Ashley Bonte

June 24, 2014

EDET 755

Annotated Bibliography
Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Introduction

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application that is used as the platform for
online education to take place. It contains the information that allows instructors to facilitate
learning through documenting and tracking specific information on students. Typically most
learning management systems allow for collaboration between individuals and follow a blended
learning approach for college students. With this knowledge as a basis, I decided to look further
into the latest research and case studies surrounding learning management systems to gain a
better understanding, and know where learning management systems are headed.

Blended Learning

Dias, S., & Diniz, J. (2013). FuzzyQoI model: A fuzzy logic-based modeling of users' quality of
interaction with a learning management system under blended learning. Computers &
Education, 6938-59.

Learning Management Systems are discussed here in relation to a social constructivist theory
under the blended learning aspect. In order to determine how efficient a course has proven for a
student, a look must be taken into the users quality of interaction with LMS. This paper
introduces a study that uses a system able to determine the quality of interaction called
FuzzyQol. This includes the professors and the students quality of learning through a blended
learning environment and LMS Moodle.

Dias, S., & Diniz, J. (2014). Towards an Enhanced Learning Management System for Blended
Learning in Higher Education Incorporating Distinct Learners' Profiles. Journal Of Educational
Technology & Society, 17(1), 307-319.

In order to implement a collaborative and interactive LMS in a blended learning environment,
the key is making sure stakeholders understand and are committed to the system. This study
looked at learners background and the feedback they provided surrounding the LMS. Most of
these participants were college students hoping to achieve an undergraduate degree and taking
an online course to each this goal. The main discoveries that were seen here were that LMS in
a blended learning environment need to have a lot of interactivity in order to reach high levels of
achievement. It is also important to keep up with the latest trends in technology and continue
training and incorporating new tools as they are delivered.

Tucker, C. R. (2013). The Basics of Blended Instruction. Educational Leadership, 70(6), 57-60.

This article, while based around forming a strong blended learning environment, offers great
suggestions to make a implement a successful learning management system. The first piece
discussed involves setting realistic goals. This is where the learning management systems
comes into play. It must match the goals of the organization and therefore, support the tools and
other programs. The next focus is making sure that the technology is improving the methods


and resources that were being used before. If the learning management system does not
increase the motivation or academic learning, then it is essential unneeded. There are some
excellent points made about discussions boards and how participants will excel if these are
structured in a way that is easy to manage. Finally, if students do not have access to the
internet, there are some options that learning management systems can offer so students still
have an opportunity to work without being connected for the whole session.

Culturally Influenced LMS

Emelyanova, N., & Voronina, E. (2014). Introducing a Learning Management System at a
Russian University: Students' and Teachers' Perceptions. International Review Of Research In
Open & Distance Learning, 15(1), 272-289.

A look into Learning Management Systems is clearly laid out. Emphasis is on the success of
LMS being how the stakeholders take to the system. A good analysis of the ways of stakeholder
buy-in is discussed as well as how to anticipate problems instead of dealing with them after the
fact. These strategies are then seen in a Russian Universities process where a number of other
questions are raised. There is a close look at how the system is convenient, effective, and
useful. There is also a clear difference in the student and the teachers perceptions of a LMS
and how this gap can be bridged.

Foley, A., & Masingila, J. (2014). Building capacity: challenges and opportunities in large class
pedagogy (LCP) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Higher Education, 67(6), 797-808.

This paper begins by analyzing how higher education is being sought out by students all over
the world, but particularly in developing countries. Because of the large class sizes, there are
many obstacles in providing quality education. This has called for a turn to technology to offer
better educational opportunity as well as training for educators. There are a number of learning
management systems that can supplement and even replace the traditional form of classroom
learning which are looked at in this paper. While the activities and data collection are different,
the effect is far more beneficial. A close look is taken into Moodle and the different educational
opportunities in Africa, one of those developing countries that is ready for a change in order to
implement a better educational process.

Lwoga, E. (2014). Critical success factors for adoption of web-based learning management
systems in Tanzania. International Journal Of Education & Development Using Information &
Communication Technology, 10(1), 4-21.

This paper examines learning management systems in Tanzaniea by conduction a study on the
rate of return of undergraduate students after an e-learning model. The learning management
system is described in detail as it varies based on the country and pedagogy adopted there.
Part of the results discuss the importance of high quality instructors and systems. Without these,
students did not perceive the information as useful or satisfying. If a student believed that the
course was useful, then this in turn meant they had the intention of using the information and
LMS in the future to continue learning and progressing. Retention is a main focus in Tanzaniea
so close analysis of professional development and tools such as the LMS are constantly being
done.

Stein, S. (2014). Lessons Learned Building the Online History Program at the University of
Memphis. History Teacher, 47(3), 373-386.



This article takes a look at LMS at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. The history of
technology and how it has been implemented over the past two decades is discussed in detail
to set the foundation for the article. Their technology system for carrying out education classes
is called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). This is examined and how it works as an LMS
platform by allowing collaboration between faculty as well as students. Some of the common
systems within MOOC include blackboard, Desire2Learn, and WebCt. While these are
discussed in general, no one platform is given a higher effective rating over another. Each LMS
serves its own purpose and the students in Tennessee are benefiting from them, according to
the author.

Interfaces for LMS

ABDOUS, M. (2013). Toward an Alternative Learning Environment Interface for Learning
Management Systems. International Journal On E-Learning, 12(1), 5-22.

According to this article, most learning management systems are said to offer a fragmented
interface. A new type of learning to understand content has emerged called the learning
environment interface (LEI). This is means to enable students to focus on learning and to
understand the information while being able to make connections and form relationships
between course tasks. LEI is said to be flexible, user centered, and seamless. It is said to have
answered the call for what learning management systems fall short on. Feedback is received
from students who on this new model and feedback shows that students are more satisfied with
LEI because of the content structure, the layout, and the organizational manner.

Laughton, P. (2011). The use of wikis as alternatives to learning content management systems.
Electronic Library, 29(2), 225-235.

This article looks at a wiki to see if it can be used in place of learning content management
systems in an online learning environment. A group of undergraduate students participated I a
class and responded through a survey to come to a conclusion on the better tool for online
learning. While the wiki can replace a learning content management system, it is not the
preferred means. The positives that come with a wiki is the fact that it can be used effectively to
communicate and collaborate with peers. This allows for peer to peer learning without the
constant involvement from a facilitator. Since the tools were used simultaneously in the course
instead of with two separate groups of students, a clear conclusion on the better tool can not be
drawn.

Tosun, C., & Takesenligil, Y. (2011). Using the MOODLE Learning Management System in
Problem Based Learning Method. International Online Journal Of Educational Sciences, 3(3),
1021-1045.

This study looked at a group of undergraduates taking an online chemistry course through a
modular object oriented dynamic learning environment (MOODLE). There is also a close look at
project-based learning and whether learning management systems such as MOODLE. In order
to form an opinion, students opinions were used, personal interviews, and the analysis of
documents. The conclusions drawn deal specifically with MOODLE as tied to project-based
learning. There were positive effects on students as opposed to a project-based lesson without
MOODLE. A high quality education was received, participation and engagement increased, and
an interactive setting was present the entire course.



Wang, Q., Lit Woo, H., Lang Quek, C., Yang, Y., & Liu, M. (2012). Using the Facebook group as
a learning management system: An exploratory study. British Journal Of Educational
Technology, 43(3), 428-438.

This study was done at a teaching organization in Singapore to find out what student
perceptions are in using this learning medium. while students approved of this method! it has a
number of limitations. There are only certain types of files that can be uploaded causing more
work for students to have to convert the file type and even not being able to share certain types
at all. The organization structure was also limited and did not compare highly in this aspect to
other learning management systems. There is also a privacy issue with using Facebook that
students shared concerns about. A separation of personal and professional life was an
expectation that is not easily upheld.

LMS Tools & Methods

Chaiprasurt, C., & Esichaikul, V. (2013). Enhancing Motivation in Online Courses with Mobile
Communication Tool Support: A Comparative Study. International Review Of Research In Open
& Distance Learning, 14(3), 377-400.

This article looks at the motivation between two groups of learnings in an online learning
system where one has access to support of mobile communication tools, and the other does
not. This means that the learning management system is available to both groups, but one has
access to it via mobile devices. Because this access is available to only one group, a
connection is made that shows learner motivation and interaction among other learners and the
instructor is stronger when the LMS has mobile capability. The observations made between the
two groups took on a number of different focuses to come to this conclusion. Not only were the
engagement and academic performance measured in an objective way, but the relevance,
confidence, and satisfaction were also measured. Strong support was seen when students had
the mobile support over not having mobile support.

De-Marcos, L., Domnguez, A., Saenz-de-Navarrete, J., & Pags, C. (2014). An empirical study
comparing gamification and social networking on e-learning. Computers & Education, 7582-91.

Learning management systems have the capability of adding gamification and social networking
as a plug-in. This idea was tested in an undergraduate course in order to see what the effect
was on students performance. The results of this were positive. They also looked at the
academic achievement of students and found that it was no higher than traditional approaches
to online learning, and in fact fall behind in this area. While attitudes were more positive when
social networking and gamification is used within the LMS, there was not an increase in
participation on the students parts which the authors described as being different than their
current assumptions.

Schoonenboom, J. (2014). Using an adapted, task-level technology acceptance model to
explain why instructors in higher education intend to use some learning management system
tools more than others. Computers & Education, 71247-256.

College instructors were given a questionnaire in an attempt to determine why certain tasks are
performed through a LMS tool while others are not. The main component that was noted as
missing is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) perspective. Therefore, the questionnaire


was based around a task-level TAM and looked at a number of issues. The results were that
when teachers did not intend to use a LMS, it was because of three things. First, the task was of
low importance. Second, the LMS was not seen as being useful to the instructor. Finally, the
LMS was too difficult to use. Therefore, we know that not only does the LMS tool need to meet
the needs of the instructor and be easy to use, but the task also needs to have high relevance.

Other Topics (Media, Assessment, and Disabilities)

Babu, R., & Singh, R. (2013). Enhancing Learning Management Systems Utility for Blind
Students: A Task-oriented, User-Centered, Multi-Method Evaluation Technique. Journal Of
Information Technology Education, 121-32.

This study looks at how learning management systems fall short when it comes to blind and
visually impaired students. A task-oriented, user-centered, multi-method evaluation (TUME)
technique was used to arrive at the conclusion that there is a lot of work to do to evaluate
learning management systems in regards to blind and visually impaired students, but that there
is a method. We also learn that TUME will add accessibility components to learning
management systems when implemented. There are three distinct aspects that are used which
address design problems, how these problems relate to users, and solutions for these.

Bogdanovi, Z., Bara, D., Popovi, S., Jovani, B., & Radenkovi, B. (2014). Evaluation of
mobile assessment in a learning management system. British Journal Of Educational
Technology, 45(2), 231-244.

This article specifically talks about what happens when academic information that is typically
delivered through the Moodle learning management system, is delivered through mobile devices
instead. The study specifically focused on students habits, motivations, and technical abilities in
an online class. The study focused on a mobile quiz as the activity to be delivered on a mobile
device. This was done through usage of students and the faculty at the University of Belgrade.
The findings show that students are more satisfied when they are able to use their mobile
devices to interact throughout the learning process, especially to take quizzes. Satisfaction and
motivation were shown to increase.

Mengping Tsuei1, m. (2014). Mathematics Synchronous Peer Tutoring System for Students with
Learning Disabilities. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 17(1), 115-127.

This study took four fourth-grade students with learning disabilities and had them participate in
an online peer learning setting for mathematics. The learning management system that was
used was one that provided activities in a module for teachers to provide as peer tutoring
activities. From this article, we find out that learning management systems proved effective in
enhancing the academic knowledge surrounding mathematics. The conceptual math problems
as well as application ones were included and data showed an increase in knowledge in both
areas. The biggest and most beneficial gain was in foundational understanding of math fluency.
There is support for synchronous peer tutoring systems when it comes to enriching math
concepts for students.

Tasci, T., Parlak, Z., Kibar, A., Tasbasi, N., & Cebeci, H. (2014). A Novel Agent-Supported
Academic Online Examination System. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 17(1),
154-168.



Learning management systems must have a means to assess and evaluate students in a form
that is informative and efficient. Therefore, the online examination system must be managed
correctly in order to be of high quality. In order to do this, certain capabilities such as being able
to create and edit questions, develop full comprehensive exams, easy access and availability to
students, and managing the way students receive feedback must be taken into account.
Sakarya University was analyzed and provide results on these facts. It found that their distance
education system was able to detect problems that came up and in order to be proactive about
the approaches that need to be taken. Because of the flexibility and ability to resolve problems
that arise, this system is an excellent onto use for online exams.

DeCesare, J. (2014). Multimedia and Video Resources. Library Technology Reports, 50(2), 21-
32.

This article talks about the different video resources that are available for learning management
systems and even provides an annotated list as to why they are suitable. These videos are able
to be embedded and used on sites such as Wiki. There are excellent reasons as to why these
forms of media can be incorporated into learning management systems and other means and
follows the latest technological stance as well. The last part of this article focuses on some
negative aspects and issues that come up when implementing multimedia content and how
these are different from trying to find an appropriate piece of text online.

Thoms, B., & Eryilmaz, E. (2014). How media choice affects learner interactions in distance
learning classes. Computers & Education, 75112-126.

Learning management systems have competition on the rise when distance learning in higher
education is looked at closely. Due to the social interaction that online learning tries to replicate,
online social networking offers an alternative to learning management systems software. The
theoretical model was used in this study to show how students learn and interact with online
communities. The results were that students experienced higher levels of perceived social
interaction and community when using online social networking than with learning management
systems. The educational experienced also proved to be more engaging.


Conclusion

There are a number of things that can be said of learning management systems. First, they are
prevalent in a blended learning environment and serve as a means for online learning to take
place. There is a strong and relevant pedagogy behind this topic, and the number of different
platform options are numerous. While some applications are looked at to replace the learning
management systems (such as wikis and Facebook) they do not offer a better solution overall.
These sites may be more engaging or call for more social interaction, but they do not replace
what learning management systems have been able to create. There are a number of tools and
components within learning management systems. While there is still work being done in this
area, we do know that rich media can be integrated and assessment options are of high value.
Therefore, the final area that really needs to be addressed with learning management systems
is their accessibility. Students with learning disabilities have shown that they can succeed in
through a learning management system when carefully construed. Cases have even been done
that show a way to make these systems more accessible for the blind and visually impaired.
While this is a step in the right direction, there is more work that can be done in this area.
Learning management systems have worked and while they have areas that are still being


developed, the question still remains: will learning management systems be the future for online
learning, or will something more effective replace it in the near future?

**All articles retrieved from Education Full-Text (EBSCO/H.W. Wilson) through the USCA
Gregg-Graniteville Library.