Course Management Systems

After numerous searches on the internet for a clear definition of what a CMS is, I came to this conclusion:

"A CMS is a web based platform that is simple to use in terms of IT knowledge, and one which can facilitate online learning.
The platform can utilize teaching notes, video tutorials, podcasts, links to other sites, quizzes and exams. A CMS can also receive postings from students, including homework assignments, polls and quizzes, and track individual and group performance."

All of the above features I feel we have covered in our class, including testing via quizzes, the CMS is a home a central location for this information and data. The major difference is that Blackboard and other systems can track individual performance as well as groups and that is a plus.


Please read below for the information I gathered and its origin:

According to the unknown author at http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/DEC0302.pdf “At it’s simplest a course management system is a tool that allows an instructor to post information on the web without that instructor having to know or understand HTML or other computer languages… it provides an instructor with a set of tools and a framework that allows the relatively easy creation of online course content and the subsequently teaching and management of that course…”

Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.

Wikipedia returned my google search with “A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a software system designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting, as distinct from a Managed Learning Environment, (MLE) where the focus is on management. A VLE will normally work over the Internet and provide a collection of tools such as those for assessment (particularly of types that can be marked automatically, such as multiple choice), communication, uploading of content, return of students' work, peer assessment, administration of student groups, collecting and organizing student grades, questionnaires, tracking tools, etc. New features in these systems include wikis, blogs, RSS and 3D virtual learning spaces.”