We use eCollege as our LMS at our school. This system has been well received by our instructors. We provide hands-on training for all instructors as well as mentoring by both instructor mentors and mentors from the IT Support Desk to assist our staff in answering questions about the system when they arise. Mentoring has really helped increase instructor confidence. This training process is also used for students as they become experienced with the system.
Our system has a fully enabled grade book, document sharing area, discussion threads, chat room, and a drop box for homework. It also has connectivity to the web and our school's back end processes.
I agree with cost and ease of use. Some of the best instructors our institution has are not very comfortable with new technology. Having a LMS that is easy to use will give the instructors more confidence when teaching in the virtual world.
Budget is always a concern when work for a "for-profit" institution.
The two most important criteria for selecting a course management system for our institution are as follows:
1. Ease of use and navigation of the system-the system should be easy for all stakeholders to use and navigation should include intuitive buttons and links.
2. Easy to access and understand online and support desk help. The system should have a comprehensive set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a complete library of application run examples,and a support desk open 24/7 to provide assistance for issues regarding computer operations, error messages, and net work problems.
I feel that the two most important criteria would be ease of use and the availability of good quality tech support. This, of course, needs to be viewed through the cost prism. If you can’t afford it, none of it is going to work for you.
It should be cost effective, user friendly and could back up the institution with good support staff.
I agree with ease of use and cost.
Cost can play a big part especially for a small school. It is not just the initial cost of setting up the system. There are always monthly costs. And anybody who has ever designed a website knows that the initial cost is just an estimate. It is always more expensive than previously thought.
Second the system has to be easy to use. You want to avoid student frustration with the system at all costs. Ease of navigation is very important. If it is not clear where certain things can be found students or even faculty can get very testy. Nobody wants to spend time searching around a website for the things they need.
I agree that Moodle should get more mention in the LMS possibilities. For smaller schools it can be used as a sanbox to determine many factors associated with online delivery and development, without jumping neck deep into a more expensive system.
But, as many of the documents state, schools shouldn't confuse "free to use", with "free." Moodle still needs to be hosted and administered by reliable and knowledgeable people.
Cost and ease of use.
For a small school trying to enter into online learning the initial cost associated with an LMS can be a significant part of the budget. Many of the larger LMS providers, scuh as Angel or Blackboard are prohibitively high for a small school.
The ease of using the system is also a large consideration, not only for the students, but for the teachers and administrators as well. The amount of training associated with the transition to online programs is directly related to the human interface of the system and the complexity of feature use.
I believe that cost and support are the two most important selection criteria while searching for a LMS. I have found our LMS support worth ten times more than the cost of the hosting. Obviously, there needs to be determination of what tools and features the institution deems necessary for their LMS to support their courses, and then once the essential needs are determined, begin searching for one that not only is cost effective, but also serves the students and faculty. But support is essential. Our organization looked at moving from Sakai to Moodle, but my support gave me all the reasons to continue with Sakai.
