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Introduction
Introduction
Learning management systems (LMS) are used in all levels of education and corporation. I will conduct a seven-week evaluation between two different learning management systems since our current LMS is lacking, and students are frustrated with the design of their existing online courses. Students have stated that their online courses are of poor quality and unorganized. To address students' concerns, I have researched and found two different LMS I will evaluate each week and provide you with feedback on the various features and functions. I will provide you each with a recommendation for an LMS, depending on the tools that I assess. At the end of the seven weeks, I will give my overall recommendation of which LMS will provide students and faculty with the best experience. I have chosen to evaluate Brightspace and Canvas.
This week I will provide you with an overview of each LMS and my recommendation for the week. This week I will be comparing the following for each learning management system:
Creating LMS Account
Creating LMS Class
Customizing LMS Class (Banner Name and Image)
Customizing Profile (Adding Image, Name, and Email
Adding Demo Student and Doing a Quality Check
D2L Brightspace Learning Management System
D2L Brightspace Learning Management System
Overview of D2L Brightspace:
Overview of D2L Brightspace:
Brightspace was developed by D2L (Desire2Learn) and is a cloud-based learning management system used by schools, higher education, and corporations. This LMS can be used for online and blended learning courses. This system allows educators to manage digital content, create and present online materials, and assess students. Additionally, students can engage in courses, receive feedback and enhance their learning.
Brightspace Course Feedback:
Brightspace Course Feedback:
The shell course of Brightspace was created by the IT department. Once the initial shell of the course was created as the instructor, I could access the course and customize it from the home page. Initially, I changed the banner name of the course and the image associated with the course. This process was quick and easy because you could make the changes from the home page. I had to click on the three ellipsis dots on the banner to change the name and image. Additionally, when choosing the image for your course, there is a preloaded stock of photos. You can search for pictures by category. You also can upload your own image for the course.
The shell course of Brightspace was created by the IT department. Once the initial shell of the course was created as the instructor, I could access the course and customize it from the home page. Initially, I changed the banner name of the course and the image associated with the course. This process was quick and easy because you could make the changes from the home page. I had to click on the three ellipsis dots on the banner to change the name and image. Additionally, when choosing the image for your course, there is a preloaded stock of photos. You can search for pictures by category. You also can upload your own image for the course.
Another customization I tested in the demo course was creating my profile. I could access this from the home page by clicking on my name at the top and selecting "profile" from the drop-down menu. Once selecting "profile" I could upload my image and input my contact information, other personal information, and even my hobbies. When you are finished typing in your information, you can save and close the window, which returns you to the homepage.
The final set-up option I tested was setting up a demo student so that I could do a quality check. Creating a demo student was not difficult but required more steps to complete it. You can create a demo student account by locating "class list" on the navigation bar at the top of the screen. When you select "class list," you can create the demo student account. From there, you scroll down, find the demo student name, and set it to "imposter." This allows you to see the course from the students' perspective. You will know you are on the demo profile when you see the demo name in the screen's upper right-hand corner. When you finish your quality check, all you have to do is click on the orange "X" to the right of the demo name, and then you will be taken back to the teacher's home page.
Canvas Learning Management System
Canvas Learning Management System
Overview of Canvas:
Overview of Canvas:
Canvas is a web-based learning management system that learning institutions, educators, corporations, and students use. This system provided online and blended learning opportunities. Additionally, this system allows instructors to manage online courses using assignments, modules, discussions, and more. Students can receive feedback, enhance learning skills, and access all course materials.
Canvas Course Feedback:
Canvas Course Feedback:
The shell course of Canvas was created by me using the Canvas website. I was required to provide my name, email, and password to create my account. From there, setting up the course was quick and easy. Once I had my account set up and signed in, I could begin creating my course. You can create a new course by selecting the dashboard to the left of the screen on the global navigation bar. Once you have selected the "dashboard." you can select "start a new course" at the top right of the screen. A new window pops up that allows you to name your course, and then you select "create," and your course is made. Once you are in your course, you can customize your banner with an image using the settings tab to the left of the screen and upload your image.
Another customization I tested in the demo course was creating my profile. I could access my profile by selecting "account" on the global navigation bar and selecting "profile." From there, select edit profile and add your name, contact information, and biography. After adding the information to your profile, you can simply select the save button.
The final set-up option I tested was setting up a demo student so that I could do a quality check. To access this feature, I only had to select my course. Once in my course, at the top right of the screen, I only had to select "student view," and I could view as a student. Once I checked to ensure the content I added to my course was showing correctly to the students, I could simply select exit and return to the course editing page.
LMS Weekly Recommendation
LMS Weekly Recommendation
Recommendation:
Recommendation:
This week my recommendation would be Brightspace by D2L because setting up my profile, changing the name of my course, and adding an image for my course only took a few minutes. I also appreciated that the feature for adding a banner image to the course that Brightspace gave you more than one option. In Brightspace, you could upload your own photo, or there was a robust amount of pre-stocked images you could choose from. The photos even had a search bar so you could find an image that matched the theme of your course. Additionally, I chose Brightspace this week because the IT department set up my LMS, so I did not have to create an account or a class. This saved me time when setting up my course. One thing I did like about Canvas that was more difficult to set up in Brightspace was adding a demo student, so I could do a quality check. Canvas is superior in this area because the demo student feature was already created, unlike Brightspace, where I had to create a demo student. Both systems are generally comparable in the set-up options because both approaches are user-friendly. I think Brightspace had a bit more of an edge this week in that the set-up went quickly compared to Canvas.
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