Wk2 Comment: Kathy Kellen's Activity 8

Taking a closer look at the specific costs and procedures for launching VLEs gives a sense of greater appreciation for FSO, Dr. Holly Ludgate‘s vision, and everyone who has had a hand in its development! The significant person-power hours in the multi-faceted process of launching even a single course are staggering, let alone the long on-call hours for support specialists.

Kevin Kruse’s article “Measuring the Total Cost of e-Learning” (2002-2004) engages the reader in a fictitious company’s comparison of costs for Instructor Led Training vs. Asynchronous e-Learning. Factors to review include: gathering assumptions and baseline data on the life span of the course, the total number of students, student learning time in the classroom, reduction in seat time, and burdened compensation for both the instructor and the student being trained; determining the design and development costs; determining the delivery costs; the administrative and maintenance costs. All of these then result in the total cost comparison. It is strikingly evident that decisions should not be made until the final step when the whole picture is clear.

Companies who build their own LMS focus on the key functionalities that are the prioritized, most critical needs of their organization.

Hierarchies and the operational rights at each level must also be considered. According to David Boggs in his article “Learning Management System (lms) Hierarchies” from Articlesbase (2005-2010), 

         Remember that learning management systems

         hierarchy is a way of organizing and managing the  

         training of your people. It requires some thought. 

         The business rules that you establish for your LMS 

         hierarchy must mirror your organization’s framework 

         and your e-Learning goals and objectives.

A quick Google search points to EasyCourseCreator.com where the initial cost is clearly spelled out. With a set up fee of $2000 and an annual service cost of $9950, Easy Course Creator gives access to LCMS, LMS, and CMS creation. 

It is obviously a much bigger business than the general public would have any idea of.

Sources:

Boggs, D. (2005-2010). Learning management system (lms) hierarchies. Articlesbase. Retrieved on July10, 2010 from

http://www.articlesbase.com/e-learning-articles/learning-management-system-lms-hierarchies-476435.html 

Kruse, K. (2002-2004). Measuring the total cost of e-learning. E-LearningGuru.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2010 from http://online.fullsail.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=assignment.main&itemId=194014

http://www.easycoursecreator.com/web/index.php?siteid=145&pageid=350 Retrieved on July 10, 2010

Abbie Toy

@Kathy -
I had no idea how expensive and time-consuming creating an LMS, LCMS, or CMS could be! I didn't give it much thought, but after experiencing the FSO platform, I can understand that it takes many hours of work and commitment to create such an amazing platform! It would be a big risk financially to commit to creating an LMS, LCMS, or CMS - but if created correctly it could quickly gain back the money that was risked. Like you said - you have to look at the big picture! Good job, Kathy!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - 07:29 PM