The Evolution of Learning Management Systems and E-Learning Tools

July 23, 2009

E-learning and learning management systems need to evolve with a changing world, just as other systems have.

 

 

Take Scrabble, for instance–the word game that tests your vocabulary and ability to arrange words on a board in a strategic way. I’ve always loved the game and considered myself a pretty good player.

 

 

But it’s changed in recent years–in the same way as education has changed. And the way of playing it has had to change with the different rules.

 

 

In traditional Scrabble, if I’m not sure the word I want to use is a real word, I either refrain from playing it or play it and take my chances. In case you aren’t familiar with the game, the chances were this: if a person wants to challenge my iffy word, they can do so–grab a standard dictionary and look for the word. If it isn’t there, I have to take my non-word off and forfeit my next turn as punishment. If the word does exist, the challenger has to forfeit their next turn. This part of the game was always, for me, quite essential, at the heart of Scrabble.

 

 

But on online Scrabble, this part of the game is no longer relevant. And yet, people are still playing and loving cyber Scrabble. I don’t play it myself, but I asked a friend who does how it works, and why it’s still fun. "Can’t you just look up words?" I asked her. "Can’t people just cheat?" "Well, it’s not cheating to look up words on online Scrabble," she replied. "So, of course you can."

 

 

E-learning courses can face the same conundrum. From online training and learning content to the use of discussion boards and other Web 2.0 tools for educational purposes, who’s to say a student isn’t simply looking up the answer, copying and pasting responses, learning nothing? This is possible in some settings, and depending on the content, it may have a profound impact on the content’s effectiveness.

 

 

That’s why built-in tools to track, test, and enhance student progress are essential e-learning strategies which can be provided by a robust learning management system.

 

 


Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno’s Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced.

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LMS Training Teamwork: Because None of Us is Just Like Any Other

July 1, 2009

In LMS training programs, oftentimes trainers ask staff members to work in groups to develop ideas, produce reports, and assume different roles within a group to achieve organizational objectives.

 

We’ve all seen the corporate art poster that reads "TEAMWORK" at the top, and at the bottom, the old Japanese proverb: "None of us is as smart as all of us." There’s a photo in the center of hands of placed one over the other, suggesting that cooperation and team spirit yield success.

 

Some of us with a dryer sense of humor have also appreciated another poster, with the same image and "TEAMWORK" at the top. Below the image reads the slogan: "None of us is as dumb as all of us."

 

Which slogan is more accurate, humor aside? Are teams a worthwhile venture in a training program–or in any educational context, for that matter?

 

Studies have shown that when a strong and clear structure exists, team learning systems can be highly efficient and successful. When lead by an experienced trainer or organized by an LMS online system, the benefits of creating teams for training purposes outweigh the few hazards of teamwork. But teams do need to be coordinated correctly.

 

Everyone is born with different talents, and throughout our lives, we each cultivate different sets of skills. We all have something unique to offer. Experienced teachers have always understood this, which is why group projects continue to be assigned to students–even in this individualistic day and age.

 

However, despite the fact that "teamwork" is a sort of buzzword in the corporate world, businesses often make only put forth a superficial effort to create a functional and trusting team environment. Many managers continue to nurture competitive work environments, convinced that the strongest employees will rise to the surface.

 

This becomes a major obstacle to corporate team-building efforts–managers themselves often possess weak teamwork skills or don’t really believe in teamwork, and so imparting and fostering these skills in others becomes difficult and unrealistic.

 

But when teams are organized and guided with good faith, a successful team learning experience creates a happy, productive staff. But when teams are handled poorly–tasks are unclear, competition exists, etc.–the opposite scenario becomes true: a tense, unhappy, and unproductive staff.

 

Create and distribute engaging learning experiences with Coggno’s Learning Management System (LMS) Online. Easy to use, robust and reasonably priced.

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