Learning management system
A learning platform or Learning Management System ( LMS) is a complex software system that serves the delivery of learning content and the organization of learning processes. An important task of a web- based learning environment is also to enable the communication between students and teachers. Consequently, this symbolizes an interface between education providers and learning person. It does not include mere educational content offered on the internet like normal web presence or portals. Advantage of an LMS is therefore the relief in the learning mode, the control of information flow, simplifying the learning and acquisition of numerous administrative tasks.
- 5.1 Requirements from the perspective of learners
- 5.2 Requirements from the perspective of teachers
- 5.3 Request from the perspective of operators, developers and administrators
- 7.1 advantages
- 7.2 disadvantages
- 8.1 Content design
- 8.2 Ergonomic design
- 8.3 Other Recommendations
Term
Definition
The term learning platform or Learning Management System ( LMS) is defined as a software system that integrates with a central surface several task-specific part programs to different learning scenarios are supported. Starting from the original e- learning approach, the consensus has developed that the so-called blended learning, the learning activities of most users the best support, so currently most LMS pursue this approach. Common to all these learning environments that they contain tools for creating, communicating and managing learning content, as well as for the coordination of web-based learning opportunities and to assess the learners.
Because of the general acceptance and easy usability of web applications, this IT architecture has prevailed even when learning platforms; This also offers the advantage of easier integration of various services of the World Wide Web. This leads among other things to a reduction of the effort for creating learning content. The learning contents are stored in a database and made available to the learners according to personalization measures. The individual learning process is tracked by the system (tracking) and logged. Teachers and learners to communicate without having to install additional software, this system via a standard Web browser. In English-speaking learning platforms often as VLEs ( Virtual Learning Environments) are referred to, which in addition to another, namely pedagogical orientation of learning platforms is still indicated.
Learning platforms are among the most complex software architectures on the market for e- solutions, due to the large number of integrated applications and media formats. The field of e -learning and thus also the market of learning platforms to expand, because the Internet provides an optimal scientific learning and exchange platform dar. addition, companies show a high willingness to invest in education and training. For these reasons, can also be the number of LMS, which are currently used, is difficult to determine, since in addition to the numerous paid various open source and proprietary island solutions exist. A somewhat older sources comes to approximately 250 LMS ( 180 to 200 proprietary systems and 50 to 70 open source systems).
Costs
There are different price ranges. The spectrum ranges from commercial LMS, over those in which only the support or the establishment must be paid to free systems. These can be either integrated into the IT infrastructure as well as in the form of an ASP ( Application Service Providing) are purchased externally.
Demarcation
In contrast to pure collections of learning scripts or hypertext collections to Web servers, to learning platforms are characterized by the following features:
- User management (application with encryption)
- Course management (courses, managing the content and files)
- Roles and rights award
- Methods of communication (chat, forums)
- Tools for learning ( whiteboard, notebook, annotations, calendar ... )
- Presentation of the course content, learning objects and media in a network-enabled browser
- Storing the learning level data
Scenarios
LMS aimed primarily at students, but are also increasingly used in adult education or for corporate communications. Locations are therefore universities, schools and businesses. These are categorized roughly describes the usage scenarios:
Features / Capability
Virtual learning environments can be distinguished by a number of feature dimensions.
Functional areas
Requirements
One can distinguish three different user groups and their concerns. Firstly, the claims from the perspective of learners, teachers and, ultimately, the requirements of the operators and administrators
Requirements from the perspective of learners
To use the learning platform ortsunabhänigig, are Web-based and platform- independent systems of great advantage, which are also assumes afflict without deeper knowledge of technology usable. This allows for a wider audience. The navigation should be on the platform intuitively transparent or be fast, be so designed so that you can use them without a separate instruction on the operation. By an ordered structure and comprehensibility of the paths, it can be generated. Even on a uniform design of the page layout, this can be made possible. The contents of the learning platform should be specific to the respective target group and can prove correctness and timeliness, while integrating internal and external links be the most recent and working perfectly. In addition, to compare additional content should be offered. There should be a balanced range of content will be served in the form of text, multimedia elements and learning controls. Thus, the learning platform for learners is attractive, they should have modern web-based communication channels also feature the latest multimedia technologies as possible, so a dynamic structure of the platform, where you can integrate media without much effort.
Requirements from the perspective of teachers
For teaching people a learning platform, it is very convenient if you can work on the content must present without specific and in-depth programming skills. So may be there as an author also active teachers, which otherwise are not related to technology, anyway. In addition, content should have an interchangeability through interfaces to standards. To locate needed information a straightforward search function should be provided, but this can also be beneficial for learners. The reusability of created content should be ensured.
Requirement from the perspective of operators, developers and administrators
For operators and developers, it may be relevant to perform statistics on the availability and use of individual content areas or modules in order to possibly be individually adapted to the target group and to remove or impractical to fashion and deliver more frequently used. Templates as the raw material of pages. This connected the opportunity to present the same content with different treatment form for different user groups, and the possibility for design specialists to reshape the content according to the latest didactic concepts. Due to the existence of different databases can be reached that different information can be integrated quickly and easily. Also, allow over standard packaging method a port of the content to other platforms. To keep the contents at a certain level of quality, quality management systems can be built, which can lead up to the representation of complete editorial control mechanisms, such as writers, editors and proofreaders.
Molding
The numerous offerings can be divided into different groups.
Pros and Cons
Benefits
- The Internet serves as dialogic communication medium. In forums, chats, or whiteboards both learners with each other and with teachers anywhere can get in touch.
- Learning takes place in a social context. The use of a variety of learning scenarios such as exercise groups, individual work or On Line Coaching increases motivation and willingness to learn. In addition, the hypermedia structure allows a non- sequential learning.
- With the help of Hyper- media knowledge sources is situation-and user-specific organized. Since the respective documents are assigned to the appropriate course and session, the user can at any time and with little effort find, download, or print requested content.
- The administration of general learning strategy provides support for learners dar. In this context, in particular organizer, music management, management of group work, course catalogs and registration procedures to mention courses.
- By granting rights of the flow of information can be specifically controlled. In this case, the teacher decides what content for which students or groups are accessible.
- The advantages for the teachers exist primarily in the range of additional tools for the preparation of learning content. The range extends from simple announcements, text documents and graphics, presentations, handouts, online quizzes and file manager to special applications such as whiteboards or tele - tutoring.
- Files and documents are maintained over a longer period in the system.
- The most characteristic advantage of an LMS is that all these applications are brought " under one roof ".
Disadvantages
- Failure or crash of the program can never be totally excluded. Thus, the users are dependent on the technical functioning of the system.
- Due to limited screen space the teachers are certain limits.
- The navigation is not always easy to understand and must be learned, in part. For this additional navigation effort is needed more cognitive skills.
- Printed paper is preferred because of better ergonomics read by many.