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Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems

Nicholas J. Galullo

Post University
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Learning Management Systems
Education Identification and Challenges

Just within the 21st-century education has been pushed in several different directions.

Today, standard pedological practices include group work, active participation, and preparation

for college and career, to name a few. To best achieve these goals, k-12 schools have begun to

adopt many strategies to ease their students into achieving these objectives. One increasingly

popular method that schools throughout the United States have been using is Learning

Management Systems or LMS for short. An LMS is “a multiuser software application” that

“helps organizations manage training events, self-paced courses, and blended learning programs”

(Forman, 2018).

LMS has started to appear in just about every facet of life; from credit monitoring to food

consumption, the average American has probably used an LMS without even realizing it. It is

commonly accepted that a person's first experience with something would shape their conception

of it going forward. For many, their first interaction with an LMS is experiencing through the

public and private schools’ systems. Using LMS in k-12 schooling has become an integral part

of 21st-century learning but has come with a unique set of challenges. By their very nature, the

usage of LMS requires students to have both a device and internet connection available to access

the LMS. In 2020, "the Federal Communications Commission estimates that about 21 million

Americans lack broadband access, with an independent research group indicating the actual

number is twice as high" (Diallo, 2020). Without the ability for schools to supply such access,

the widespread implementation of LMS will lead to inequalities in a balanced education.

Secondly, the successful implementation of LMS in education has found to be unequal across the

disciplines. A 2010 study found that "course content was the most significant organizational

factor concerning student satisfaction" with the usage of LMS (Baveh, Tubin & Pliskin, 2010,
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Learning Management Systems
p.132). LMS tended to have more positive results in STEM courses and less so in the

Humanities. When implementing LMS, schools must be aware of the shortcomings they have

regarding particular fields of study.

Purpose Overview
There are three distinct types of Learning Management systems; corporate LMS,

academic LMS, and integrated LCMS-LMS (Foreman 2018). Corporate LMS specializes in

relatively "short courses." Their primary function is to teach skills related to their employees'

jobs. For example, a corporate LMS program might concentrate on teaching an employee

company policy or how to operate a piece of machinery that they are required to use for their job.

Academic LMS is typically an "online extension of, or replacement for, the classroom (Foreman,

2018). Academic LMS allows students and teachers to access material outside the classroom,

collaborate online, and gain supplemental material through a digital platform. Lastly. Integrated

LCMS-LMS is an advance form of a corporate LMS. Integrated LCMS-LMS includes many of

the same features of corporate LMS, “but it also offers features not found in corporate LMS for

developing, or authoring, content (Foreman, 2018). LCMS could be thought of as "a one-stop-

shop for elearning, from creation to delivery” (Cooke, 2018). Altogether, each type of

management system uses a digital platform to impart content and skills. However, each is

designed to concentrate on specific areas of concentration that lead to some advantages and

disadvantages to their use.

System Comparison

The three types of Management systems all specialize and excel in certain aspects.

When looking to implement a management system, you must understand the diverse types'

strengths and weaknesses to get the most out of the use of an LMS. Characteristically, LCMS

specializes in digital learning content. At the same time, corporate LMS and academic LMS are
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Learning Management Systems
platforms "that allows you to manage a wider range of learning experiences" (Cooke, allow

LCMS platforms should be chosen if the majority of the learning is digital while CLMS and

ALMS are best chosen if they are balanced with traditional, offline learning. A significant

advantage LCMS has other the other two platforms are that LCMS can provide detailed analytics

on how learners are interacting with the course modules. LCMS are generally able to supply a

thorough analysis of the learner's progress as their entire process is completed on the digital

platform. As a result, the use of an LCMS is "targeted, primarily, at organizations that develop

their own instructional programs" that require specific needs (Foreman, 2018). The use of

LCMS may be prohibited because of cost and time requirements, so mid-large-scale businesses

are archetypally the best fit.

While at first glance, academic LMS and corporate LMS may sound similar, they are, in

fact, quite different. First, academic LMS is designed to be more extensive programs that may

last for a semester or year long. In comparison, corporate LMS tends to be task and skill-specific

and veers to being used for shorter periods like a class session or a week. The features and

design of the two different LMS are also tremendously dissimilar. Corporate LMS has features

that include "certification management, performance reporting, and employee performance

timelines. In comparison, academic LMS include features such as discussion forums, grade

books, and gamification content (Ferguson, 2020). When selecting an LMS, users should

identify the features they need to complete their tasks before going any further. The best route to

take is one of backward design. When selecting an LMS to use, and the user should always ask

the following question. What outcome do you want to achieve, and what tools do you need to

achieve them?
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Learning Management Systems

Works Cited

Cooke, G. (2018, January 31). Learning Content Management Systems Guide: LCMS vs. LMS.

Elucidat. https://www.elucidat.com/blog/learning-content-management-systems/.

Diallo, A. (2020, April 20). Low tech solutions for students without internet access at home. The

Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/how-to-reach-students-without-internet-

access-at-home-schools-get-creative/.

Ferguson, J. (2020, January 22). Corporate vs. Academic Learning Management Systems (LMS).

TrustRadius Blog. https://www.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/corporate-vs-academic-lms.

Naveh, G., Tubin, T., & Pliskin, N. (2010). Student LMS use and satisfaction in academic

Institutions: The organizational perspective. The Internet and Higher Education, 13,

127−133.

Foreman, S. D., & Association for Talent Development. (2018). The LMS Guidebook: Learning

Management Systems Demystified. Association For Talent Development.