Learning management system facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A learning management system (LMS) is a special software application that helps schools and companies manage learning. Think of it as an online hub where you can find courses, training, and learning materials. It helps teachers and trainers organize everything, track your progress, and deliver lessons.

LMS platforms became popular in the late 1990s. Almost all colleges and universities in English-speaking countries use them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many more people started using LMSs because learning moved online.

LMSs are designed to find out what students need to learn. They use data to show where there might be gaps in knowledge. While they are mostly for online learning, they can also help with in-person classes. Modern LMSs can even suggest courses based on what you already know!

What an LMS Does

How an LMS Helps You Learn

An LMS helps deliver and manage all kinds of learning materials. This includes videos, online courses, workshops, and documents. For students in schools and colleges, an LMS often has features like:

Ways to grade your work (rubrics).
Tools for teachers to guide your learning.
Discussion boards where you can talk with classmates.
A syllabus, which is like a map for your course.

A Quick Look at Learning History

Learning from a distance has a long history, even before computers!

Learning by Mail

The idea of teaching from a distance started a long time ago. In 1723, a teacher named Caleb Phillips advertised teaching materials by mail. Later, in 1840, Isaac Pitman in England started a shorthand course where students sent their work back and forth by mail. This was one of the first times people learned through two-way communication from a distance.

Learning with New Tools

In the early 1900s, people started thinking about using audio and video for teaching. In 1909, E.M. Forster wrote a story about delivering lectures using audio.

In 1924, Sidney L. Pressey created the first "teaching machine." It offered different types of practice and questions. Later, in 1933, Professor M.E. Zerte improved this machine.

This was like "multimedia" learning because it used different ways to reach students. Over time, printed materials were joined by telephones, radio, TV, and even audio and video tapes. One of the earliest online learning systems was the Plato Learning Management system (PLM) in the 1970s.

Computers and Learning

In the 1980s, computers became common in schools and colleges. They started to be used for student learning. The idea was to combine technology with education. The University of Houston even started broadcasting classes by TV in 1953! Later, in 1956, the first system that could adapt teaching for companies was released.

The Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations (PLATO) system allowed users to share content no matter where they were. By the 1970s and 1980s, many schools were thinking about putting courses online.

The Internet and the First LMS

Terms like computer-managed instruction (CMI) and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) described early ways computers helped with learning. These programs offered practice, tutorials, and personalized lessons.

One of the first internet-based LMSs was FirstClass by SoftArc. The Open University in the UK used it in the 1990s to deliver online learning.

The very first full-featured LMS was called EKKO. It was created in Norway in 1991. A few years later, in 1994, a similar system was made for businesses.

How an LMS Works

Where an LMS Lives

An LMS can be stored in two main ways:

Cloud-based: This is like using a service on the internet. A company hosts all the LMS data, and you access it through a web browser on your computer or phone. These are usually easier to use and don't need much technical skill from you.
Locally hosted: This means the school or company keeps all the LMS data on its own computers. These systems are often "open-source," meaning their code is available. This allows the school to change and maintain the software themselves. Smaller groups often choose cloud-based systems because they are cheaper and easier to manage.

LMSs use special ways to share content, like SCORM and xAPI. These are like common languages that different learning materials can use to talk to the LMS.

With an LMS, teachers can:

Create and add course materials.
Set learning goals.
Connect content with tests.
Track your progress.
Make custom tests.

An LMS helps teachers explain what you need to learn and organize your study time. It delivers learning content and tools right to you. It can also help students who might have special needs. These systems have features that let teachers track your progress. This way, you can see how you're doing, and teachers can see what's working well. A key part of an LMS is making it easy for students and teachers to talk to each other.

Cool Features of an LMS

Managing Classes and Users

LMSs help teachers create well-organized course content. Teachers can add text, pictures, videos, PDFs, tables, links, and even interactive tests. They can also set up different types of users, like teachers, students, and parents. This helps control who can see what content and track how students are doing. Teachers can also manage courses and let students sign up easily.

Online Tests and Assignments

An LMS lets teachers create tests and assignments that you can take and submit online. Most platforms offer many types of questions, such as:

Short answers.
Multiple choice.
Matching.
Essays.
True or false.
Fill-in-the-blanks.

Getting and Giving Feedback

Students can give feedback to teachers and to each other through an LMS. Teachers can create discussion groups. This lets students share ideas and ask questions. Student feedback helps teachers make courses better and ensures everyone feels included.

Learning Together or at Your Own Pace

You can learn in two main ways using an LMS:

Asynchronously: This means you learn at your own pace, whenever you want. This could be through pre-recorded videos, PDFs, or discussion forums.
Synchronously: This means you learn live, at the same time as others. This often uses video calls, live discussions, and chats.

Tracking Your Progress

LMSs often have dashboards that show how students are doing. They can report things like how many people finished a course or how likely someone is to succeed. This helps teachers understand where students might need more help.

The LMS World

The LMS market is still quite new. There are many companies that offer LMSs for schools and businesses. There are also many free, "open-source" options available.

In the U.S. higher education market, some of the most popular LMSs in late 2023 were Canvas (used by 47% of schools), Brightspace (19%), Blackboard Learn (18%), and Moodle (11%). Around the world, Moodle is very popular, used by over 50% of schools in Europe, Latin America, and Oceania.

Many people use a special tool called an authoring tool to create learning content. This content is then put onto an LMS. Some modern LMSs have their own tools for creating content.

It can be tricky to decide which LMS is best. Many studies look at how students experience and learn with different systems.

Good and Bad Sides of LMSs

People who support LMSs and those who criticize them agree that these systems are important for developing skills needed today. However, they sometimes disagree on how practical they are for teachers and students.

One study found that using an LMS made people feel more confident with computers. But the same study also found that people were less happy with the learning process itself. Another study with Indian students suggested that a bad experience with an LMS could make learning feel boring and lead to lower performance.

Good Things About LMSs

Here are six main benefits of using an LMS:

Works with other systems: LMSs use special rules that let them share information with other computer systems.
Easy to use for everyone: The consistent design of an LMS helps students with disabilities access online content more easily.
Can be reused: Learning materials on an LMS can be used again and again. This helps lower the high cost of creating online learning experiences.
Lasts a long time: More and more schools are using technology. The LMS market is expected to grow a lot by 2028.
Easy to update: Developers can keep improving LMS software and make it better for users.
Adapts quickly: LMSs are always getting better, updating, and learning new things. They have been around since the 1990s and keep changing with society.

Not-So-Good Things About LMSs

Teachers need to be ready to change their lessons from in-person to online.
Sometimes, teachers try to put their old materials directly online without making them interactive. This can make learning boring for students.

COVID-19 and LMSs

When schools closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it changed how teachers and students learned. UNESCO estimated that by May 25, 2020, over 990 million students were affected by school closures. In many countries, online education using LMSs became the main way to teach and learn. For example, one university saw student activity on its LMS almost double during the first few months of the pandemic.

How happy students were with LMSs during this time depended on the quality of the information in the courses and how confident students felt about learning. For teachers, a study in Finland found that they liked LMS technology. However, they needed good training and ways to keep students engaged for long-term success. In developing countries, switching to LMSs was harder. Many schools didn't use them before the pandemic, and there were often problems with technology and people's attitudes toward it.