The Future of the LMS: Faculty Perspectives

Stand-alone tools, both open source and commercial, for everything from file-sharing to creating discussion forums around any piece of content with a URL have not only proliferated, they are increasingly supported by University IT departments. Where a faculty member might have had only the option of a single LMS five years ago, now he or she might have a rich variety of teaching and learning tools from which to choose - Google Apps, WordPress, and many others. Even electronic texts may provide functionalities previously available only through an LMS. It is thus an opportune time to consider the future of the Learning Management System. This panel will explore a range of faculty perspectives on questions like: to what extent do instructors need or want a fully integrated system as opposed to a looser constellation of teaching and learning tools? What functionalities best allow instructors to "manage" learning? Is "management the best metaphor for the way instructors guide the learning process? Attendees will gain insight into how faculty conceive the future of the LMS and discuss how it relates to the vision of designers, developers, and instructional technologists.