Getting a grasp on learning management systems
By CARISA CHAPPELL, Published August 3, 2009

As technology continues to be an ever-growing part of education, making learning possible from virtually anywhere, more community colleges are exploring and implementing a variety of course management systems on the market.

However, as the technology evolves quickly, the lingo changes just as fast. Charlene Douglas, marketing manager with Desire2Learn, said that the term “course management system” is considered old. Currently, the preferred term is “learning management system” because today’s software does much more than manage courses. Previously, such systems only managed the course’s delivery to students and the grades.

“Now, they mange the entire learning process including courses, assessment, student progress and competencies,” Douglas said.

There are hundreds of learning systems on the market though about a dozen have emerged as leaders in the field. Feature and functionality vary among systems, and it’s important for institutions to research the products to determine which ones fit their needs best—for now and for the future.

Before vetting potential providers or partners, institutions should carefully assess their own unique challenges and needs to make sure that their evaluation and investment will align with their strategic goals, said Lara Oerter, vice president of product strategy at Blackboard.

“For community colleges, this is especially important, given their unique budget realities, diverse learner profiles, staffing specialization and other issues,” Oerter said. She added that a review of course management options should be preceded by “strategic insight” into how it will help support the needs of both the community college’s mission and its nontraditional learners.

Learning management systems are used for a range of functions, but Oerter said that focusing only on tactics and features when reviewing a system may not help the college reach its goals. While, a review should take into account popular items like grade books, instructor and student dashboards and Web 2.0 features like blogs and wikis, she said that colleges should also consider that course management systems are increasingly blending in with other technologies on campus.

Until recently, most education-related technology focused on distance learning. However, today’s technology works to enhance the face-to-face classroom experience, making it possible for students to connect with faculty and each another beyond the brick-and-mortar classroom. The systems are used to duplicate classroom information, offer extra information, coordinate student groups and facilitate faculty collaboration.

“The learner of today is a dynamic person and can be learning and submitting assignments at 3 a.m.,” Douglas said.

The increased enrollment at nearly all U.S. campuses—some of which are already at capacity—is partially fueling the growth in distance and hybrid learning.

 “Students, especially those at community colleges, increasingly expect their learning experience both inside and outside of the classroom to look more like the rest of their lives do. That means access when and where they want it,” Oerter said.

Oerter cited new data analysis recently released by the U.S. Department of Education that found that students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through face-to-face instruction.

In 2004, Illinois Community Colleges Online (ILCCO) hosted a program called Course Management System Days for Illinois Higher Education. The event was well-received as colleges were looking for information on various systems, including alternatives to Blackboard and WebCT, said ILCCO Director Jeff Newell.

“We built into the event presentations by institutions that were using the various systems to discuss their experience and the conversion process,” Newell said.

Newell recommended that any institution organizing a similar event plan for a presentation by both the sales representative and users of the system so that peers from prospective colleges can ask questions.

It’s also a good idea to evaluate a company’s history of customer relations and consumer report.

“This can be a good indicator of whether the experience will be positive or a frustration,” Newell said.

As with other technology providers, there is concern that some of the smaller companies can close shop, making it impossible to get upgrades or additional services. And colleges should also be mindful of products that seem to be too inexpensive to believe.

 “Don’t base your choice on cost alone. Some colleges choose the least expensive one only to find out it doesn’t have a roadmap,” Douglas said. “You have to take into consideration the total cost of ownership and services for the future.”

Colleges should also consider the level of technical support services and training. 

“Institutions should look at how much they want to invest in managing IT on-site, and how much they want to invest in a trusted, proven partner to do that for them,” Oerter said. “Many of the clients we work with prefer to leave the implementations and upgrades to us so they can focus on what they do best—education.”

Currently, there is a lot of interest in open source applications because of the perceived cost difference compared to commercial solutions, Oerter said.

“Often, the increased investment in staff and resources required to maintain an open source system can meet or exceed what a college might have spent with a commercial provider,” she said.