written by Tuyet Hayes (2016 TCC Guest Blogger)

Anyone who uses or is frustrated, fascinated, or confused about the learning management system (LMS) at their institution might find this presentation of interest to watch.  While you may not be able to join the active and engaging chat session live, you will still walk away understanding more about the possibilities and limitations of current LMS and what the Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) might look like.

Brown and Diaz share their prior research and the insights they learned from speaking with faculty and students about their concerns with current LMS and what would be on their wish lists.  The 56 wish list items were categorized into five main domains about which Brown and Diaz go into greater detail.

• Interoperability & integration
• Analytics, advising, assessment
• Personalization & customization
• Collaboration & inter/intra community sharing
• Accessibility and Universal design

For me the highlight of this presentation was the suggestion that we break away from the notion of a one-size fit all uber application and instead use a patchworked, best-practices approach that combines different tools and options to create our ideal, customized solution for our situations and contexts.

With well-chosen visuals (cute kitties!) and two audience participation exercises, they drew the audience in to become active participants in the discussion and encouraged greater feedback.  For those who want to further engage in this conversation, they encourage further discussions at the institutional level and community sharing at their next focus group event:

What:    ELI Online Focus Session:  Exploring the Next-Generation Digital Learning Environment

When:    April 27-28, 2016, Noon-3:30 p.m. (ET)

Where:  Register and attend online

Why:  To explore the opportunities and challenges of NGDLE
Malcolm Brown can be reached at mbrown@educause.edu; Veronica Diaz can be reached at vdiaz@educause.edu.