Runninghead:IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

ImpactsofLearningManagementSystemsintheTraditionalClassroom
MelanieS.Ruszkowski
MemorialUniversity

AuthorNote
ThisistheResearchPaperforED6590.ThesupervisinginstructorisDr.Sylvia
Moore.Correspondenceregardingthispapermaybeaddressedto:89AspenHillsGreen
SW,Calgary,AB,T3HOH7.Email:
melanierusz@hotmail.com
.

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

Abstract

Whatimpactswillusingalearningmanagementsystem(LMS)inatraditionalclassroom
haveonstudentperformance?Inrealizingthisanswer,theresearcheroutlinesblended
learningasa
systematicmixofelearningandlearninginfacetofacecontexts,inwhich
coherenceacrossthetwocontextsfromastudentperspectiveisachievedbyfocusingonthe
sameintendedlearningoutcomes
(Ellis&Calvo,2007,p.61).

Thetermblendedlearningis
usedsynonymouslywithhybridandmixedlearningenvironments.LMSsenableanytime,
anywhereaccesstolearningmaterialsandcoursemanagementineitherasynchronousor
asynchronousenvironment.
LMSssupportlearningbyprovidingvarioustypesof
presentation,assessment,management,andcommunicationtools.Inthispaper,multiple
studiesfromaroundtheworldinK12andpostsecondaryinstitutionswerereviewed.Itis
revealedthatwhenaLMSisintegratedintothetraditionalclassroom,ithasstrongpositive
impactsforstudents,astheirachievementandmotivationinlearning,aswellastheir
perceptionsofthelearningexperience,arefavourablyaffected.

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

TableofContents

Abstract

TableofContents

Introduction

BlendedLearning

BenefitsofBlendedLearning

ChallengesofBlendedLearning

LearningManagementSystems

TheImpactsofBlendingaLMSinaTraditionalClassroom

10

StudentAchievement

10

StudentPerception

14

StudentAttitude

15

StudentMotivation

16

StudentLearningQuality

18

Discussion

20

Conclusion

21

ReferenceList

24

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

ImpactsofLearningManagementSystemsintheTraditionalClassroom
Introduction
ALMSallowsusersinaclasstotakeadvantageofanytime,anywherelearning,and
cancombineselfstudywithsubstantial,rapid,asynchronousinteractivitywithothers
(Govender,2010,p.245).Additionally,dependingontheLMS,userscanaccesscourse
resources,instructors,peers,andamultitudeoftoolstoencourageinteractivelearning.The
purposeofthisresearchpaperistoexploretheimpactofLMSsonstudentperformancein
thetraditionalclassroomenvironment.Informationtechnologysexpansionhascreateda
demandforeducationalinstitutionstoidentifythebenefitsofteachingandlearningthatmay
comethroughonlineenvironments(
AlQahtani&Higginst,2012).
Onlinelearningdemand
isgrowingrapidly,andisarevolutionizingtoolthatisembeddingitselfintotheeducational
experience,propellingthenecessityforblendedlearningtobeattheforefronttheschool
systems(Barbour,2012).Inthispaper,theresearcherwillanswer:Whatimpactswillusing
alearningmanagementsystem(LMS)inatraditionalclassroomhaveonstudent
performance?
Withtheintroductionofablendedlearningenvironment,studentslearning
experiencescanbeenhanced(Badenhorst,2006).Mixedlearninginstruction,which
combinesatraditionalfacetofaceclassroomwithanonlineenvironment(aLMS),isthe
focusofthisresearch.Govenders(2010)mixedmethodsofinstructionincludesproviding
usersaccesstoresourcesandengagingcontent,allowingforselfdirectedlearning,and
openingchannelsofcommunication.Previousstudieshaverevealedthatmixedlearning
modesprovide:greaterflexibility,andstudentconvenienceimprovedaccess/interaction
withtheinstructorbettergradesandamorepositiveoveralllearningexperience(p.247).
Inthemixedstyleofblendedlearning,oneofthemaingoalsistocomplementthetraditional

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

classroombyfacilitatingaccesstocoursecontentandresourcestoenhancecommunication
andinteractionoutsideoftheclassroom(AdaoandBernardino,ascitedinLima&Passos,
2014).Themixedmethodthatwillberesearchedforthispaperwillbeonethatcombinesthe
traditionalclassroomwithaLMStoexploretheresearchquestion.
Web2.0,theinteractiveandsocialplatformwhereusersareabletoshareand
collaboratetocreatecontentontheInternet,isreshapingthewaychildrencommunicate,
socialize,participate,interact,andacquireknowledgeasitiswoventhroughouttheirlives
(Phirangee,2013,p.300).Phirangee(2013)explainshowWeb2.0ischangingthepedagogy
intheclassroom:Thereisashiftfromteachingasbeingthetransmissionofknowledgeand
learningbeingtheconsumingofittostudentsbeingtheirownknowledgeandcontent
creators.Secondly,thetimeandplaceofinstructionisnolongerconfinedtothefourwalls
oftheclassroomwithintheschoolday,butrathertovirtualspacesandisbeingaccessedat
differenttimesandindifferentways.Lastly,engaginginvirtualspacesprovidesdigital
mediaskillsthatnowmustbepartofthelearningexperiencealongwithtraditionalmedia
(Phirangee,2013).Inthe
StateoftheNation:K12OnlineLearninginCanada(Barbour,
2012),

itisshownthatblendedlearningisviewedtobeaneffectiveandefficientwaytouse
informationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT)intheclassroomversusjusttraditional
printbasedcontent.However,itisalsoarguedthatlearningoutsideoftheclassroom,
throughtechnology,deprivesstudentsofthevaluablesocialandinterpersonalinteractions
witheachotherandtheirinstructors(
Kazu&Demirkol,2014)
.
Withinthis
contextualization,theLMSisthespecificWeb2.0interfacethatwillbeexploredtoseethe
implicationsithasonstudentperformanceinatraditionalclassroom.

Blendedlearningoccurswhenstudentslearninpartatasupervised

brickandmortarlocationawayfromhomeandatleastinpartthroughonlinedeliverywith

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

someelementofstudentcontrolovertime,place,pathand/orpace(
International
AssociationforK12OnlineLearning(iNACOL)
,2011,p.3).Inthispaper,theterms
blendedlearning,mixedlearning,andhybridlearningwillbeusedinterchangeablyto
representthecombinationofthetraditionalclassroombeing
mixed,

blended,
ora
Hybrid
withICTintegration,specificallyaLMS.
Web2.0isthetypeofInternetplatformaLMSuses.WhenaLMSisusedina
traditionalclassroom,thelearningbecomesblended.Therefore,theimpacttostudent
performancefrom:blendedlearning,andusinganLMSinatraditionalclassroom,willbe
usedsynonymouslyinthispaper.
Theproceedingsectionsofthispaperwillincludeadefinitionofblendedlearning,
alongwithitsperceivedchallengesandbenefits.Next,theLMSwillbedescribed.Inthe
literaturereviewsectionofthepaper,scholarlyandpeerreviewedarticleswillbeusedto
exploretherelevantresearchandstudiespertainingtotheimpactsofLMSsinthetraditional
classroom.Theresearchwillbeorganizedaccordingtoaspectsofstudentperformance:
Achievement,perceptions,attitudes,motivation,andlearningquality.Inthediscussion
portionoftheresearchpaper,themainideasasrevealedbytheliteraturereviewwillbe
discussed.Therelevantthemesonhowstudentperformanceisimpactedbytheuseofa
LMSinatraditionalclassroomwillbedrawnwiththegoalofansweringtheresearch
question.Finally,aconclusionwillculminatethepaper.
BlendedLearning
Blendedlearningisdefinedasasystematicmixofelearningandlearningin
facetofacecontexts,inwhichcoherenceacrossthetwocontextsfromastudentperspective
isachievedbyfocusingonthesameintendedlearningoutcomes(
Ellis&Calvo,2007,p.
61)
.
Inthetraditionalsettingofblendedlearning,learningoccursofflineinthefacetoface

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

classroom.TheonlinesettingisanenvironmentcreatedthroughInternetaccess,where
learningmaybestructuredorunstructured.Inastructuredenvironment,teacherstrack
studentprogress.Participation,amountofcoursematerialsviewed,completionof
assignments,communicationaccess,andassessmentsofthestudentsmaybeviewedbythe
instructor.Anunstructuredonlineenvironmentmaybesynchronousorasynchronous.It
mayinvolvediscussions,communicationtools,butstudentsprogressorinteractionsarenot
monitorablebytheinstructor(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014).

Thegoalsindesigningforblendedlearningaretheenrichmentofcontent,

accessibilitytoknowledge,theinteractionsbetweenstudentsandteachers,thepersonal
flexibility,andtheefficiencyincost(OsguthorpeandGraham,2003).Studentsenrolledina
blendedenvironmentbenefitfrombothtraditionalandelearningmodesoflearning.

Insupportofthegoalsoutlinedabove,blendedlearningspotentialmayberealized

throughfourprinciples(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014).Thefirst,Athoughtfulintegration
offacetofaceandfullyonlineinstructionalcomponents,thatmeetsstudentsdiverse
needs.Secondly,aninnovativeuseoftechnology,thatpromotestheinteractivitybetween
thetwolearningmodes.Third,thereconceptualizationofthelearningparadigm.Lastly,
thecontinualevaluationandassessmentoflearningthatfocusesoneducationalquality
(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014,P.4).
BenefitsofBlendedLearning
Motivationisabenefittoblendedlearningasstudentsmustbethesteerersoftheir
ownlearning.Communicationinblendedlearningisapositivebyproductasitenhances
oralandwrittenformsofarticulation.Theinteractivetoolsofdiscussionboards,blogging,
andchatroomsempowerstudentswhomaylackconfidenceinthefacetofacesettingto
improvetheircommunicationskills.Also,thistypeofinteractionhasbeenshownto

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

improvestudentsabilitytocritiqueastheyinteractintheseforumswithpeers.Additionally,
attendanceandpacinginblendedlearningisadvantageousasstudentsarethenableto
personalizetheirownwork(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014).
Theadvantagesthatblendedlearninghasovertraditionalfacetofacelearningare:
costeffectiveness(forboththeinstitutionandthestudent),flexibility,andtimemanagement.
Furthermore,blendedlearningisalsomoreadvantageousthanelearninginthatthesocial,
facetofaceinteractionsstilloccur,asdotheopportunitiesfordiscussion.
ChallengesofBlendedLearning
Possiblesetbackstotheblendedlearningmodeofeducationmayincludenetwork
andplatformaccess.ChoosinganLMSthatsuitstheageoflearnerfromK12maybea
challengeassomearegearedtowardsdifferentages.Also,theaccessibilityofanetworkto
getonthesaidplatformcouldposeconcernsforsome.Lackofpolicyfromthe
administrationandthedelegationofindividualstooverseetheplatformintheschoolcould
bechallenging.Thedesignofthecourses,minimumrequirements,staffabilitytoperform,
andtheoverallimplementationoftheinterfaceareissuesthatneedtobeaddressed.
Additionally,coststoimplement,maintain,andtraininstructors/usersoftheplatformmust
beconsidered.Finally,studentaccessibilitytotheInternet(location,socioeconomiclevel,
time)canimpairthebenefitsofblendedlearning(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014).
Limitationstoblendedlearningvary,butincludehavingappropriatedevices,
networkaccess,theabilitytousethetechnologyaccordinglyandlearningthenecessary
studyskills(Obiedat,Eddeen,Harfoushi,Koury,ALHamarsheh&AlAssaf,2014).
LearningManagementSystems

Learningmanagementsystems(LMS)enableanytime,anywhereaccesstolearning

materialsandcoursemanagementineithersynchronousorasynchronousenvironments

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

(
Black,Beck,Dawson,Jinks&DiPietro,2007).LMSssupportlearningbyproviding
varioustypesofpresentation,assessment,management,andcommunicationtools(
Ellis
Calvo,2007).
ALMSisaninterfacewhereusers(studentsandinstructors)cansharecourse
materials,communicatewitheachother,collaborate,makeannouncements,and
submit/returnassignments(Lonn&Teasley,2009).
GiventhatoneofthemainaffordancesofaLMSistheabilitytolearnanytime,
anywhere,they:
combineselfstudywithsubstantial,rapid,asynchronousinteractivitywithothers.
WhenusingaLMS,studentsusecomputersandcommunicationstechnologiesto
workwithremotelearningresources,includingcourseinstructorsandotherstudents,
butwithouttherequirementtobeonlineatthesametime.(Govender,2010,p.245)

Additionally,thereisashiftintheverboflearning,fromateachercentredapproachtoa
studentcentredapproachwherethestudentsconstructknowledgethroughactivitiesinstead
oftheteacherbeingthedelivererofknowledge.Diverselearningisaccommodatedthrough
LMSsasstudentscannavigateattheirownpaceandchooseactivitiesthatfittheirstyleof
learning.LMSsstreamlinetheteachingandlearningprocessesasnumerousclassescantake
thesametestanddothesameassignments,withoutinstructorvariance.Peercollaboration
andassessmentsareapartoftheLMSsdynamicasstudentsarelikelytobecooptedinto
theinstructionalprocessbothasadditionalresourcestoassisttheireducatorsaswellas
evaluatorsofjuniorstudents(p.249).Thequalityoflearningisimprovedthroughthe
monitoring,analyzing,andassessmentoftheinstructionalmaterials.Lastly,theLMSacts
asacommunicationtool,bridgingthedistancebetweenpeersandstudent/instructorsina
course(Govender,2010).Ithasbeenarguedthat:
TheuseofaLMScanimproveclassroomteachinginthefollowingaspects:(1)
availabilityofteachingresources(2)classplanningandfollowup(3)

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

10

teacherstudentcommunication(4)monitoringofstudentsacademicperformance
duringthecourse(5)collaborationamongstudents.(LimaandPassos,2014,p.178)

LMSshavenumeroustoolsthatcanbeutilizedalongwithinstructionalmaterialstocreate
educationalexperiencesforthelearner.
TheImpactsofBlendingaLMSinaTraditionalClassroom
StudentAchievement

Blendedlearningcombinesthepositiveaspectsoffacetofacelearningwiththe

excitingaspectsofwebbasedlearningtocreateaconvenientdeliveryofmaterialsboth
insideandoutsideoftheclassroom
(
Kazu&Demirkol,2014).Intheirstudy,Kazuand
Demirkol(2014)setouttoanswerwhetherornotthereisasubstantialvarianceamongthe
academicachievementofstudentsinblendedversustraditionallearningenvironments.
Theirresearchinvolvedhighschoolstudents,bothmaleandfemale.Thecontrolgroupwas
thetraditionalclassofstudentsandtheexperimentalgroupwasthestudentsenrolledina
blendedlearningclass.Throughaseriesofpretestsandposttests,theresultsrevealedthat
althoughtheacademicaveragesofstudentsinbothgroupswereinthesamerangeatthe
beginningofthestudy(asrevealedbythepretest),theoverallaveragesforthestudentsin
theblendedlearningclassroommodelsimprovedmorethanthecontrolgroup.Thus,
becausethestudentswereabletohaveanytime,anywhereaccesstocoursematerialsthat
involvedtheexchangeofinformationandideasincyberworld,(p.9)withoutbeing
limitedbyboundaries,thelearningenvironmentshowedtoincreaseacademicsuccessfor
studentsintheblendedmodel
(
Kazu&Demirkol,2014).

Inanotherstudy,conductedbyMijatovic,Cudanov,Jednak,andKadijevich(2013),

theauthorssoughttoanswerthequestion:WhateffectsdoesanLMShaveonstudent
achievementsinablendedlearningenvironment?(p.507)Theirconcernwasthatthe

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

11

deliveryofcontentthroughtheLMSmuststillbedesignedasastudentcentred,active
learningapproach,asopposedtotheLMSbeingarepositoryofinformationanda
transmissionofcontentasinthetraditionalclassroom.Thesubjectsforthisstudywere
postsecondaryundergraduatestudentswhowereusinganLMSforthefirsttime.Their
studyrevealedthatstudentsinteractionwiththeLMS,andparticipationinclasswere
predictiveoftheirachievementintheblendedlearningenvironment.Additionally,therole
offacetofaceactivelearningtechniquescannotbeunderestimatedinablendedlearning
environment(p.513)andthataneenvironmentcanbeavaluableextensionofaclassical
learningenvironment(p.513).Suggestionstosteerfutureresearchonnewteachingand
learningmethodsthatfocusonactiveparticipationinbothaspectsofablendedlearning
environmentishowthestudyends.

Obiedat,etal.(2014)studiedstudentsatvaryinglevelsinpostsecondaryeducation

tolookattheimpactsofahybridmethodoflearningonacademicachievement.Througha
quantitativeanalysisofthesurveygiventotheparticipants,theresultsrevealedthatusingan
LMSinatraditionallearningenvironmenthadastrongimpactonstudentacademic
achievement.Theresearchersalsoconcludedthatthedrawofablendedlearningoptionis
powerfultostudents,anduniversitiesshouldoffermixedoptionsalongwithtraditionalones.
TechnologicalinfrastructureandeaseofuseoftheLMSinterfaceareissuesthatuniversities
mayhavetoaddress.

Inastudycompletedin2012,
AlQahtaniandHigginstfocusedonthreegroups:

elearningexclusively,blendedlearning,andtraditionalfacetofaceatthepostsecondary
level.Thedatawasgatheredthroughaseriesoftests,includingapretest,andapostteston
unitobjectivesintheirenrolledcourse.Theresultsshowedthattherewasnotasignificant
differenceinthestudent'sachievementresultsbetweentheelearningandthetraditional

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

12

group.However,theblendedlearninggroupperformedsignificantlybetterthantheother
twoandasaresult,theresearchersassertthatblendedlearningcansupportstudents
learningmoreeffectivelythanelearningorfacetofaceteachingalone(p.226).Course
designneedstoreflectthepositiveaspectsofthethreelearningstylescombinedintooneas
thepresenceofaninstructor,complimentedbytheaccessibilityandflexibilityofelearning,
createsanideallearningenvironment(AlQahtaniandHigginst,2012).

Onthecontrary,anotherstudyconductedwithhighschoolstudentsinavocational

(electricalmachinery)classthatmeasuredtheirachievementandselfassessmentscores,had
differingresults.Chang,Shu,Liang,TsengandHsu(2014)askedthequestion:Isblended
elearningbetterthantraditionalclassroomlearningforvocationalhighschoolstudents?In
thisstudythetraditionallearningenvironmentwascomparedtoablendedlearning
environment.Theresultsshowednosignificantdifferencesintheachievementbetweenthe
groups,yettherewasadifferenceintheirselfassessmentscores.Theexperimentalgroupof
studentshadresultsthatshowedamorepositiveperceptionoftheirlearningthrougha
blendedenvironment,butitdidnotaffecttheirexamresults.Thereasonsforthis,asfound
inthestudy,werethemixedstudentshadmorepositiveperceptionsofcognitionsandskills
becauseblendedelearningcanmakeupforthedrawbacksoftraditionallearning...which
enablesstudentstoreviewthematerialrepeatedlyanddiscusswithpeersonline(p.226).
Asaresult,itisconcludedthatinstructorsofablendedenvironmentneedtofocusonstudent
engagementthroughpeerandinstructorinteractions
(
Changetal.,2014).

ChenandChiou(2012)studiedundergraduatestudentsinacontrol(traditional

learning)andanexperimental(hybridlearning)group.Studentsinbothgroupsreceived
identicallessonsandwereinstructedbythesameteachers.Technologicalinstructionwas
giventothehybridstudentspriortothestartofthesemester,andthediscussionaspectof

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

13

theircoursewasdoneonline.Throughpretests,questionnaires,andafinalexamination,the
researcherssoughttofindhowblendedlearningaffectsstudentslearningoutcomes,
satisfactionandtheirsenseofcommunity(p.486)andtoexaminetherelationshipamong
studentslearningstyle,learningachievement,satisfactionandsenseofclassroom
community(p.486)inbothgroups.Itwasfoundthatthelearningscoresandstudent
satisfactionwithlearningrateswerehigherintheexperimentalgroup,possiblyduetothe
convenienceandaffordabilityofonlinelearning.Withtheabilitytodiscussonline,through
analternativeformofcommunication(aLMS),astrongersenseofcommunitywas
expressedbythestudentsintheblendedlearningclasses,withthesestudentsspendingmore
timethanrequestedinonlinediscussion.Lastly,thelearningstylewashighlyrelevantinthe
learningoutcomesofthestudentsintheblendedenvironment:Theunderstandingofthe
relationshipbetweenspecificlearningstylesandlearningeffectivenesscouldbeusedin
onlineadaptiveversionlearningmanagementorintraditionalcurriculumdesign(p.494
Chen&Chiou,2012).

Inadditiontothetraditionalenvironmentthereisevidencethatmixedlearning

methodsalsoofferadditionalaffordancesthanexclusivelyonlinelearning.Aly(2013)
comparedtheachievementbetweenstudentsinonlineonlyenvironmentswithstudentsina
hybridlearningenvironmentinanundergraduateintroductorycourseinhisstudy.The
performanceofstudentswasmeasuredviaweeklyassignments,unitassignments,andafinal
examthatwereidenticalforbothofthegroups.Theresultsdemonstratedthatonline
learningisaseffectiveforstudentsperformanceandacademicachievementasablended
course,thereforeemphasizingtheimportanceofstrategicteachingandlearningversusthe
modeofdelivery(Aly,2013).

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

14

Furthermore,
Owston,R.,York,D.,&Murtha,S.(2013)soughttofindouthow

convenience,studentsatisfaction,engagement,andlearningarerelatedtostudent
achievementinablendedcourse.Thestudywasconductedwithpostsecondarystudents
questionnaires,andstudentgradeswereusedtodeterminetheresults.Themostsatisfied
studentswerethehigherachievers,whowouldtakeablendedcourseagain,whereasthe
lowerachieverspreferredjustthefacetofaceclassroomenvironment.Fortheotherthree
researchtopics,theresultswereverysimilar.Higherachievingstudentsalsofeltmore
engaged,perceivedtheirlearningtobegreater,andappreciatedtheconveniencemorein
theircoursethroughonlinelearningthanlowachievingstudents.Theresearchersofthis
studyconcludethereisanobviouspositivecorrelationbetweenhighachieversandblended
learning,however,duetothelackofpositiveresultsforthelowerachiever,theirsuccess
maybemoreenhancedinatraditionalclassroom.

Blendedlearningwasshowntobeafavourableoptionforstudents
inauniversity

studythatfocusedonstudentattitudesandachievementbetweenblended,virtualclass,and
traditionallearningenvironments.Theresultspointedtoasignificantdifferenceinstudent
achievementbetweenthethreeapproachestoinstruction.Theblendedlearningstudentshad
moremotivation,willingness,andoptimismregardingtheirlearningasevidencedbyan
attitudescale.Additionally,theachievementtestscoresyieldedbythestudentswerealso
greaterintheblendedlearningenvironment.Thus,blendedlearningwasshowntobethe
morefavourableoptionasreflectedthroughstudentsattitudeandachievement(Alseweed,
2013).
StudentPerception
PerceptionsregardingtheLMSsvalueintheclassroom,aswellasthequalityof
instructionoccurringintheblendedenvironment,werelookedatbyLaiandSavage(2013).

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

15

Theynotethatincorporatingblendedlearningrequiresamoreholisticunderstandingof
howdiversemodesofteachingcoexistwhetheronlineorinclasstoguide,enhanceand
supportstudentlearning(Lai&Savage,2013,p.7).Furthermore,drawingonprinciplesof
effectiveteachingtoshapecourseredesignishowaLMSmaycohesivelyblendinthe
learningenvironment.Thesubjectsofthisqualitativecasestudywereundergraduate
studentsinhybridcourses,whoseinterviewswereusedtogatherdata.Theoverallresult
wastheLMSwasperceivedbythestudentsasasupplementalandperipheralaspectofthe
course.Theapplicationofeffectivelearningprinciplesandstudentinstructorrapportmust
thereforestillbethemainfocusofcoursedesign.
Over45,000studentsandfacultyfromalargeuniversityweresurveyedonline
annuallyoveratwoyearperiodtoanalyzetheperceivedbenefitsasseenbyinstructorand
studentstousingaLMSinsupportofthetraditionalclassroomenvironment(Lonn&
Teasley,2009).Theresultsshowedthatstudentsandinstructorsrespondedpositivelytothe
ideathatinformationtechnology(IT)improvesteachingandlearning.Whennarrowing
downITtotheLMSspecifically,theteachersratedthatcommunicationwithintheLMSwas
veryvaluable
,whereasstudentsratedthemas
notvaluable
.Withregardstoteachingand
learning,bothstudentsandinstructorsfelttheLMSwas
valuable
,withtoolsfor
communicationanddocumentationbeingrankedasveryvaluablemoreoftenthanthe
interactivetools.Theresearchshowedthattherearegapsintheperceivedbenefitsofthe
LMSamongstudentsandteachers(Lonn&Teasley,2009,p.693).
StudentAttitude
WhenconsideringtheadvantagesofaLMS,studentattitudeisanimportantaspect.
In2010,Govenderaskedthequestion:Whatarestudentsattitudestowardamixedlearning
modedeliveryenvironment?(p.245)MixedasinacombinationoffacetofaceandLMS

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

16

modesofcourseinstruction.Thegoalofthemixedlearningenvironmentofthisstudywas
tocreateaccesstocourseresources,allowforflexiblecoursehours,createstudentcentred
learningopportunities,promoteactiveengagementandcommunication,andaccommodate
individuallearnersneeds(Govender,2010).Withaclassofundergraduatestudents,a
systematicstudyofviews,attitudes,opinions,andbeliefswasdonetoyieldan
understandingofattitudestowardsmixedmethodofinstruction.Thefindingsofthiscase
studyrevealedthatthemixedenvironmentwasviewedpositivelyduetoflexibility,
convenience,instructionaccess,collaboration,andanenjoyablelearningexperience
(Govender,2010).Thenegativeaspectsthatwerereportedconsistedofthestudentsability
touse/troubleshootanewtechnologyandnetworkissues.Overall,however,thegeneral
consensuswasthatthequalityandefficiencyofeducationhadimprovedbecauseofthe
mixedlearningmodeofdelivery(p.258)andthemodeofdeliverycontributedtostudents
motivationtoworkhard(Govender,2010).

Finally,aquantitativestudyinvolvingpostsecondarystudentswasdonetomeasure

theirattitudesinregardstotheefficiencyandeffectivenessofblendedlearning.The
researchersfoundthatstudentsfeelingswereverypositiveinthatblendedlearningtools
enhancedtheirlearningexperiences(WaiandSeng,2015).
StudentMotivation

ThroughthescopeoftheLMSsonlinediscussionboardasenrichmenttotheregular

classroomdiscussion,Xie,DeBacker,andFerguson(2006)exploredtowhatextentstudent
motivationhasonstudentsparticipationinonlinediscussions.Thetwotypesofmotivation
thisstudyfocusedonwereintrinsicandextrinsic.RyanandDeci(2000)explainthat
intrinsicmotivationrelatestoonefulfillingataskbasedoninnersatisfactionfromits
completion,asopposedtoexternalrewards.Whereasextrinsicmotivationoccurswhen

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

17

onescompletionofataskisbasedonreward,feedback,orexternalacknowledgements
(Ryan&Deci,2000).Thesubjectsofthestudywereundergraduatestudentswhohadto
participateinonlinediscussionsthatwerestructuredandrelevanttotheassignmentsgivenin
class.Thetwostudieswereconductedwithsummerschoolstudents,overaonemonth
semester,andatraditionalfourmonthsemester.Inbothstudies,thegeneraloutcomewas
thatasthecoursewenton,theintrinsicmotivationforstudentstoparticipateintheonline
discussionwanedsteadilyduetoalackoftimetoparticipateandthefeelingsofbeing
overwhelmedbythecoursecontent.Additionally,theextentoffacilitatorandpeer
interactiononthediscussionboardaffectedmotivationlessinteractionequalledlessstudent
motivation.Although,ifstudentsviewedthediscussionasenjoyable,valuable,or
interesting,theyweremorelikelytoparticipate.Intrinsicmotivationinstudentswasrelated
totheirengagementin,andattitudetowardsthecourse.Intheend,m
anystudentsreported
thattheybelievedtheinstructorsparticipation,guidance,andfeedbackintheonline
discussionwerecriticalformotivatingthemtoparticipateintheonlinediscussionand
helpingthemtoperceivethevalueofthisactivity(
Xie,etal.,2006,
p.86).Asaresultof
thestudy,
Xie,etal.(2006)outlinedimplicationsforeducatorssurroundingmotivationfor
onlinediscussion.Apositiveattitude,alongwithrelevantdiscussiontopics,and
participationrequirementsareneeded.Secondly,tofosterapositiveclassclimate(p.87),
instructorsneedtoconnecttheclassroomandonlinediscussiontoincreasethevalueofthe
participation.Also,instructor/studentinteractionsandfeedbackisparamountintheonline
forum.Lastly,thediscussiontoolitselfshouldbeuserfriendlytoavoidpossible
technologicalbarrierstoparticipation(Xie,etal.,2006).

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

18

StudentLearningQuality
Tokeepeffectiveteachingandlearningattheforefrontofplanning,especiallyina
mixedsetting,thereare
minimumindicatorstosustainingthequalityassuranceoflearning
supportedbyLMSsinblendedcontextsasoutlinedby
EllisandCalvo(2007,
p.63).The
indicatorsandtheirresultsbasedontheresearchwillproceed:

Leadershipandongoingfunding
,havingnumerousstakeholdersandsponsorsto

advocatefortheLMSarerequired.

Policy
,theplansandpoliciesmustbeinplace.

Evaluationservices
,howaretheInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)

outcomesusedinteachingandlearning?

SupportforteachingandlearningwithICTs
,therearenumerousstrategiesthatmay

beusedtosupportqualityassurance,including,butnotlimitedto:
o

backupanddisasterrecoverystrategiesfortheLMSincaseofcomputer

failure
o

testingofthecompatibilityofplatformsandbrowsersofanLMS
o

implementationofauthenticationservicesforusersoftheLMS
o

arapidqueryresolutionprocessfortechnicalissuesraisedbyusersofthe

LMS
o

standardsfororientationofstudentusersinhowtomakethemostofthe

resourcesontheLMS
o

aqueryresolutionprocessforlearningissuesraisedbyusersoftheLMS(For

example,ahelpdeskcouldbeusedtoresolvebothlearningandtechnology
issues)

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

19

guidelinesforthetypicalmaterialsthatstudentscouldexpectontheirsubjects

webpages,whicharepublishedontheLMS.Theseguidelinescouldpromote
standardsacrossallwebsitessothatstudentscandevelopasetofsustainable
expectationsofhowtheLMSsupportstheirlearningacrossdegreestructures.
(
p.64)

Supportforplanning,design,anddevelopmentwithICTs
,effectiveintegration

requirestime,infrastructure,andresources.

Thedevelopment/redevelopmentofacoursewithICT
,maintainingthevisionofthe

institutionwhenplanningelearningactivities
(
Ellis&Calvo,2007).

Moreover,intheirstudythatspannedsevenuniversitiesandover120,000LMS

users,EllisandCalvo(2007)foundthefollowinginrelationtothesixminimumindicators
asdescribedabove:LeadershipamanagementsponsoroversawtheLMSPolicyan
underdevelopedaspecttosupportingtheLMS,apolicyleadapproachmustbeimproved
uponEvaluationservicesmostinstitutionsdidnotrequirethestaff/studentstoevaluatethe
coursesSupportforteachingandlearningwithICTsthereisanawarenessofthenecessary
strategiestosupportteachingandlearning,butmoreneedstobedoneSupportforplanning,
design,anddevelopmentwithICTsunderstandtheissuesinvolved,namely,copyright,web
design,andresourcesupportThedevelopment/redevelopmentofacoursewithICThaving
thesupport,resources,exemplarsandtimetocreate/reworkacourseisimperative.
Furthermore,universities
woulddowelltoemphasiseissuesofleadership,staff
development,andevaluationwhensettinguptheirqualityassurancesystemsforblended
learningsupportedbylearningmanagementsystems(
Ellis&Calvo,2007,pp.6869)
.

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

20

Discussion
Inthisdiscussion,studentperformanceasqueriedintheresearchquestion,willbe
assessedbyanalyzingtheresultsofthestudentachievement,studentperception,student
attitude,studentmotivation,andstudentlearningqualitysectionsofthispaper.The
precedingresearchrevealsthatusingaLMSinthetraditionalclassroompositivelyimpacts
students(Obiedat,etal.2014).Studentinvolvementinthelearningactivitiesandtheir
participationwithintheLMSwasadirectpredictoroftheirlevelofachievementinthe
blendedlearningenvironment,asthereisapositivecorrelationbetweenhighachieversand
blendedlearning(Mijatovic,etal.2013Owstonetal.2013).Academicsuccesswasproven
toincreaseinablendedlearningenvironment,infact,itwasshowntobeamoreeffective
learningenvironmentwhencomparedtothetraditionalandelearningclassrooms(Kazu&
Demirkol,2014Obiedat,etal.2014).Studentconfidence,proventhroughselfassessments
wereanothercontributingfactortotheachievementimpactthatusinganLMSinablended
learningenvironmenthashadonstudentperformance(Changetal.2014).
Curriculumdesignthatincorporatesallofthepositiveaspectsofthethreelearning
styles(traditional,online,blended)isthedirectionthatplanningneedstotake(
AlQahtani
andHigginst,2012)
.Combiningtheflexibilityandaccessibilityoftheonlinelearning,
mixedwiththeinteractionofafacetofacesettingisthemostadvantageousforstudent
success(
Chen&Chiou,2012)
.Theemphasisforcoursedesignishighlightedbythefact
thatonlinelearningcanbeaseffectiveforstudentsasblendedlearningis,therefore
instructionalstrategiesandcarefulplanningshouldbeconsideredapriorityversusthe
deliverymode
(Aly,2013
Lai&Savage,2013).Additionally,whentheLMSisviewedas
supplementaryorperipheraltothecourse,thenecessityofqualityplanningforeffective
learningmustremainthemainfocus(Lai&Savage,2013).Whenteachingandstudent

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

21

learningqualityarethemainfocuswithinthecombinedLMSandfacetoface
environments,planningmustadheretobaselineindicatorssuchasleadership,policy,
evaluation,supportforteachingandlearningwithICT,supportforplanning,design,and
developmentwithICTs,andthereworkingofacoursewithICTtoassurethebestimpacts
onstudentsperformance(Ellis&Calvo,2007).
Blendedlearning,throughtheuseofaLMSwasshowntobeapositiveintroduction
tothetraditionalclassroomthemixedlearningenvironmentsflexibility,accessibility,
collaborationoptions,andconveniencewereviewedpositivelybystaffandstudentsalike
(Lonn&Teasley,2009Govender,2010).Afurtherbenefittoblendedlearningisthe
accessibilityitopensuptostudentsinsituationswhereregularattendanceisachallenge.
Studentsinruralareas,orsmallerschooldistrictsthatneedtogainaccesstomaterials.
Homeschooledstudentscanlearnthecontentthattheirpeersenrolledinaschoolare
learning,asopposedtojusttheparentscontent.Studentswithmedicalconditionsor
handicapswhoarephysicallyunabletoattendaregularschoolbenefitfromtheaccessibility
ofaLMS.Additionally,studentswithbehaviourissues,orwhowereexpelledcanstillhave
accesstoqualityeducation(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014).Althoughtroubleshootingand
abilitytoaccesstheLMSarecommonconcerns,thebenefitstotheenhancedlearning
experience(accordingtotheresearch)outweighthepossiblesetbacks(Wai&Seng,2015).
Conclusion
KumiYeboahandSmith(2014)emphasizethatduetoaheighteneddemandfrom
thegradeschoolpopulations,andbecauseoftheadvancementofthecommoncore
curriculum,schoolsystemsmustfindalternativemethodstoprovideinstructionthatis
engagingandmotivatingtothestudentswhoarealreadytechnologicallyconnected(p.
12).Itisthroughajointinitiativethateducationaladministrators,schooldistricts,provincial

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

22

governmentsandotherpolicymakingstakeholdersmustdesignandimplementahybrid
learningmodelthatwillprovideonlineandtraditionalinstruction,enticingstudentsand
teacherstoadvanceintothislearningenvironment(KumiYeboah&Smith,2014).
Whatimpactswillusingalearningmanagementsystem(LMS)inatraditional
classroomhaveonstudentperformance?Ontopofincreasedstudentachievement,positive
outlooksintheirperceptionsandattitudestowardslearning,andgreaterlearnermotivation,
asoutlinedpreviously,theimpactonstudentsfromtheLMSinatraditionalclassroom
(creatingablendedexperience)istheenablementofgreaterfreedominthelearning
environmentasitallowssupplementaryaccesstoclasscontent,andinstruction,withinstant
communicationchannels,forqueriesorfeedback,aswellastheoverallflexibilitythat
comeswithanywhere,anytimelearning.Moreover,thecostefficiencyoftheblended
environmentallowsplanningforalargerstudenttoinstructorratiothancanbeachievedin
justatraditionalsetting
(Aly,2013).
IthasbeenshownthattheinclusionofaLMSinanyeducationalenvironmentneeds
tobeeffectivelysupportedandintegratedintothecultureoftheschooltomakethegreatest
impactonstudentperformance.Also,theremustbeawellplannedoutvisionforhowthe
LMSwillsupportstudent/teachersneeds,andadapttothechangesastheyarise.(Black,et
al.,2007).Futureresearchneedstoaddressnewteachingandlearningmethodsthatenable
activeparticipationinbothdimensionsofahybridlearningenvironment(
Mijatovicetal.
2013),

AsLearningManagementSystemscontinuetoevolveandgainpopularity,further
researchisneededtohelpinstructorsandstudentsidentifythemosteffectivewaystouse
thesetechnologiestoimproveteachingandlearninginhighereducation.
(Lonn&Teasley,
2009,p.693).Aswell,educationalinstitutionsbigorsmall,ruralorurbanneedtherequired
technologicalinfrastructuretohaveblendedlearningoptions.Furthermore,educationfor

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

staffandstudentsinusingtheLMSinterfacetoalleviatepossibleissuesiswhatneeds
continualfocus(Obiedat,etal.2014).

23

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

24

References
AlQahtani,A.A.Y.,&Higginst,S.E.(2012).Effectsoftraditional,blended,and
elearningonstudentsachievementinhighereducation.
JournalofComputerAssisted
Learning,29
,220234.
doi:10.1111/j.13652729.2012.00490.x

Alseweed,M.A.(2013).Studentsachievementandattitudestowardsusingtraditional
learning,blendedlearning,andvirtualclasseslearninginteachingandlearningatthe
universitylevel.
StudiesinLiteratureandLanguage,6
(1),6573.
doi:10.3968/j.sll.1923156320130601.1464

Aly,Ibrahim(2013).Performanceinanonlineintroductorycourseinahybridclassroom
setting.
CanadianJournalofHigherEducation,43
(2),8589.

Barbour,M.K.(2012).
StateoftheNation:K12OnlineLearninginCanada
.International
AssociationforK15OnlineLearning.Retrievedfrom
http://www.openschool.bc.ca/pdfs/iNACOL_CanadaStudy_2012.pdf

Bates,T.(2011).
UnderstandingWeb2.0anditsImplicationsforELearning.InM.
Lee,&
C.McLoughlin,
Web2.0basedelearning:applyingsocialinformaticsfortertiary
teaching
(p.2143)
.
NewYork:InformationScienceReference.
doi:10.4018/9781605662947.ch002

Badenhorst,J.(2006).Thechangingclassroom:Managingthelearningexperiencewitha
learningmanagementsystem(LMS).
Sabinet,5
(2),19.

Beaudoin,M.(2010).Experiencesandopinionsofonlinelearners:Whatfosterssuccessful
learning.InY.Kats,
Learningmanagementsystemtechnologiesandsoftwaresolutions
foronlineteaching:Toolsandapplications
(p.372393).NewYork:Information
ScienceReference.
doi:10.4018/9781615208531.ch020

Black,E.W.,Beck,D.,Dawson,K.,Jinks,S.,&DiPietro,M.(2007).Theothersideofthe
lms:Consideringimplementationanduseintheadoptionofanlmsinonlineand
blendedlearningenvironments.
Techtrends,51
(2),3539.

Carmean,C.,&Haefner,J.(2002).Mindovermatter:Transformingcoursemanagement
systemsintoeffectivelearningenvironments.
EDUCAUSEReview,37
(6),2634.

Chang,C.C.,Shu,K.M.,Liang,C.,Tseng,J.S.,&Hsu,Y.S.(2014).Isblendedelearning
betterthantraditionalclassroomlearningforvocationalhighschoolstudents?
The
InternationalReviewofResearchinOpenandDistanceLearning,15
(2),213231.

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

25

Chen,B.H.,&Chiou,H.H.(2012).Learningstyle,senseofcommunityandlearning
effectivenessinhybridlearningenvironment.
InteractiveLearningEnvironment,22
(4),
485496.doi:10.1080/10494820.2012.680971

Davidson,L.Y.,Richardson,M.,&Jones,D.(2014).Teachersperspectivesonusing
technologyasaninstructionaltool.
ResearchinHigherEducationJournal,24,
125.

Ellis,R.,&Calvo,R.(2007).Minimumindicatorstoassurequalityoflmssupportedblended
learning.
EducationalTechnology&Society,10
(2),6070.

Govender,W.(2010).Attitudesofstudentstowardstheuseofalearningmanagement
system(LMS)inafacetofacelearningmodeofinstruction.
AfricaEducation
Review,7
(2),244262.doi:10.1080/18146627.2010.515394

Harasim,L.(2000).Shifthappensonlineeducationasanewparadigminlearning.
Internet
andHigherEducation,3
,4161.

Hassan,A.,Abiddin,N.Z.,&Yew,S.K.(2014).Thephilosophyoflearningandlisteningin
traditionalandonlinelearningapproaches.
HigherEducationStudies,4
(2),1928.
doi:10.5539/hes.v4n2p19

Hodges,C.,&Repman,J.(2011).Movingoutsidethelms:Matchingweb2.0toolsto
instructionalpurpose.
EducauseLearningInitiative
.Retrievedfrom
http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/movingoutsidelmsmatchingweb20to
olsinstructionalpurpose

InternationalAssociationforK12OnlineLearning(iNACOL).(2011).
Theonlinelearning
definitionsproject
.Retrievedfrom
http://www.inacol.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/02/iNACOL_DefinitionsProject.pdf

Islam,A.K.M.N.(2016).Elearningsystemuseanditsoutcomes:Moderatingroleof
perceivedcompatibility.
TelematicsandInformatics,33
,4855.

Kazu,I.,&Demirkol,M.(2014).Effectofblendedlearningenvironmentmodelonhigh
schoolstudentsacademicachievement.
TheTurkishOnlineJournalofEducational
Technology,13
(1),7887.

KumiYeboah,A.,&Smith,P.(2014).Trendsofblendedlearningink12schools:
Challengesandpossibilities.InL.
KyeiBlankson&E.Ntuli
(Eds.),
Practical
applicationsandexperiencesink20blendedlearningenvironments(pp.117).New
York:InformationScienceReference.doi:10.4018/9781466649125.ch001

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

26

Lai,A.,&Savage,P.(2013).Learningmanagementsystemsandprinciplesofgoodteaching:
Instructorandstudentperspectives.
CanadianJournalofLearningandTechnology,
39
(3).

Lima,T.,&Passos,T.(2014).Evaluatingalearningmanagementsystemtosupport
classroomteaching.InA.DeMarco(Ed.),
Curriculumdesignandclassroom
management:Concepts,methodologies,tools,andapplications
(pp.176196).IGI
Global.doi:10.4018/9781466658769.ch009

Lonn,S.,&Teasley,S.(2009).Savingtimeorinnovatingpractice:Investigatingperceptions
andusesoflearningmanagementsystems.
Computers&Education,53
,686694.
doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.04.008

Lynch,J.M.,&BishopClark,C.(1993).Traditionalandnontraditionalstudentattitudes
towardthemixedagecollegeclassroom.
InnovativeHigherEducation,18
(2),109121.

Mijatovic,M.,Cudanov,M.,Jednak,S.,&Kadijevich,D.(2013).Howtheusageoflearning
managementsystemsinfluencesstudentachievement.
TeachinginHigherEducation,
18
(5),506517.doi:10.1080/13562517.2012.753049

Obiedat,R.,Eddeen,L.N.,Harfoushi,O.,Koury,A.,ALHamarsheh,M.,&AlAssaf,N.
(2014).Effectofblendedlearningonacademicachievementofstudentsinthe
universityofjordan.
InternationalJournalofEmergingTechnologiesinLearning9
(2),
3744.

Osguthorpe,R.,&Graham,C.(2003).Blendedlearningenvironments:Definitionsand
directions.
TheQuarterlyReviewofDistanceEducation,4
,227233.

Owston,R.,York,D.,&Murtha,S.(2013).Studentsperceptionsandachievementina
universityblendedlearningstrategicinitiative.
InternetandHigherEducation18
,3846.
doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.12.003

PerezPrado,A.,&Thirunarayanan,M.(2010).Aqualitativecomparisonofonlineand
classroombasedsectionsofacourse:Exploringstudentperspectives.
Educational
MediaInternational,39
(2)195202.
doi:10.1080/09523980210155343

Phirangee,K.(2013).Beyondtheelementaryclassroomwalls:Exploringtheways
participationwithinweb2.0spacesarereshapingpedagogy.
JournalofEducational
MultimediaandHypermedia,22
(3),299316.

IMPACTSOFLMSINTHETRADITIONALCLASSROOM

27

Ryan,R.M.,&Deci,E.L.(2000).Selfdeterminationtheoryandthefacilitationofintrinsic
motivation,socialdevelopment,andwellbeing
.AmericanPsychologist,55
(1),6878.
doi:10.1037110003066X.55.1.68

Siemens,G.(2005).Connectivism:Alearningtheoryforthedigitalage.
International
JournalofInstructionalTechnologyandDistanceLearning,2
(1),310.

Wai,C.C.,&Seng,E.L.M.(2015).Measuringtheeffectivenessofblendedlearning
environment:AcasestudyinMalaysia.
EducationandInformationTechnologies,20
,
429443.
doi:10.1007/s1063901392935

Welker,J.,&Berardino,L.(2005).Blendedlearning:Understandingthemiddleground
betweentraditionalclassroomandfullyonlineinstruction.
JournalofEducational
TechnologySystems,34
(1),3355.

Woods,R.,Baker,J.,&Hopper,D.(2004).Hybridstructures:Facultyuseandperceptionof
webbasedcoursewareasasupplementtofacetofaceinstruction.
InternetandHigher
Education,7
,281197.

Xie,K.,DeBacker,T.&Ferguson,C.(2006).Extendingthetraditionalclassroomthrough
onlinediscussion:Theroleofstudentmotivation.
JournalofEducationalComputing
Research34
(1),6789.

Yates,R.(2013).Educationaltechnologiestosupportnewdirectionsinteachingpractice.
InternationalJournalofInformationandEducationTechnology,3
(6),602606.
doi:10.7763/IJIET.2013.V3.344