A Comparison of Learning Platforms that Focus on the K-12 and Higher Education Learning Environments
Many of the educational initiatives in recent years have focused on improving the delivery of services by incorporating learning platforms that focus on the K-12 and higher education learning environments, such as WebCT or Blackboard. To determine how these learning platforms are being used today and for what learners, this paper will provide an overview of the features of learning management systems (LMS) that have assumed increasing importance for a wide range of corporate and government-sponsored learning environments. A comparison and evaluation of these platforms and their applicability to the different learning environments is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion. Background and Overview. In their book, Handbook of Distance Education Technology, Anderson and Moore (2003) suggest that it just makes good sense to use the technological innovations that have emerged in recent years to improve the delivery of educational services at all levels, including grades K-12 and beyond. "Technology, as an enabler of distributed resources," they say, "furthers the practice of a systems approach requiring integration across the organization to maximize new capabilities" (p. 175)
The research showed that recent innovations in learning management systems holds the promise of integrating structures that were previously disconnected as well as providing the ability to customize learning environments on a scope never before possible. These innovations will serve to provide all students with improved opportunities to achieve academic and professional success; they can also be reasonably expected to increase learning productivity (Lynch, 2002). The research also showed that innovative learning management strategies can help achieve the goal of helping young and adult learners regardless of whether they are distance learners or participating in a campus-based curriculum; however, even the best learning management strategies, including those with the best possible content that is precisely matched to the right business or educational objectives, will likely fail if it is poorly implemented and administered. According to Carlivati (2002), this is particularly true of learning management systems that are targeted at more sophisticated and educated adult learners. "Corporate e-learning," he says, "introduces a whole new set of change-management variables that were never of concern before, as many early adopters have discovered. These new variables range from the obvious (e.g., introducing technology to the learning process) to the subtle (e.g., motivating students to begin and continue an independent learning experience)" (p. 50). Young and adult learners alike were shown to be amenable to these emerging learning structures, and it is likely that additional and improved applications will be identified as these initiatives become more commonplace in the future. According to Anderson and Moore (2003), many of the most popular LMS applications share many of the same useful features that make them particularly useful for course management; co
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Approximate Word count = 1263
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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