Moodle: LMS, CMS, LCMS?

LMS, CMS, LCMS…? There seems to be some uncertainty in the way we use some of the big buzzwords of e-learning. The computer application Moodle, for example, is sometimes called a course management system (CMS), a content management system (also CMS), a learning content management system (LCMS), but it is most often referred to as a learning management system (LMS). Watson in “An Argument for Clarity: What are Learning Management Systems, What are they not, and What should they become?” (2007) argues that a proper distinction of terminology is important and that computer applications, such as Moodle, should not be called “learning management systems” but “course management systems.” If you go to the moodle website, moodle presents itself as a “learning platform” (see: https://docs.moodle.org/34/en/About_Moodle).

Be it LMS or CMS, online learning platforms, such as Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai, and Edmodo, are key components and central tools of the ubiquitous learning framework and are most commonly used for online or blended learning. They provide an instructor with “a set of tools and a framework that allows the relatively easy creation of online course content and the subsequent teaching and management of that course including various interactions with students taking the course” (EDUCAUSE Evolving Technologies Committee, Course Management Systems CMS, 2003; as quoted in Watson, p. 29). Learning platforms, such as Moodle, allow teachers: 1) to place course material online (from text, images, videos, and links), 2) to develop online quizzes and evaluations, 3) to store and grade student homework submissions, and 4) to track student performances in a grade-book. It also provides 5) a communication infrastructure between students and teachers through forums, wikis, and private messages.

Moodle is one of the most widely used learning platforms, especially in higher education, and is a free and open-source system. By the way, the acronym stands for modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment. It has a very active community of users, including online tutorials, forums, but also regular meetings and conferences (so-called “Moodle moots”) that allow teachers and users to exchange experiences or get additional training. The technical aspects of Moodle, however, such as customization, security, updates, maintenance and servers, can be quite daunting, and are probably one of the major drawbacks of Moodle, since it requires significant technical and administrative support.

Bibliography:

Watson, William R. (2007). "An Argument for Clarity: What are Learning Management Systems, What are They Not, and What Should They Become?" TechTrends. 51 (2): 28–34.