scholarly journals Becoming more systematic about flexible learning: beyond time and distance

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim De Boer ◽  
Betty Collis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Flexible Learning

Changes in higher education frequently involve the need for more flexibility in course design and delivery. Flexibility is a concept that can be operationalized in many ways. One approach to conceptualizing flexibility within courses is to distinguish planning-type flexibility, which the instructor can designate before the course begins and which needs to be managed when the course is offered, for interpersonal flexibility, which relates more to the dynamics of the course as it is experienced by the learners. Course management systems (CMSs) offer options that can support both of these sorts of flexibility, if instructors use the CMSs with a systematic frame of reference. The instructor faces challenges in managing both types of flexibility, but the experience at one institution shows that being systematic about flexibility choices and ways to support those choices in the institutional CMS can help in meeting these challenges.DOI: 10.1080/0968776042000339781

Future Directions of Course Management Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 307-330
Author(s):  
David Mills
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Mission

Course management systems will unquestionably become one of the most critical enterprise systems in higher education. This is because these systems are more closely aligned with the core mission of teaching and learning than any others. Although these systems have already undergone extraordinary transformation in just a few short years, we are at only the very beginning of the evolutionary process. It is critical that CMS vendors look to the students, educators, and administrators that interact with these systems to identify what new tools and features they need. Consequently, the next stage of innovation in course management systems should therefore focus more on features specifically related to promoting better and more efficient processes for teaching and learning online. More flexible administration options should make these systems easier to maintain. Emerging standards will continue to simplify communications and data exchange with other systems. Finally, the infusion of sound principles of instructional design and learning theory into the tools themselves promises to transform today’s course management systems into tomorrow’s expert systems for teaching and learning.

Frameworks for CMS Design and Evaluation

2011 ◽  
pp. 69-89
Author(s):  
Marwin Britto
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Conceptual Frameworks ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Evaluation Instruments ◽  
The Web

In recent years, institutions of higher education have been migrating to the Web for instruction in record numbers. While Web-based course management systems (CMS) offer many exciting possibilities for instructors and students, their efficacy in terms of teaching and learning has not been thoroughly evaluated. This chapter explores the inherent capabilities and limitations of five models of conceptual frameworks for the design of CMS. The chapter concludes with a discussion of CMS evaluation instruments, advice for instructors transitioning to CMS, and a call for more research in this growing area.

Electronic courseware in higher education

First Monday ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Minielli ◽  
S. Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Space And Time

The rising costs of education often lead to the call for a change from the traditional, space–and–time bound institutions to ones that offer increasingly cost–effective, technologically enhanced programs. As institutions of higher education turn to technology, primarily Internet–based, to address these challenges, the use of electronic courseware is dramatically increasing. In order to effectively utilize electronic courseware in the classroom, educators not only need to be aware of terminology, functions, and uses of the most popular types of electronic courseware, but also (and perhaps more importantly) educators need to develop and critique pedagogically based research that can, at the broader level, help educators at various levels of technological expertise learn and adapt their teaching styles to maximize student learning. In this paper we consider electronic course management systems from a pedagogical perspective, with the goal of aiding educators to effectively utilize electronic courseware in the classroom. By discussing the basics (such as terminology, functions, and uses of the most popular types of electronic courseware) and examining pedagogically based research we hope, at the broader level, to help educators at various levels of technological expertise learn and adapt their teaching styles to maximize student learning.

Future Directions of Course Management Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 3535-3548
Author(s):  
D. David
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Mission

Course management systems will unquestionably become one of the most critical enterprise systems in higher education. This is because these systems are more closely aligned with the core mission of teaching and learning than any others. Although these systems have already undergone extraordinary transformation in just a few short years, we are at only the very beginning of the evolutionary process. It is critical that CMS vendors look to the students, educators, and administrators that interact with these systems to identify what new tools and features they need. Consequently, the next stage of innovation in course management systems should therefore focus more on features specifically related to promoting better and more efficient processes for teaching and learning online. More flexible administration options should make these systems easier to maintain. Emerging standards will continue to simplify communications and data exchange with other systems. Finally, the infusion of sound principles of instructional design and learning theory into the tools themselves promises to transform today’s course management systems into tomorrow’s expert systems for teaching and learning.

Frameworks for CMS Design and Evalution

2011 ◽  
pp. 1281-1291
Author(s):  
Marwin Britto
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Conceptual Frameworks ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Evaluation Instruments ◽  
The Web

In recent years, institutions of higher education have been migrating to the Web for instruction in record numbers. While Web-based course management systems (CMS) offer many exciting possibilities for instructors and students, their efficacy in terms of teaching and learning has not been thoroughly evaluated. This chapter explores the inherent capabilities and limitations of five models of conceptual frameworks for the design of CMS. The chapter concludes with a discussion of CMS evaluation instruments, advice for instructors transitioning to CMS, and a call for more research in this growing area.

On becoming a Web site

First Monday ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Punya Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Course Management Systems ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Course Management ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Teaching Online

The course Web site is a critical mediator between the instructor and students in online classes. This requires a shift in how instructors think of their presence and influence on the classroom. This essay, based on the author’s personal experience in designing and teaching online, argues that the design of the course Web site needs to carefully reflect the passions and pedagogical philosophy that drive the instructor. It is also an argument against one–size–fits–all approaches to online course design as instantiated in most course management systems.

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