Are some learners more important than others in a course management system? Most people would answer no. But they’d be mistaken.
When adopting training and teaching technologies, there is one special person whose mastery of the technology holds more consequence; whose profound understanding of the course content and its form is critical. This is, of course, the person who is delivering the material–the teacher or trainer him/herself.
“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn,” said John Cotton Dana. Good teachers and trainers are constantly learning new ideas and skills in order to evolve with changing times.
A course/learning management system, or LMS, is a big, intricate tool, though the complexity varies from system to system. If your organization is planning to implement LMS training, you’ll need LMS training courses for your staff.
Look for training classes designed to get technical staff up to speed with new technologies, as well as maintain their knowledge of system and software capabilities for their specific systems. Trainers will learn how to apply the software to tackle engineering problems in specific application areas. Some courses provide both LMS training classes and optional on-site training services.
The use of course management systems in both companies and schools is currently on the rise. However, though LMSs are commonly used in universities, their standardization in high schools is relatively sluggish. Why is this the case?
Lack of school funding and proper LMS training for educators are two reasons.
For many teachers, the span of time separating today from the day they completed their teaching degree is a long one. And though most teachers are constantly learning as they go, library resource sharing there are some new skills, like managing LMSs or online courses, that they might be lacking compared to teachers fresh out of college.
Oftentimes, educators and trainers are not well-equipped to use the technology. Training can be expensive and is often outside budget possibilities. Many people are plunged into the stormy waters of unfamiliar technology without a paddle.
The ideal is for teachers and trainers to become closely familiar with how LMS training or teaching works as quickly as possible.
For a wealth of information on classroom technology topics, there are online sources for educators such as the Educational Software chatboard on Teachers.net. You’ll also find resources related to integrating online courses in the classroom. Other sites offer tips on how to integrate online courseware into a learning system, and reports from educators who face challenges in their own blended learning environments.
If you are a courseware developer seeking a discussion forum to converse about the challenges and strategies involved in courseware creation, there are also many online resources.
Some courseware system syndicators host forums where course developers can discuss their ideas, suggestions, etc. Coggno is one such platform, hosting an author-to-author discussion forum for anyone involved in the e-learning industry, or who wants to learn more about course management systems.