Technology Enhanced Classroom Teaching, Learning, & Organization
We're creating a place where current & future educators can come to learn, compare, & contrast different learning management systems to decide which is most suitable for them.
What Learning Management Systems Afford
Connection
Whether it is a face-to-face session or chatting away on a discussion board, LMS allows users to connect virtually.
Communication
Using LMS allows instructors to use tools such as digital inboxes, direct messaging, announcements, notifications and more!
Content
LMS each have unique ways to integrate media such as videos, images, audio recordings, and even external website integrations.
Underlying Learning Theories
Importantly we need to define an LMS. Falvo & Johnson define an LMS as "a system used to provide students with 'learning materials and activities while tracking participation and progress through data systems and assessments (2007).'”​
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Though we recognize that LMS can establish clear & impactful connections, communication, and content sharing, it is also crucial to explore how a learning management system (LMS) affects learning. This effect on learning occurs through the application of learning theory strategies that underlie LMS usage.
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Behaviorist, cognitivist, & constructivist theoretical approaches all underlie various LMS tools & implementations.
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Below are explorations into how these theoretical approaches may appear in the use of LMS tools & implementations:
Behaviorist
“Behaviorism equates learning with changes in either the form or frequency of
observable performance." Shaping is also an integral fact of behaviorism, in which desired behaviors are rewarded & consequently create a new behavior that the learner did not previously do.
HOW CAN THIS BE ACHIEVED IN ANY LMS?
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Quizzes, Surveys, Self-Assessments
provide correct answers that reward students or lead to mastery.
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Goals & Objectives
instructors can review if students are progressing towards learning goals through the completion of content & performance-based assessments.
(Hodges, C. & Grant, M., 2015, p. 481)
Cognitivist
Cognitivism focuses less on observable behaviors & focuses more on developing “thinking” & implementing strategies to meaningfully code new stimuli in a learner.
It can be effectively implemented when well-organized instruction & instructional materials, as well as sequencing, are paired with “opportunities for learners to practice and monitor their learning.”
HOW CAN THIS BE ACHIEVED IN ANY LMS?
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Modules:
allow class content to be sequenced, separated, & built on each other in a way that is not overwhelming for learners.
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Calendar:
can provide students an opportunity to create a meaningful study plan, organize their time, & can help direct students’ attention to the relevant topics in a course at any particular time, as well as help them monitor their learning as the complexity of the content increases.
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Multimedia content:
can capture student attention & allow for linkages between topics to be formed, improve recall, & allow for differentiation from a considerable amount of uniform information, such as a large body of text. When used efficiently, varied media such as text, graphics, animations, video, and audio can support learning.
(Hodges, C. & Grant, M., 2015, p. 481)
Constructivist
Constructivism interprets learning as an active process in which learners construct their own knowledge and understanding using their own experiences. “Learning becomes active when students are able to connect new knowledge with their prior understanding,” interact with others & their environment, & when learner needs are met.
HOW CAN THIS BE ACHIEVED IN ANY LMS?
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Discussions:
allow for interactions among students where experiences & unique knowledge can be shared, social negotiation & scaffolding can occur, & collaboration can be mediated.
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Blogs & Journals:
provide a place for students to reflect on their newly constructed knowledge.
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Assignment Submissions:
allow learners to communicate their interpretations of new knowledge situated in the context of real-world scenarios relative to the profession the student desires to pursue.
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Rubrics:
allow instructors to provide meaningful feedback on assignments that can scaffold student learning with included expectations, planning, & goal setting.
(Hodges, C. & Grant, M., 2015, p. 481)