learning management systems annotated bibliography

8/12/2019 Learning Management Systems Annotated Bibliography

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Ashley BonteJune 24, 2014EDET 755

Annotated BibliographyLearning Management Systems (LMS)

Introduction

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application that is used as the platform foronline education to take place. It contains the information that allows instructors to facilitatelearning through documenting and tracking specific information on students. Typically mostlearning management systems allow for collaboration between individuals and follow a blendedlearning approach for college students. With this knowledge as a basis, I decided to look furtherinto the latest research and case studies surrounding learning management systems to gain abetter understanding, and know where learning management systems are headed.

Blended Learning

Dias, S., & Diniz, J. (2013). FuzzyQoI model: A fuzzy logic-based modeling of users' quality ofinteraction with a learning management system under blended learning. Computers &Education, 6938-59.

Learning Management Systems are discussed here in relation to a social constructivist theoryunder the blended learning aspect. In order to determine how efficient a course has proven for astudent, a look must be taken into the usersquality of interaction with LMS. This paperintroduces a study that uses a system able to determine the quality of interaction calledFuzzyQol. This includes the professors and the studentsquality of learning through a blendedlearning environment and LMS Moodle.

Dias, S., & Diniz, J. (2014). Towards an Enhanced Learning Management System for BlendedLearning in Higher Education Incorporating Distinct Learners' Profiles.Journal Of EducationalTechnology & Society, 17(1), 307-319.

In order to implement a collaborative and interactive LMS in a blended learning environment,the key is making sure stakeholders understand and are committed to the system. This studylooked at learners background and the feedback they provided surrounding the LMS. Most ofthese participants were college students hoping to achieve an undergraduate degree and takingan online course to each this goal. The main discoveries that were seen here were that LMS ina blended learning environment need to have a lot of interactivity in order to reach high levels ofachievement. It is also important to keep up with the latest trends in technology and continuetraining and incorporating new tools as they are delivered.

Tucker, C. R. (2013). The Basics of Blended Instruction. Educational Leadership, 70(6), 57-60.

This article, while based around forming a strong blended learning environment, offers greatsuggestions to make a implement a successful learning management system. The first piecediscussed involves setting realistic goals. This is where the learning management systemscomes into play. It must match the goals of the organization and therefore, support the tools andother programs. The next focus is making sure that the technology is improving the methods


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and resources that were being used before. If the learning management system does notincrease the motivation or academic learning, then it is essential unneeded. There are someexcellent points made about discussions boards and how participants will excel if these arestructured in a way that is easy to manage. Finally, if students do not have access to theinternet, there are some options that learning management systems can offer so students stillhave an opportunity to work without being connected for the whole session.

Culturally Influenced LMS

Emelyanova, N., & Voronina, E. (2014). Introducing a Learning Management System at aRussian University: Students' and Teachers' Perceptions. International Review Of Research InOpen & Distance Learning, 15(1), 272-289.

A look into Learning Management Systems is clearly laid out. Emphasis is on the success ofLMS being how the stakeholders take to the system. A good analysis of the ways of stakeholderbuy-in is discussed as well as how to anticipate problems instead of dealing with them after thefact. These strategies are then seen in a Russian Universities process where a number of otherquestions are raised. There is a close look at how the system is convenient, effective, and

useful. There is also a clear difference in the student and the teachers perceptions of a LMSand how this gap can be bridged.

Foley, A., & Masingila, J. (2014). Building capacity: challenges and opportunities in large classpedagogy (LCP) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Higher Education, 67(6), 797-808.

This paper begins by analyzing how higher education is being sought out by students all overthe world, but particularly in developing countries. Because of the large class sizes, there aremany obstacles in providing quality education. This has called for a turn to technology to offerbetter educational opportunity as well as training for educators. There are a number of learningmanagement systems that can supplement and even replace the traditional form of classroomlearning which are looked at in this paper. While the activities and data collection are different,

the effect is far more beneficial. A close look is taken into Moodle and the different educationalopportunities in Africa, one of those developing countries that is ready for a change in order toimplement a better educational process.

Lwoga, E. (2014). Critical success factors for adoption of web-based learning managementsystems in Tanzania. International Journal Of Education & Development Using Information &Communication Technology, 10(1), 4-21.

This paper examines learning management systems in Tanzaniea by conduction a study on therate of return of undergraduate students after an e-learning model. The learning managementsystem is described in detail as it varies based on the country and pedagogy adopted there.Part of the results discuss the importance of high quality instructors and systems. Without these,

students did not perceive the information as useful or satisfying. If a student believed that thecourse was useful, then this in turn meant they had the intention of using the information andLMS in the future to continue learning and progressing. Retention is a main focus in Tanzanieaso close analysis of professional development and tools such as the LMS are constantly beingdone.

Stein, S. (2014). Lessons Learned Building the Online History Program at the University ofMemphis. History Teacher, 47(3), 373-386.


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This article takes a look at LMS at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. The history oftechnology and how it has been implemented over the past two decades is discussed in detailto set the foundation for the article. Their technology system for carrying out education classesis called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). This is examined and how it works as an LMSplatform by allowing collaboration between faculty as well as students. Some of the common

systems within MOOC include blackboard, Desire2Learn, and WebCt. While these arediscussed in general, no one platform is given a higher effective rating over another. Each LMSserves its own purpose and the students in Tennessee are benefiting from them, according tothe author.

Interfaces for LMS

ABDOUS, M. (2013). Toward an Alternative Learning Environment Interface for LearningManagement Systems. International Journal On E-Learning, 12(1), 5-22.

According to this article, most learning management systems are said to offer a fragmentedinterface. A new type of learning to understand content has emerged called the learningenvironment interface (LEI). This is means to enable students to focus on learning and tounderstand the information while being able to make connections and form relationshipsbetween course tasks. LEI is said to be flexible, user centered, and seamless. It is said to haveanswered the call for what learning management systems fall short on. Feedback is receivedfrom students who on this new model and feedback shows that students are more satisfied withLEI because of the content structure, the layout, and the organizational manner.

Laughton, P. (2011). The use of wikis as alternatives to learning content management systems.Electronic Library,29(2), 225-235.

This article looks at a wiki to see if it can be used in place of learning content managementsystems in an online learning environment. A group of undergraduate students participated I aclass and responded through a survey to come to a conclusion on the better tool for onlinelearning. While the wiki can replace a learning content management system, it is not thepreferred means. The positives that come with a wiki is the fact that it can be used effectively tocommunicate and collaborate with peers. This allows for peer to peer learning without theconstant involvement from a facilitator. Since the tools were used simultaneously in the courseinstead of with two separate groups of students, a clear conclusion on the better tool can not bedrawn.

Tosun, C., & Takesenligil, Y. (2011). Using the MOODLE Learning Management System inProblem Based Learning Method. International Online Journal Of Educational Sciences, 3(3),1021-1045.

This study looked at a group of undergraduates taking an online chemistry course through amodular object oriented dynamic learning environment (MOODLE). There is also a close look atproject-based learning and whether learning management systems such as MOODLE. In orderto form an opinion, students opinions were used, personal interviews, and the analysis ofdocuments. The conclusions drawn deal specifically with MOODLE as tied to project-basedlearning. There were positive effects on students as opposed to a project-based lesson withoutMOODLE. A high quality education was received, participation and engagement increased, andan interactive setting was present the entire course.


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Wang, Q., Lit Woo, H., Lang Quek, C., Yang, Y., & Liu, M. (2012). Using the Facebook group asa learning management system: An exploratory study. British Journal Of EducationalTechnology, 43(3), 428-438.

This study was done at a teaching organization in Singapore to find out what studentperceptions are in using this learning medium. while students approved of this method! it has anumber of limitations. There are only certain types of files that can be uploaded causing morework for students to have to convert the file type and even not being able to share certain typesat all. The organization structure was also limited and did not compare highly in this aspect toother learning management systems. There is also a privacy issue with using Facebook thatstudents shared concerns about. A separation of personal and professional life was anexpectation that is not easily upheld.

LMS Tools & Methods

Chaiprasurt, C., & Esichaikul, V. (2013). Enhancing Motivation in Online Courses with MobileCommunication Tool Support: A Comparative Study. International Review Of Research In Open& Distance Learning, 14(3), 377-400.

This article looks at the motivation between two groups of learnings in an online learningsystem where one has access to support of mobile communication tools, and the other doesnot. This means that the learning management system is available to both groups, but one hasaccess to it via mobile devices. Because this access is available to only one group, aconnection is made that shows learner motivation and interaction among other learners and theinstructor is stronger when the LMS has mobile capability. The observations made between thetwo groups took on a number of different focuses to come to this conclusion. Not only were theengagement and academic performance measured in an objective way, but the relevance,confidence, and satisfaction were also measured. Strong support was seen when students hadthe mobile support over not having mobile support.

De-Marcos, L., Domnguez, A., Saenz-de-Navarrete, J., & Pags, C. (2014). An empirical studycomparing gamification and social networking on e-learning. Computers & Education, 7582-91.

Learning management systems have the capability of adding gamification and social networkingas a plug-in. This idea was tested in an undergraduate course in order to see what the effectwas on studentsperformance. The results of this were positive. They also looked at theacademic achievement of students and found that it was no higher than traditional approachesto online learning, and in fact fall behind in this area. While attitudes were more positive whensocial networking and gamification is used within the LMS, there was not an increase inparticipation on the students parts which the authors described as being different than theircurrent assumptions.

Schoonenboom, J. (2014). Using an adapted, task-level technology acceptance model toexplain why instructors in higher education intend to use some learning management systemtools more than others. Computers & Education, 71247-256.

College instructors were given a questionnaire in an attempt to determine why certain tasks areperformed through a LMS tool while others are not. The main component that was noted asmissing is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) perspective. Therefore, the questionnaire


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Learning management systems must have a means to assess and evaluate students in a formthat is informative and efficient. Therefore, the online examination system must be managedcorrectly in order to be of high quality. In order to do this, certain capabilities such as being ableto create and edit questions, develop full comprehensive exams, easy access and availability tostudents, and managing the way students receive feedback must be taken into account.Sakarya University was analyzed and provide results on these facts. It found that their distance

education system was able to detect problems that came up and in order to be proactive aboutthe approaches that need to be taken. Because of the flexibility and ability to resolve problemsthat arise, this system is an excellent onto use for online exams.

DeCesare, J. (2014). Multimedia and Video Resources. Library Technology Reports, 50(2), 21-32.

This article talks about the different video resources that are available for learning managementsystems and even provides an annotated list as to why they are suitable. These videos are ableto be embedded and used on sites such as Wiki. There are excellent reasons as to why theseforms of media can be incorporated into learning management systems and other means andfollows the latest technological stance as well. The last part of this article focuses on some

negative aspects and issues that come up when implementing multimedia content and howthese are different from trying to find an appropriate piece of text online.

Thoms, B., & Eryilmaz, E. (2014). How media choice affects learner interactions in distancelearning classes. Computers & Education, 75112-126.

Learning management systems have competition on the rise when distance learning in highereducation is looked at closely. Due to the social interaction that online learning tries to replicate,online social networking offers an alternative to learning management systems software. Thetheoretical model was used in this study to show how students learn and interact with onlinecommunities. The results were that students experienced higher levels ofperceived socialinteraction and community when using online social networking than with learning managementsystems. The educational experienced also proved to be more engaging.

Conclusion

There are a number of things that can be said of learning management systems. First, they areprevalent in a blended learning environment and serve as a means for online learning to takeplace. There is a strong and relevant pedagogy behind this topic, and the number of differentplatform options are numerous. While some applications are looked at to replace the learningmanagement systems (such as wikis and Facebook) they do not offer a better solution overall.These sites may be more engaging or call for more social interaction, but they do not replace

what learning management systems have been able to create. There are a number of tools andcomponents within learning management systems. While there is still work being done in thisarea, we do know that rich media can be integrated and assessment options are of high value.Therefore, the final area that really needs to be addressed with learning management systemsis their accessibility. Students with learning disabilities have shown that they can succeed inthrough a learning management system when carefully construed. Cases have even been donethat show a way to make these systems more accessible for the blind and visually impaired.While this is a step in the right direction, there is more work that can be done in this area.Learning management systems have worked and while they have areas that are still being


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learning management systems annotated bibliography

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