Online LMS
Some LMS are great and some are not so hot. Others I have seen come a far ways and others go out of business. I think it all depends on price of the LMS and the ease of use. What do you think everyone?
Tracey,
You make a great point. When there are a lot of steps to do something the chance of failure goes up. You hope that the technology skills students learn in your course will transfer to their next online course. This isn't always the case.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I also think it has a lot to do with the layout of the content. If there are too many steps to access a particular area in the system, this can become overwhelming. Also, it's important to be able to maneuver easily from one area of the system to the next.
Lori,
It really is! I do have students who go to the archive. Do you track where students go in your LMS? Sometimes that helps in that it tells you that they are (or are not) accessing content. I have used that as "participation". I think it is so important to create "lecture" that are more than just reading a document. The use of multimedia is so important.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
LMS are great and I have the experience of using the Virtual classroom, Adobe Connect Professional. It is great to use this technology with Voice-over PowerPoint which is also an effective tool that functions in a similar format to providing a lecture in class. It is a great online learning tool when you can present a presentation and follow it with a lecture.
The problem I have with this technology isn't the technology itself but the policy for class participation. It isn't required for the student to attend the scheduled twice a week one hour chats which are also archived throughout the duration of the class, so students rarely come. I will have a class of 23 and only one or two might come. I put a lot of effort into developing my lecture and its such a let down when only a few show up pr review the material.
Berrie,
You make a great point. You don't want the technology to the barrier. You really risk compounding the isolation. I try to keep all applications within the LMS but the LMS isn't always easy to use for either the student or the instructor.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would agree that the ease of use is the most important. The Online environment is difficult because you are "isolated" in your home or office, if the technology you are using is not friendly it adds to the frustration. Especially in the cases where the person is new to the process. For example: my husband took an online course. The tool that was used by the school took so much for him to process each assignment, he simply quit the class and did not go back. I think that had the system been user friendly, he would have completed the course. From the instructors stand point, a system that makes grading difficult is a constant source of frustration. This will often lead to work arounds that defeat the online process or the instructor will move on to another organization.
Loretta,
I agree. it is also dependent on the instructional design. Both can be such a barrier. Also, the LMS is the vehicle that students connect to you. That connection should be reliable.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe that it is essential to have a LMS that is intuitive and is user friendly. The student/instructor should focus on the class content and learning the class material. With an user friendly LMS, the student can easily navigate the different sections within the class and use these sections to obtain the reading material, assignment information, communicate with the instructor/fellow classmates, and participate in classroom discussions.
As an online student and an online instructor, I have had the opportunity to experience two different types of LMS. I have been fortunate to intuitive and user friendly LMSs. I believe that successful LMSs install needed updates at designated intervals.
zara,
I agree. Some buy everyone else out! Most have the same basic functions or flavors. It is interesting that the one I use is really beginning to look like a social media. I also know that the reliability of some has been suspect and then it becomes a barrier to learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
