Learning+Management+System

=Learning Management System (LMS)=

toc Learning Management Systems are the systems that educators can use as tools to help organize and distribute information to their students. They also create unique learning environments in which students can communicate with each other and share their knowledge. Learning Management Systems are used to put information on the Web. Often these sites use courseware in their URL (i.e. [|courseware.utoronto.ca] is the University of Toronto’s LMS URL for WebCT – see below for more information on WebCT)

Types of Learning Management Systems

 * [|WebCT]
 * [|Blackboard 4/5]
 * [|Prometheus]



WebCT
Webct is a great example of an LMS that most of us CCIT students have had an opportunity to benefit from. WebCT was developed by a computer science faculty using a grant given to them from the University of British Columbia (Johnson & Ruppert 2002). WebCT instructors have the advantage of being able to create almost anything they wish. Many academic institutions use WebCT as a great way for their professors and students to share knowledge, give/receive feedback and exchange/store information regarding the course being managed. One of most important aspects of WebCT, and the reason why it is so popular and versatile is its “capacity to fascilitate the creation of sophisticated World Wide Web Based educational environment by non-technical users (Morss 1999: 394). This means that the layman is able to maneuver through its features with ease and minimal confusion. The University of Toronto’s WebCT can be accessed by clicking [|here] and Sheridan’s WebCT can be accessed by clicking [|here]. Both schools seem to use WebCT in quite a few of their programs of study.



Blackboard
Blackboard gives professors the ability to provide their students with a forum by which they can access course materials, discussion boards, chatrooms, online performance assessments, and an academic resource center on the web. Blackboard 4 differs because it is a text only version of each course (Johnson & Ruppert 2002). The text only version does not accommodate the students as well as the graphic version because they miss out on important aspects such as the discussion board (an aspect that I have personally find extremely useful over the course of my 3 years at U of T). Here are a few other features of Blackboard (Blackboard 2006)
 * Can be used to create powerful learning content using a variety of web-based tools
 * Develop custom learning paths for individuals students or groups
 * Facilitate student participation, communication, and collaboration (not unlike this wikispace)
 * Evaluate students’ work using a rich set of assessment capabilities
 * Bring top publisher content into e-learning



Prometheus
Prometheus is one of the newer Learning Management Systems out there. With Prometheus, courses are built by filling in relevant fields. These fields can be reorganized, renamed or taken down as needed to fit the needs of the students. There are several unique features that Prometheus has to offer. First is its equation editor, which allows instructors/students to create math or science equations online. Another great feature of Prometheus is that is features an integrated dictionary (Johnson & Ruppert 2002). Here are a few other features of Prometheus (Temple University 2001)
 * Easy for a faculty member to use without extensive training
 * Simple web-form format is easy enough for non-technical users to embrace
 * While at the same time flexible enough to include the advanced features that the most technically adept users demand

=Works Cited=

Johnson, A. & Ruppert, S. (2002). ‘An Evolution of accessibility in online learning management systems’ //Library Hi Tech// [online]. Volume 20, Number 4. Available from: [|http://scholarsportal.info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/...eoaiolms&form=pdf&file=file.pdf] [accessed February 19th, 2006]

Morss, D. (1999). ‘A study of student perspectives on web-based learning: webCT in the classroom’ //Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy// [online]. Volume 9, Issue 5. Page 394. Available from: [|http://scholarsportal.info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/…393_asospowlwitc&form=pdf&file=file.pdf] [accessed February 19th, 2006]

Blackboard (2006). //General Information//. USA. Blackboard. Available from: http://company.blackboard.net/products/as/learningsys/ [accessed February 19th, 2006]

Temple University (2001). //Prometheus Course Management System//. Philidelphia. Online Learning Program. Available from: http://oll.temple.edu/news/Prometheus.htm [accessed February 19th, 2006]