Is the LMS still fit for purpose? (Fika Session)
Video Recording:
Abstract:
Learning management systems (LMS) are adopted by tertiary education providers to be the conduit through which courses are delivered. However, debates about the capacity of the LMS to meet all the required current and future needs of both students and educators have become more pronounced over the past few years, as evidenced by contributions in recent ASCILITE conferences.
This ‘fika’ webinar provided opportunities for a group discussion on the efficiency of LMS for teaching and learning by engaging with those who have raised this issue in the ASCILITE community and beyond.
The word ‘fika’ is a Swedish word that refers to a coffee break with family, friends or colleagues and implies chatting over a break or, in this case, via the webinar capabilities. The fika webinar session may also provide an opportunity for those present to put together a collaborative submission for ASCILITE 2018 on the continuing issues around the LMS in tertiary education.
Session Format:
- 10 minutes – welcome, overview, introductions
- 45 minutes – conversation
- 5 minutes – forward directions
Conversation starters:
- Was the LMS ever, or is the LMS still fit for purpose?
- From the staff perspective?
- From the student perspective?
- If not, what hybrid or alternative solutions are people coming up with?
- Is the LMS forcing conformity in terms of institutional teaching & learning practices as well education-related administrative processes? In other words, do institutions find themselves adapting to the model of teaching and learning embodied in the LMS rather than vice versa?
- Further, on the one hand, we see a desire/move towards hybrid (more flexible) solutions, while on the other, there is the drive towards learning analytics which suggests a continuing role for a large centralised system (i.e. the LMS) to collect the data required. Are these requirements incompatible with each other?
- Students continue to use apps external to the LMS regardless, such as social media. Sometimes this use is in opposition to institutional policy when used for formal learning (as opposed to informal learning). How do we respond?
