Putting Course Management Systems Behind Us

Abstract

The course management systems developed in the mid-to-late 90s helped get instructors online and partially automated course administration services in ways that saved time and effort. But the course administration function is not central to the deeper problems of providing more universal access to learning and making learning more effective. Furthermore, service-oriented architectures are starting to dominate the information technology infrastructure landscape. This chapter discusses the author’s personal history with developing a course management system and speculates how the functionality needed to support online learning is being taken apart and might be put back together.