The NATO DEEP eAcademy e-Instructor Certification Programme, Subject 3: Learning Management System has come to an end. During this subject, we focused on the technical side of e-learning. Students learnt how to use functionalities of LMS ILIAS 7.2 and how to create interactive course content in the SCORM format and much more. The tutors were two SMEs: Giorgi Kokhreidze and Vitalijs Slendins.
We continue our journey with Questions and Answers with NATO DEEP eAcademy’s experts. This week we asked Giorgi Kokhreidze and Vitalijs Slendins about their experience in the area of distance learning.
Question 1.
What are the key features of a learning management system, and how do they support online instruction?
When evaluating a learning management system, the following factors should be taken into account:
- the cost of the platform – there are both paid and free platforms;
- Functionality – the requirements and capabilities of the platform should be evaluated;
- safety ;
- Simplicity – to be easy for staff, academic staff and students;
- possibility of development;
- interface;
In online education, the learning management system has a practically irreplaceable place. Therefore, it should be selected after a detailed analysis.
Question 2.
How can you use a learning management system to manage course materials, assessments, and student progress?
A learning management system provides a unique means of creating a course. In the course, the teacher can upload any kind of material, for example: literature, presentations, video, audio, pictures, etc.
The platform allows you to create assignments, tests and surveys. Which can be used to evaluate listeners. Courses also have the ability to track student activity.
Question 3.
What are some common technical issues that instructors may encounter when using a learning management system, and how can they be resolved?
The main challenges for instructors when working in learning management systems are:
1. Ignorance of working with the platform – the most optimal way to solve this is to train instructors.
2. In most cases, instructors have difficulty preparing material for a distance course in a different way than classroom teaching – to solve this problem, training and active involvement of the instructional designer during course creation is necessary.
3. Platform limitations – it is often found that the instructor has limited functionality or the platform has disabled some functionality, to solve such problems, we should contact the platform administrator for help.
Question 4.
What are some ways to promote learner engagement and interaction using a learning management system?
There are several ways to promote student engagement and interaction using a learning management system (LMS), with the main goal being to make the course more interesting and increase motivation.
Here are some suggestions:
- use discussion forums;
- Include multimedia elements to make content more engaging. This can help keep students interested and motivated;
- Include gamification elements in your LMS, such as badges, rewards, and points;
- Use different types of questions: interactive assessments, drag and drop, matching or fill in the blanks;
- encourage cooperation;
- Provide feedback.