Prototyping a Learning Management System for Higher Education

This document presents a five year development initiative that sought to implement a learning management system clearly differentiated from the CMS domain. The present article reports on our research work showing our effort towards a design of a true learning management system which entails pedagogical strategies embedded into the system design and the online learning environment. This is characterized by its highly interactive and collaborative learning tools. The ability of the system to measure student effort and performance via the summation of the learning objects usage clearly differentiate the concept of true online learning from the traditional distance learning via content management systems. Results from student usage of the learning management system provide some insight into learning, performance and behavior in online learning. Due to limitations only three learning objects were briefly analyzed to demonstrate their value to learning specifically and to the value of the system in general.