Learning Management System 2.0: Higher Education

Introduction

Higher education institutions encounter challenges to maintain the quality of academic programs and make important changes in their quality of teaching, learning, as well as research (Caret, 2013). The institution needs to adapt strategically and to create new possibilities for learning through the benefits of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to widen students’ choices in the academic process. Universities are taking advantage of the recent development in ICT, especially the social networks, Web 2.0, mobile technology, and embracing Learning Management System (LMS) as an integral part of online learning architecture, meaning that the second generation of LMS namely LMS 2.0 extends the recent online learning into more functionalities and features like multi-way user interactions. LMS is a widely used terminology to address online learning in a broader perspective because it covers information systems which include technology, students, and business processes. Recently, LMS has become a critical system for higher institutions in embedding ICT into the learning process. LMS is seen as a promising method for working adults who want to upgrade their education level.

As a system, LMS can be viewed as a strategy to retain existing users and attract new ones. User retention is important for growth and sustainability of the higher education as a service. LMS can also be used to extend other services to the users or customers. In the higher education environment, organizations are challenged not only to retain existing services but also to acquire pervasive knowledge within the LMS. With the growing competition among education providers, managing and providing better services through better LMS is a strategy that needs to be carefully planned to avoid failure. The reasons for failure may vary – users who are not ready for online learning systems, inadequate IT support, a poor interface, presentation and content, many hidden costs from the vendor, a complicated system, lack of support, etc. Future LMS initiatives must be seen as a strategy for significant improvement in services by solidifying satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy through ICT, and most importantly as pervasive knowledge gateway for the students. Consequently, LMS must address the dynamic nature of users’ needs and adjustment strategies embedded in LMS.

The objective of this chapter is to lay the foundation in higher education to consider emerging technologies in this case LMS 2.0 to take advantage of pervasive knowledge management, efficiency and effectiveness of operations. This chapter is organized as follows: the next section will discuss in more detail the literature analysis on LMS and cloud computing, Section 3 explains research methodology, the discussion is in Section 4, and Section 5 is the conclusion.