A Hybrid Approach for Selecting a Course Management System: A Case Study

The Internet is creating exciting opportunities for universities and their stakeholders. Universities are experimenting with different modes of education. E-learning is one such mode, where students can learn from any place at any time, as long as they have an Internet connection. A course management system (CMS) facilitates e-learning, making it critical to select a system that can meet the needs of all its stakeholders. This paper addresses a hybrid approach used to select a course management system for a mid-Atlantic university. The resulting product is the outcome of faculty input, inputs from the program manager of e-Learning, students, and other stakeholders. The authors have experienced four different CMSs over twelve years of teaching online. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, universities planning to venture into e-learning or trying to revamp their current CMS can learn from our experiences. The case study could assist current and future Web course faculty in selecting a CMS to suit their teaching needs. In addition, by increasing their awareness of various capabilities that might be present in their current CMS, the discussion in the paper could also encourage the faculty to revamp their courses.