Wk1 Comment - Joe Huber's Activity 1

One of the more astounding and surprising aspects of course management systems (CMS) is that most anyone who is associated with them, or have used them, are not about to answer whether or not they work at keeping students engaged, or if they are an accurate measure of mastery (Carmean & Brown, 2005).   Faculty members embrace them for use in their classes because higher education students embrace the new modes of learning, so little effort is extended to determine their success.

According to Carmean and Brown (2005), the individuals that claim that CMS is a success are doing so based on the notion that any of inclusion of technology is beneficial, but more often than not “[w]hat is missing is assessment “(p. 3).   McGee, Carmean, and Jafari (2005) posit that students and faculty alike began to use the CMS with the unexpected result of it becoming a learning management tool. This led to some difficulty with the functionality of the CMS, which in turn caused some frustration. Those individuals that were closely involved, and consequently directly impacted by this frustration began to voice the changes that they wished to see occur in CMS. McGee, Carmean, and Jafari documented their desires.  Participants wished to see the CMS become more social, involving more feedback and interaction, they wished them to become more engaging to accommodate all learner preferences, and students had to be able to take some ownership of their learning.  In investigating these aspects, it became apparent that the end users must become directly involved in the design process. 

This raised other issues, and as McGee, Carmean, and Jafari mentioned, administration must find a way to balance the economic realities of the situation. As Walker (2010), points out, the Great Recession has left its impact on schools who will now be hard pressed to stay within budget.   School systems now faced with diminishing budgets must look at ways to implement CMS in an open-source environment, taking advantage of applications that they can use for free.  Sources such as Moodle are becoming the norm in areas where schools were not able to afford Blackboard.  Open source systems such as Moodle and Google apps make it easier for both the students and the teachers to access what would otherwise be expensive and unaffordable programs. 

What all the experts agree upon is that the development of the CMS is an evolutionary process that does not remain static.  If the CMS is to continue to succeed, it will require the input of all involved in its use. 

ABBIE TOY

@Joe -

I love the fact that the learner has been a part of the design process for CMS's - it seems only fitting!  We know what needs to be improved because we experience these difficulties firsthand!  The way CMS's have improved over the years has been such a direct blessing to us, because we would not be having such a wonderful experience at Full Sail University if this evolution hadn't happened!

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010 - 10:23 PM