If you have read my previous post on the making sense of jumbled letters, then you are familiar with the different type of management systems. If you haven't read it: stop reading this one, go back and read it, and then come back and pick this one up...
RIGHT HERE
So now that you have definitely versed on CMS, LMS, and the like, lets dig a little deeper into Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) and what makes them a strong player in the evolving world of management systems.
Delivery of learning through an LCMS begins with a pre-assessment that focuses on content. Based on the learner's profile, the system finds content from where the data is stored to either individual content chunks (Singh, 2000). Since these individual content chunks, known more commonly as Reuseable Learning Obects (RLO), can be mixed and matched to create larger personalized instruction they provide a better way to match and create personalized articles (Nichani, 2001). While Course Management Systems (CMS) are designed with the course in mind, LCMS concentrate on content. This focus on "content and the object paradigm, allows for a wide variety of strategies other than just traditional course delivery" (McGee, 2005, p. 211). Another advantage of LCMS versus CMS or Learning Management Systems (LMS) is that they are simpler to conceptualize and function compared to other management systems and typically are a fraction of the cost (McGee, 2009).
Perry (2009) breaks down some other primary benefits of LCMS that include:
Increased efficiency – ability to search the database for like content
Reusing content – central repository for storing our training. Having a storehouse of content that we could edit and reuse for different purposes helped us vastly improve the speed with which we developed training on our products.”
Reducing training time – Dynamically delivering personalized content, such as prescriptive learning programs, to provide customized training and reduce overall training time
Meeting compliance – Delivering regulatory content online, while strictly controlling versions and accounting for changes over time.
Delivering learning on demand – Organize content into smaller pieces and enable search and delivery as needed to meet the demand for just-in-time content.
With all of these advantages, it seems like LCMS have the all the answers when it comes to management systems. However, the LCMS are only as successful as the people and companies that understand the skill sets within their organizations. Success relies largely on effective development and use of RLO, and adapting to fit a learner's personal profile not just be delivery mode but learning styles (Singh, 2000). The best way to sum up all the advantages LCMS brings is that "learners not only get the instruction when they desire, but they also get only that portion of the instruction that they desire (Nichani, 2001, para. 12).
McGee, P., Carmean, C., & Jafari, A. (2005). Course management systems for learning: beyond accidental pedagogy. Hershey, PA: Information science publishing.
Nichani, M. (2001). LCMS = LMS + CMS [RLOs]. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://www.elearningpost.com/articles/archives/lcms_lms_cms_rlos/
Perry, B. (2009). Training professionals gain agility and power from LCMS technology. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://www.astd.org/lc/2009/0309_perry.html
Singh, H. (2000). Achieving interoperability in e-learning. Retrieved on July 16, 2010 from http://web.archive.org/web/20031204103410/www.learningcircuits.org/
mar2000/singh.html
Drew,
ReplyDeleteIt is apparent that an LCMS has far more advantages than a CMS or LMS alone. Who doesn't want a system that is more efficient, meets demands and needs of the learner or business that is using the LCMS. No one wants a system that is too time consuming or hard to use either and learners need something that is going to provide the learning tools just in time.
Nyssa Arcos
The spot where some LCMS fail to hit the mark is in addressing learning styles. It is extremely difficult to create content that addresses each of the various learning styles that have been identified. The best that many systems can do is address their content in the most appropriate learning style for the material being presented.
ReplyDelete-Michelle Johnson