All stakeholders in education need to be informed participants in the educational process, and as we move forward in developing technologically-grounded learning environments, that will come to include knowledge of Learning Management Systems.
An LMS, or Learning Management System, is an online platform for hosting courses. While they have been used for online courses for many years, they are becoming popular across the board in education and training. The primary function of an LMS is to organize course content, but they can also provide a great deal more functionality, including providing numerous content delivery options, including self-paced, instructor moderated, instructor-led, and hybridized courses. In addition, the use of LMSs can be helpful in allowing instructors to plan course content and content delivery, as well as pacing, while simultaneously allowing the course material to be reused from year to year with iterative improvement and development.
The three LMSs that we will be considering today include Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas. Each of these platforms has its own areas of strength and shortcomings, and each of these will need to be considered when making the choice of an appropriate LMS.
There are a lot of benefits to Google Classroom, not the least of which is its free price point. From Ventayen, Estira, De Guzman, Cabaluna, & Espinosa, (2018) the collaborative aspects of Google Classroom are its most valuable and usable. The system is continuously being updated and improved. In fact, a few years ago, it would not have even been considered an LMS, but it has added a great deal of functionality in recent years, including grading and parent reports. There are still a number of features lacking, notably lack of attendance tracking and integration with grading systems.
Schoology is, in effect, a “plussed up” version of Google Classroom, in that it has increased functionality and grading integration. One advantage of this LMS is that it provides for increased individualization for students, especially in the realm of assessment, according to Johnson (2018). It takes a slight advantage over Google Classroom in that it supports connections to a number of popular grading and attendance clients. It also holds the advantage of connecting well to Google suite tools. There are some features available through Schoology, however, that require upsells and increase the price point. Its “freemium” nature can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to choosing this LMS.
Canvas is perhaps the most robust Learning Management System included here, but it is also the most stand-alone. This means that Canvas serves primarily as its own resource, and making any connections to outside sources can be cumbersome. Perhaps the most valuable things about Canvas are its high degree of customizability (other LMSs tend to require following a rather rigid format) and the strength of its data management capabilities both within and across courses, as noted by Marachi and Quill (2020). This self-containment and data management does, however, come with a price point. Full integration of this LMS requires purchasing a district- or school-wide license and collaboration between Canvas and any other data management platforms. In addition, Canvas lacks any meaningful Google integration, though this can be worked around with instructor effort. The workaround, however, will be a bit too complicated for many instructors to carry out without assistance.
Each LMS has its strengths as well as areas of weakness, and it is important to look at the needs of your particular organization before choosing which service will best meet those needs. Moving forward, nearly all school districts will need to be prepared to deliver more web-based instruction, and the choice of an appropriate LMS will be a large investment in the future of your organization.
References
Johnson, A. (2018). Implementing the Schoology Learning Management System in Japanese Higher Education: A Preliminary Report.
Marachi, R., & Quill, L. (2020). The case of Canvas: Longitudinal datafication through learning management systems. Teaching in Higher Education, 25(4), 418-434.
Ventayen, R. J. M., Estira, K. L. A., De Guzman, M. J., Cabaluna, C. M., & Espinosa, N. N. (2018). Usability evaluation of google classroom: Basis for the adaptation of gsuite e-learning platform. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Arts and Sciences, 5(1), 47-51.
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