- access to electronic libraries
Blackboard now offers an e-commerce module, and Moodle integrates with PayPal to allow for customers to pay online.
Although LMSs often claim a learner-centred approach involving active collaboration between the instructor and students, both as individuals and in groups, there are some social networking tools such as wikis and weblogs (blogs) that most of these systems do not (as of this writing) support. There are numerous initiatives underway to develop add-on tools and to integrate social learning tools with open-source platforms.
In most cases it is assumed that the teacher provides the content, but some system vendors are now selling content as “e-Packs” or “cartridges” that can be uploaded by teachers. It is also possible to purchase course materials from other institutions. Using courses from other sources, however, may be challenging if they are not compatible with your LMS, consistent with the instructor’s approach, or accessible by students with disabilities. This may improve with the development and application of operating and accessibility standards.
Commercial systems
The most widely adopted commercial systems are WebCT and Blackboard. Web CT was originally developed by Murray Goldberg at the University of British Columbia, beginning in 1995. In 1999 the company was purchased by Universal Learning Technology of Boston, and became WebCT, Inc. Blackboard was originally developed at Cornell University. The company was founded in 1997 by Matthew Pittinsky and is based in Washington, DC. WebCT and Blackboard currently control about 80 percent of the LMS market in higher education (Sausner, 2005, p. 9). Blackboard purchased WebCT in 2005, making them the dominant force in the market. The WebCT products are currently being merged and re-branded as Blackboard products.
The most widely adopted commercial systems are WebCT and Blackboard. Web CT was originally developed by Murray Goldberg at the University of British Columbia, beginning in 1995. In 1999 the company was purchased by Universal Learning Technology of Boston, and became WebCT, Inc. Blackboard was originally developed at Cornell University. The company was founded in 1997 by Matthew Pittinsky and is based in Washington, DC. WebCT and Blackboard currently control about 80 percent of the LMS market in higher education (Sausner, 2005, p. 9). Blackboard purchased WebCT in 2005, making them the dominant force in the market. The WebCT products are currently being merged and re-branded as Blackboard products. Office (USPTO) ordered re-examination of the patent. On February 1, 2007, Blackboard announced its patent pledge, which is a promise by the company to never assert its issued or pending course management system software patents against open-source software or homegrown course management systems.
It is hard to say what the effect of this will be on current and potential WebCT and Blackboard customers. Some will want to go with the market leader regardless, others will stay with what they have, and many may move to open-source solutions. Cornell University, the birthplace of Blackboard, is reconsidering whether Blackboard is the most appropriate software for Cornell professors and students.
Some other education oriented systems offered by commercial vendors:
- Desire2Learn
- College
- Jenzabar
- Odyssey Learning Nautikos
- WBT Systems Top Class (now appears to be targeting the corporate sector)
- ANGEL
- Centrinity First Class (now a division of Open Text)
- Geometrix Training Partner (primarily a corporate LMS but often used by educational institutions for distance learning programs with a business orientation).
Notes:
- IBM/Lotus Learning Space no longer seems to be a viable contender in the education market. It is now called Workplace Collaborative Learning, and appears to be targeted to the business market.
- Prometheus has been purchased by Blackboard and no longer seems to be supported.
Tip
If you currently are using a commercial education LMS, you may find costs escalating, and a continual demand for upgrades. For these and other reasons, many educational institutions are considering opensource systems as an alternative.
Open-source systems
Open-source software is computer software whose source code is available free “under a copyright license … that permits users to study, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form.” (http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_ software, February 2007). Open-source LMSs are gaining ground in the education market as a reaction to increasing costs for the commercial systems, and because of the greater flexibility and more student-centred learning approaches in the open-source systems. Some instructors, particularly those with technical expertise, will prefer these systems because of fewer constraints, a greater sense of control, and and generally better communication tools. Other instructors won’t like them because they prefer more rule-based systems with full administrative features.
There are numerous open-source systems available. Some of the better known ones are:
- Moodle
- ATutor
- Sakai
- Bodington
- Claroline
- Magnolia
Although the software is free, open-source solutions are not without their costs. They need continuous support and maintenance, which require either a strong and supportive internal IT group, very dedicated instructors, or a contract with outside vendors who will do it for you. Open-source software is maintained by an active community of users who are constantly upgrading the code. These code changes can affect the operability of courses unexpectedly, and require more local maintenance. The “hidden” costs of the time of the IT people and the instructors may or may not outweigh the cost of a licence for a commercial system.
There are useful discussions of open-source systems at http://www.funnymonkey.com, http://openacademic.org/ and in Chapters 8 and 12 of this book.
Other aspects of LMSs
Some educational institutions have built their own LMS, and have not chosen to market them. Although it is possible for anyone to do the same, it is an expensive process, and it may be vulnerable if one person is the primary developer. Some of the open-source systems have been built by an institution or a group of institutions, and then shared. ATutor was developed at the University of Toronto. The Sakai initiative is a collective effort by 65 academic partners.
Course development: Course development tools (also called course-authoring tools) are an integral part of most education LMSs. Some instructors also like to use some of their own tools such as web authoring/HTML editors (e.g., Dreamweaver, FrontPage, GoLive), word processing (e.g., Microsoft Word) and presentation tools (e.g., Flash, PowerPoint). The LMS should be capable of working with such tools.
Virtual classrooms/web conferencing: Virtual classrooms (also known as web conferencing tools) add audio, video, and graphics to synchronous classes over the Internet. Such tools are not usually included as part of an LMS but are available separately.
Learning content management systems (LCMS) provide a means of storing developed courseware in learning repositories (databases) as learning objects where it can be retrieved and used by others. Most education LMSs have at least some learning content management capabilities.
Most LMSs are primarily administrative tools, and it is up to the instructors and designers developing the courses to address the issues of the learning model, but many of the LMSs lack the tools to support more student-centred learning. The integration of social learning tools such as wikis and blogs with an LMS can help create a more dynamic learning environment.
Social learning is closely related to social networking and social computing and is the essence of what is being called Web 2.0. It is the use of wikis, blogs, podcasting, etc., by individuals and groups to create content instead of simply being the recipients. Web 1.0 was about downloading; Web 2.0 is about uploading.
Web 2.0 is defined not only by technologies (blogs, wikis, podcasts, vodcasts, RSS feeds, and Google Maps are a few examples), but also by the social networking that it enables. Web 2.0 tools can scaffold learning environments for enhanced communication among students as well as between students and the instructor. Creating learning opportunities that harness the power of Web 2.0 technologies for collaborative learning, distributed knowledge sharing, and the creation of media-rich learning objects can further the scope of what students can learn by fostering a constructivist environment, and putting learning in the control of the students. Both students and instructors are embracing these tools at a phenomenal rate. Examples are Wikipedia and YouTube. LMSs will need to catch up.
Initiatives to include social learning into LMS include:
- Learning objects is a commercial product, and targets users of large-scale course management platforms.
- Elgg elgg.net/ (February 2007)—open-source
- Drupal http://drupal.org/ (February 2007)—opensource
- MediaWiki http://www.mediawiki.org/ (February 2007) —open-source
It is interesting to note that the University of Phoenix, one of the largest e-learning organizations in the world with nearly 200,000 students online simply uses Outlook Express newsgroups for its courses, along with other tools it has developed internally. Other early online universities like Pepperdine University use newsgroups extensively as well.
Tip
Adult and continuing education departments tend to follow more of a business model. If you are seeking an LMS for this application and need registration and payment features, consider some of the more reasonably priced business LMSs (see below).
