Beyond the Basics

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Michael Heumann, Distance Education Coordinator, Imperial Valley College

Cindy Vinson, Distance Learning Coordinator Mission College

Fall Session 2006:New Possibilities: Radical Solutions to Perennial Challenges

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4. Longer than a week ago

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20% 20% 20%20%20%1. To teach a class

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4. I know what an LMS is

5. Not applicable

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False

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2. False

Discussion Topics

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1. What is an LMS beyond the basics?

2. What is the senate faculty’s role in selecting?

3. How are they used for on-campus classes

4. What about the research?

5. Open source vs. commercial products

6. Other

Discussion topics

1. What is an LMS beyond the basics?

2. What is the senate faculty’s role in selecting?

3. How is an LMS used for on-campus classes?

4. What about the research?

5. Open Source?

6. Other

LMS Beyond the Basics

• Available for ALL classes• Integrated to the SIS (student

information system)– Automated shell creation– Automated account creation– Passes grades back to SIS– Automatic roster, profile, and gradebook

• “Agents” can quickly identify students and send notices, remediation, schedule appts. Etc.

LMS Beyond the Basics• Sophisticated tracking and reporting system • Learning Object Repository for

– Storing personal curriculum– Developing shared curriculum– Allows both copying and linking with media check-in and out

capabilities to courses and libraries• Connects to PDA• Standards based to easily import/export content• Calendar tool easily converts due dates to local time• Quizzing pool allows for multiple question types,

pools of questions, randomization, import test banks• Real-time interaction with application sharing,

archiving• More?

Senate Faculty’s Role in Selection

• Faculty senate drives the selection with IT support

• Students included in selection and implementation process

• Academic freedom vs. integration with SIS

• Faculty choice to use or not use• Faculty senate recommends to the

college, district, BOT• Other?

Use in campus based classes

• Discussion boards to extend classroom discussions or focus lectures

• Provide preview or review materials• Quizzes, surveys, self-checks• Internal e-mail system• Distribute documents for students to bring to

class• Secured gradebook• Reduce routine tasks and explanations• Maintain, share, and easily update curriculum

What about the Research?

• Center for Academic Transformation– http://www.center.rpi.edu– Carol A. Twigg, Ph.D. President and CEO

• Study: Increasing Success for Underserved Students: Redesigning Introductory Courses– Whole study is available for download

Studies Main Findings

• 14 of 15 projects reported improved learning outcomes as measured by pre and post assessments for minority students when compared to past performance in classes and traditional classes

What made the difference• Online tutorials for classes

– Interactive tutorials– Digitally recorded presentations and

demonstrations– Reading materials– Examples– Use of commercial software (especially for math)

• Continuous assessment and feedback– Lots of assessments– Do-it-till-you-get-it-right– Feedback for right and wrong answers; immediate

feedback– Allowing students to keep taking quiz until they

reach the criterion score

What made the difference

• Increased interaction among students– Use of discussion boards– Forum discussion– Team work and student feedback

• Access to more individualized assistance– Identify students with challenges for office

hours, remediation exercises, tutoring

• Use of scheduled milestones (not self-paced) but more flexibility with time

Open Source

• Is Open Source free?

• Moodle

• Etudes-NG

• Our commercial vendors too expensive

• Blackboard & WebCT

• Angel Learning

• eCollege

Other

• What do you think?