This topic of Learning Management Systems holds great interest for me. Like the Cal State system, our school district purchased Blackboard and every staff member and student has an account. Currently, none of the primary teachers or students use their accounts and most of the upper grades only use it as a place to post homework assignments. For a school district with huge financial challenges, our CTO will be taking a look at the ROI of this product.
Administrative Tools:
Considerations from an administrative point of view would be:
1. Comprehensiveness- what is the capacity to serve? A desired product should meet the needs of all aspects of an institution, at all levels. The size of the enterprise should be considered in selecting a product. A smaller entity may be able to use an all-inclusive package that might not meet the needs of a larger institution.
2. Compatibility-the package’s ability to mesh with an institution’s software and its compatibility with its different departmental databases. It must interface successfully with the company’s ERP or ERM software.
3. Scalability- the product must adjust to different levels and capacities, and meet the needs of a growing or changing organization.
4. Longevity- though not always a definitive indicator, determine the company’s commitment to support and upgrades. A product should have a strong financial base and a commitment to future research and development. Purchasers should consider the current client list.
5. Costs: weigh the “cost” of free software. Consider the cost of servers and/or server space, tech support, and licensing- whether network or individual student licenses.
6. E-commerce capability- will the organization need this ability to charge and collect fees and payments?
7. Administrative features: Do these elements meet all the varying need levels within an organization- those of the administrators, trainers and students?
8. Management tools: such as: registration, e-commerce, attendance, student participation, grading. In addition to organizational features, a training system must allow the learner to see relevance to his work or values. The tone and attitude toward learning need to be positive and reinforcing, empowering the learner with a sense of worth and achievement.
From a technical Viewpoint:
9. If the product will be installed in-house, then it must be determined the product is compatible with the server platform and browsers, and is easy to deploy and administer. If using an application service provider, tech support must be in place for all levels of users- administrators, instructors and students.
From an Instructional Viewpoint:
Because this is foremost an instructional tool, these elements are primary considerations:
10. The product must be selected primarily based on the needs of the actual providers and recipients of instruction. A product might be easily integrated with current databases, low cost, and well-established, but if its instructional tools are deficient or difficult to use, it will not be successful.
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