Seamless integration of academic content and tools with a
school’s learning management systems (LMS) really shouldn’t be an issue.
However, institutions regularly face challenges in integrating digital learning
materials with all the different campus systems.
“When solutions integrate well, the students and
professors shouldn’t notice any differences between our platforms and the
external content,” said Steve Kessinger, director of information services and
technology at Bluefield College, Bluefield, VA. “Integrations should enhance
the educational experience, not be a barrier.”
Integration should make access to digital content possible
from the institution’s LMS interface and not in a new window from a new
interface. Students shouldn’t have to log into the LMS a second time to access
the material. Seamless integration can also make it possible for students to immediately
access content as soon as they register for a class through their LMS accounts.
A well-integrated system allows students’ quiz and
homework grades to go directly to the LMS gradebook for review by the
instructor. It should also be easy for instructors to edit and share content
with students, while administrators should be able to see analytics and student
performance measurements.
To make it all happen, colleges and universities, along
with instructors, need to be working with LMS providers on universal standards.
“When
vendors adhere to sets of standards as opposed to proprietary approaches, it becomes
far easier for institutions to adopt their solutions,” Kessinger said. “Our
application development resources are extremely limited. Developing custom
integrations can be very time-consuming and costly.”
