Many important points we considered.
1. Easy of use
2. Cost/Licensing
3. Training of staff
4. Available 24-7
5. Real-time Chat
6. Discussion Forums
7. Calendar
8. Customized Look
9. Course Authorization
10. Online Grade-book
11. Course Management
There are many aspects of an LMS that need to be evaluated before making this decision; nonetheless, for the purpose of this exercise, I would say accessibility (as far as how accessible and manageable is the LMS to the students, faculty and staff) and cost.
Cost and Features (what it brings to the school, how easy it will be to use in various departments, tech support) are what I consider the two most important criteria.
Glenda,
Thanks for looking through the course. It is important for you to understand as much as possible about what students and faculty are doing online so you can be as helpful as you can be! I'm sure you already are very good. Thanks, again.
Linda Scharp
William,
I agree. Sometimes a top running Ford Focus can be just what you need!
Linda Scharp
I really have no ideal because as the Receptionist, I am not directly impacted or provide imput in the decision.
Strictly from an instructor point of view, I would have to ask is it user friendly? Here at our school we use a training and testing web site that is associated with our text book. For the most part it is student and instructor friendly. It allows a certain amount of flexability for the instructor to design tests and project training. Some students complain that the testing portion is not flexable enough because it only allows them to answer the question one of two ways (task based). I have taken all of the tests and do not find them to be that way. Rarely do we come across a question that cannot be found in the text book or was not explained in the training. I would say that overall the site is a good one.
Of course, use-ablity cannot be the only factor to be considered. Cost has to be at the top of the list. If the school cannot afford the "cadillac" version, they may have to go another direction.
I feel a happy medium can be reached where user friendly and cost effective can co-habitat.
Cost and flexibility are factors that should be considered as very important when considering important criteria.
The flexibility for the users and understanding the budgeting that goes into place in order to have a successful online program.
Flexibility and reliability are very important criterias for selection.
I would say that the two most important aspects for the CMS chosen at our school would have to be:
a) how user freindly the system is for all using it.
b) cost of the system would also have to be a huge consideration for our school.
User friendly, capable and cost effectiveness
Cheryl ,
Did you use a moodle platform to start with?
Linda Scharp
Mary,
Perhaps not every part of an LMS can be accessed through iPhones, but may be the assignments so they could be put on the iPhone calendar for reminders?
Linda Scharp
We are currently developing a prioprietary system. Many of the hi-level factors include uniform application accross many types of school and business units; ease of use for all users; earnings per share that can be esitmated to generate; flexibility for change management.
Cost seems to be an important factor to consider given the current economy and its impact on education. In addition, I think it's extremely important to consider the accessibility to the students. If the program is user friendly, it will be more likely to succeed.
The two most important selection criteria for choosing a LMS is cost and functionality.
Every new upgrade or component of a LMS has a cost to it. The more complex; the larger the costs. Every new item that is added may also entail more servers; more cost. There is nothing worse than having a great system but none of the students can access because all of the room is allocated to the LMS.
Functionality is very important. If an online course is to stay competitive then the school must also stay current or ahead of the trends with the functionality that they offer. For instance, students are looking for a system that is compatible with their iPhones.
. User friendly and adaptability. Too many times I see people take something simple and make it complex. Ease of use turns into customer satisfaction by internally and externally. Adaptability just makes life easier when dynamics change. Maybe a new policy or procedure that’s needs to be addressed or a course change. If it is too difficult to make changes or changes cannot be done you just wasted a lot of time, energy and man power
How user-friendly the LMS is I think is essential for both faculty and students. Even more specifically, I would like to see administration pay particular importance to the GRADING feature. This is the one feature of our current system that drives me crazy. It should be much more user-friendly and flexible so that we can at least print out class grade sheets. It's surprising what you learn AFTER you buy one.
Cost will always be considered, of course, but functionality for both students and all for school facutly and staff should be included in the decision. Students should be able to easily utilize the LMS and access their information. Facutly and school staff should also be able to utilize the system to gather data in order to be able to analyze the effectiveness of the program.
