Learning Management Systems and Instructional Design: Best Practices in Online Education

Learning Management Systems and Instructional Design is probably among the best books that were written so far on LMS and best practices in online education. As online education becomes a key player in modern education worldwide, it is important for educators and online institutions to familiarize themselves with the wealth of knowledge on the subject. Dr. Yefim Kats gathers in this book a variety of perspectives on this topic and creates a picture that is rich, detailed, and current all at once.

Kats (instructional technology, Chestnut Hill College) compiles 19 articles on learning management systems used in online education and the impact of instructional design. Using case studies, specialists in business, education, instructional technology, computer science, health care, and other areas from North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia show administrators, faculty, instructional designers, course developers, and others the learning management systems used in academia, such as Blackboard, Desire2Learn, and recent cloud-based systems; the process of system evaluation, selection, and implementation; and connecting service delivery quality and user satisfaction. They discuss software tools for supporting these systems, such as plagiarism detection tools, open-source free tools for computer science courses, tools for synchronous course delivery and support, the iPad, and Web 2.0 tools. They describe instructional design and practices, with discussion of the role of the instructor; learning theories, principles of instructional design, and learning management environments; providing personalized learning experiences; the use of blogs, social networking, Second Life, videoconferencing, and wireless technologies; and assignments and assignment types. They end with descriptions of educational techniques in logistics and supply chain management courses, learning management systems in early childhood education, and virtual tools in medical education. They do not cover learning management systems used for corporate training or related purposes