The Diffusion and Evolution of LMSs: Canvas Learning Management System

Learning management systems are mostly utilized by learners, teachers, and schools so as to provide better education environments for learning and teaching. A Learning Management System is a web-based platform or dashboard that assists teachers in planning, evaluating, automating administration, and reporting learning training events as well as implementing the learning process. Instructors utilizing any kind of Learning Management System ought to manage and prepare learning content in digital format. Besides, students should be able to utilize course materials as a way of taking part in their academic performance. Moreover, a Learning Management System might offer such for teachers to utilize the curriculum to accomplish educational goals, plan activities necessary for the delivery of the course, and monitor, analyze, and report the participation of learners. From the viewpoint of learners, a Learning Management System assists them in planning their education process regarding their individual progress, collaborating, and communicating with their classmates and friends.

Diffusion and Evolution of Computers in Academics

Presently, computers are used in all aspects of our lives. Notably, there is an increase in the use of the internet. The association between the instructor, the learner, and instructions are typically supplemented or facilitated by the internet in these programs. Because of the utilization of the internet and technological tools, greater continuity in learning is assured, and connections between students and course instructions are strengthened in the virtual settings of a digital revolution.

Course Delivery History

Integrating technological tools into learning processes is done at different times ad various ways in education, yet same teaching methods: Internet-Based Learning, Computer Assisted Learning, Computer Assisted Instruction, and Computer-Based Instruction. Because features of these technological platforms utilized in learning have advanced over time (for instance, shift from projectors to smartboards), such shifts have impacted the adoption as well as the diffusion of these devices in learning technology.

Since these instruction methods had a greater adoption rate, the adoption period has resulted in new definitions for learning and teaching approaches in the curriculum. Prior to the frequent use of the internet in education, the education system was named CAI or CBI since these curricula focused on the use of the classroom instead of the internet for distance learning. Teachers started realizing the advantages of the internet. Besides, the apparent outcomes of employing innovation through the internet were increasing, and thus teachers began thinking on ways through which they can use these formats effectively for education. Consequently, their realization resulted in great changes in the design of the education curriculum. Also, learning and teaching methods were renamed with changes in technology.

Moreover, these transformations that disseminated the advantages of integrating the use of the internet utilization at different levels of the curriculum have resulted in the development and advancement of Learning Management Systems, which facilitates the administration of learning content and the monitoring of students and instructors.

The Change Process to Online Course Delivery

High school courses have been provided in various ways through the history of educational technology. Prior to changing to computer- and Internet-assisted educational environments, the delivery of courses was usually limited to face-to-face classrooms. Today, the delivery of courses is diffused with other places or platforms like attending online classes through the internet. With the spread of online learning, the need for students and teachers to share a similar environment, working hours, and time zone has started diminishing. Notably, technology provides a new approach for learning and teaching to occur at any place and any time, provided they are saved in a learning management system (LMS).

The Need for LMSs

Various researches have been conducted to determine how to expand learning beyond the limitations of place and time. Distance learning books and videotapes have been employed in generating location-independent learning environments. There has been the development of new ideas regarding open learning. Besides, the fast change of technological tools and the internet have typically impacted course design structure. Learning Management Systems have started to develop in multiple ways and utilize the internet in content delivery.

The purpose of Learning Management Systems when they were first utilized in courses was to share course contents. Since that time, traditional classroom activities have been integrated into LMSs. Features of Learning Management Systems commonly used include checking participation, discussions, examinations, and quizzes. Currently, these features are utilized in an online environment through the internet.

The fast increase in computer technology and internet technologies has made individuals to be intertwined with elements of media. Notably, these media elements, typically utilized around each field, have found their way into education. Both auditory and visual elements have started to be utilized in course content leading to the inclusion of these media elements in Learning Management Systems.

One benefit of using LMSs is that administrators, teachers, and students can work together. Due to this benefit, Learning Management Systems have become attractive for collaborative learning activities. The other crucial benefit of LMSs is tracking all course activities as well as sharing of resources that relate to courses, tracking the progress of students and courses, and conversations in discussion portals. Additionally, LMSs can be used in managing courses in distance learning and in-class learning. Currently, LMSs are utilized for asynchronous and synchronous delivery methods in learning environments.

Even though there are numerous definitions of Learning Management Systems by various scholars, a few studies comprise the definition of a well-designed Learning Management System. One of such definitions is the most inclusive, and it explains that LMSs are computer software that manages, monitor, and report learning and teaching activities. Notably, a well-designed Learning Management System ought to:

• enable users to create reusable and tailored content,
• do self-service and utilize guided services,
• work in an integrated manner with other organizational practices.
• control and centralize management processes,
• assist in creating and distributing learning content rapidly,
• secure education activities using scalable web-based platforms, and
• support learning standards

Canvas Learning Management System

A Canvas learning management system is built on modern web frameworks for utilization on mobile devices, smartphones, and computers. Notably, the Canvas learning management system user interface is well-designed for students and teachers, and it permits the utilization of various technological systems. These are features that distinguish Canvas LMS from other types of Learning Management Systems. It has a lot of choices that help it in interoperating with open-source applications which are developed by trusted resources in education.

For instance, it enables teachers to incorporate Google Docs, used for collaborative and productive projects in learning. The use of these top education resources, which aid collaboration and permit changes to autosaved, extends further the limits of learning and teaching. Canvas learning management system was developed as a new generation LMS that’s built to work on virtualization and computing setting by Instructure.

Differences of Canvas from other LMSs

Canvas is widely used in learning institutions, and it has high adoption rates as compared to other types of learning management systems. Because the modern framework of Canvas was developed for computers and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, utilizing it with other devices is crucial to adopters in regard to flexibility. Canvas’s user interface for learners and teachers has elements that are well-designed and are easy to access, understand, and utilize while facilitating learning activities in LMSs. Besides, Canvas has a higher market share in instruction software since it enables teachers to integrate trusted third-party apps like Google Docs.

Canvas learning management system offers a platform designed for institutions, teachers, and learners so as to use some of its features for academic inquiry across the globe and professional development. Because Canvas enables users to collaborate on one document simultaneously and save changes instance, it’s adopted easily by learners and instructors.

Learning Management Systems’ Future

A simplified and improved technology integration might comprise multiple devices, enabling students and teachers to collect the data, share, and create multimedia presentations. Also, there will be major points in the future of learning management systems like collaboration, personalized learning, automation, and interoperability.

According to the Society for Learning Analytics Research, learning analytics is the measurement, collection of data, analysis of data, as well as reporting of data regarding students. Advanced and automated learning analytics may be utilized for learning purposes in learning management systems’ future.

Tailored learning approaches are gradually being utilized in the education sector. Since there is a consideration of individual differences, a complete learning experience can emanate from tailored education. Because the successful adoption of the Canvas learning management system was due to collaborative tools, future LMSs ought to focus on teacher-student, student-student, and teacher-teacher collaboration within the course at various levels.

Future learning management systems may interactively adopt Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, particularly in virtual courses, so as to establish more applicable and realistic solutions for education. Automated and instant feedback may be utilized in future Learning Management Systems since this feedback is crucial in allowing learners to know the extent to which they attain their target accomplishments, the resources they want, and what they miss after receiving in-app feedback.

Resources and References:

• What is Computer Based Instruction
• Features of a Learning Management System
• Types of Learning Management Systems