Kraky Justin Wk1 LMO Overview

There are many differences in online learning environments, particularly in the way these systems are implemented, and what terminology used to describe the individual types of systems available. They have many distinctive names, such as CMS, LMS, LCMS, or PLE, but the function of all of them is primarily the same, to manage digitized content and maximize online delivery. In this blog post I will review each type of system and attempt to point out what makes each one different from the next.

Course Management Systems (CMS)

The Course Management System has its primary home in education to manage materials related to class work. Some key items that set the CMS apart from other online learning solutions are that they are able to integrate with other institutional systems that deal with student class registration, official transcripts and grading progress throughout the students’ careers, as well as connect with online library service systems. The individual courses can also be recycled semester to semester for the upcoming group of students. These systems revolve around the course itself, and the management of users in the course.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

A Learning Management System is focused on the learner. Where the CMS is course based, the LMS is learner based, addressing the needs of a more diverse group of individuals liked to that in the commercial realm. These systems are used to train and certify employees at a particular company or business, where the learners in a group may be at various levels, ranks, departments or working towards specific certifications. An LMS system focuses on what the learner needs to achieve knowledge and skills.

Learning Content Management System (LCMS)

The Learning Content Management System is the blend of the LMS into the CMS. These were designed originally for very large organizations like the military, where you may have to train a large number of learners in many different areas using smaller training modules and Reusable Learning Objects (RLO). These RLOs could be taken from a library of very specific trainings and adapted to fit an individualized course lesson. In this way subject matter could be constructed out of many smaller pieces without having to recreate the material for each lesson, and can maintain congruency across lessons.

Personal Learning Environments (PLE)

A Personal Learning Environment is the future adaptation of a learning environment where the learner designs their coursework around what they want to learn individually. It is very rooted in social networking where the learner surrounds themselves specifically with experts in the chosen field of study. In this way the learner can customize their learning experience to suit their individual needs. Issues arise with this type of system as far as what methods or standards are used to accredit or validate that the learner is gaining skill. The term PLE is very new, of the last decade, but we may start seeing some systems shift in this direction.