The
learning management system (LMS) of the future—possibly the near future—will
enable colleges and universities to connect a variety of educational and
administrative applications together as needed, much like a set of building
blocks. At least that’s the scenario the Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) is
working toward.
In
a report in Campus Technology, ELI
Executive Director Malcolm Brown said his team originally assumed the LMS would
still work as a single application, although with greater functionality. They
came to realize that institutions needed to be able to tailor their LMS to
accommodate the wide array of course activities and the needs of a diverse
student body.
“Again,
that takes you away from the idea of a single application being able to fit the
bill for all comers,” Brown said. “We decided an ‘uber application’ is not
going to work.”
One
possibility is that the LMS could provide the main interface for students, who
would access other applications through it. Or, students could log directly
into applications, with the LMS serving as a connection.
The
biggest challenge, Brown noted, will be working out open standards to allow
systems to plug in multiple applications.