The Article LMS to LRM
This article summarizes the current thought and development in the world of e-learning in regards to our standard LMS (Learning Management System) approach to offering classes online.
http://www.educationtechnologyinsights.com/cxoinsights/moving-from-the-transactional-lms-to-the-transformational-lrm-nid-260.html
The Problem
The LMS (Canvas, blackboard, Moodle, etc.) were developed to recreate what we mostly did in the classroom – the basic transaction of teacher to student information drop. In the basic form, the LMS creates a place to put up video lectures, readings and receive assignments from the students. What we are realizing is that teaching and learning is so much more. It is about the relationship, not just between the students and the content, but the students and the teacher and with one another. (Of course we have known this for many years, just check out the research by Garrison et al on the “Community of Inquiry” model).
Good News – You Already Have an LRM
What the article does not necessarily say is that you already have an LRM in your LMS. It is more about the way you use the tool rather than the tool itself that makes it more relational. There are many articles and book out there that are starting to address this issue with practical tips. One of my recent favorites is: Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners ( Amazon | Google Books | UK Library).
What can you do to make your online classroom more relational?
