Learning Managements Systems and Open Educational Resources for the Teaching of Social Sciences: Monitoring Students and Virtual Interaction

Introduction

In recent years, educational environments around the world have increased the interest in e-learning in order to adapt to educational needs of student population. Using technologies in educational context responds to a need to promote the efficiency of teaching, flexibility and connections with the student’s reality (Alshormar & Bawaneh, 2018). In this context, we highlight Learning Management System (LMS), a concept emerged from e-Learning. The first LMS appeared in higher education in the late 1990s, but nowadays the majority of LMS are related to corporate market. LMS make up the largest segment of the learning system market (Davis, Carmean & Wagner, 2009). In The NMC Horizon Report: 2017 (Adams Becker, Cummins, Davis, Freeman, Hall Giesinger & Ananthanarayanan, 2017), it is indicated that, in the case of higher education, the most widespread brands of LMS are: Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Edmodo, Desire2Learn and Sakai. Although the percentage of LMS corresponding to alternative learning platforms and course development is minority, since 2011, MOOC courses have generated new possibilities. LMS have allowed learning analytics, adaptive learning (chapter 10) and dynamic social exchanges, but the report indicates that there is a need for new models, highlighting the conclusion reached by the 2017 Panel of Experts in Higher Education: LMS are owned by companies that control the platforms, making it difficult to integrate external resources that are better adapted to learning needs. These external resources such as popular tools in the classroom (Google Apps, Wordpress, Slack, iTunes, etc.) or technological advances that allow gamification, Adaptive Learning Technologies or Open Educational Resources (OER) are not always integrated into LMS. From the correspondence education using primarily print-based materials to the extent of the use of internet and the technological improving, the development of LMS has been possible.

Figure 1.

Relationship between Learning Management System, Learning Content Management System and Virtual Learning Environment

In relation to confusions between, LMS, Learning Content Management System (LCMS) and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) (chapter 9), understanding the differences between them allows teachers to search and decide properly tools. LMS is a software for managing b-learning (chapter 7), u-Learning (chapter 9), etc. Learning Content Management System (LCMS) is a software that allows user to create, develop and publish contents. These contents can be added to the learning experience through LMS. VLE is a virtual space for e-learning that bring together technology (from LMS) and contents (from LCMS) (figure 1). Considering this, in this chapter, we will start with a brief review about the history of distance education and LMS, continuing with the main features and advantages of LMS. After, aspects such as LCMS and Open Educational Resources (OER) will be conceptualized. Finally, we will present some of the most important LMS (open source, SaaS/cloud based, propriety), LCMS and OER software and websites useful for the management and design of your Social Sciences, Geography and History classes; offering possibilities that expand the advantages for teachers and students in the teaching and learning process. In other words, we will review some of the more significant LMS focusing on open source LMS, listing some examples of SaaS / cloud-based LMS and propriety LMS. Regarding open source LMS, we have selected Moodle, Canvas, ATutor and Chamilo; Regarding SaaS / cloud-based LMS, we focus on Moodle; and, in relation to propriety LMS, we focus on Blackboard Learn. Finally, we will review how to access to different OER types.