OVERVIEW

The readings provide you with an excellent introduction to the functionality and capabilities of a Learning Management Systems (LMS). You should glean from the readings how an LMS can be used to manage educational processes. By examining the Blackboard and Moodle websites, you should get a deeper understanding of the range and depth of what an LMS can do for your school or organization.

ASSIGNMENT

Read the Clement-Okooboh (2012) and Kwan (2012) articles and summarize and explain how an LMS can be used to support educational processes. Both articles provide good background in this area. (Kwan (2012) uses the Commonwealth of Learning e-Learning for International Organizations (COLeLIO) as an illustrative example of using a LMS.)

Go to Blackboard (http://www.blackboard.com/) and Moodle (http://moodle.com/) websites. Explore and examine the sites and determine the capabilities of the LMS product that they offer. Each site offers an LMS solution for a variety of audiences and markets (K-12, Higher Educations, Corporate etc.). You will have to be able to compare and contrast the LMSs from both companies.

Put yourself in the role of an educator who has to recommend the purchase of an LMS for your organization. You have narrowed your choices to the final two vendors Blackboard and Moodle. You must prepare an executive briefing essay of 4 pages to the top administrators of your school or organization. You must recommend the selection of one of the two LMSs offered by Blackboard or Moodle.

Include a matrix (table) in your essay that shows a comparison of the two LMS products. You may determine which criteria you wish for the comparison. This matrix should appear as either a table or an appendix (in APA format).
In your executive briefing essay you must:

Explain how to manage educational processes within a technology-based environment.

Compare and contrast the features and functions of various Learning Management Systems (LMS).

Describe how the selected LMS is appropriate for your intended audience.