3 · Development

Definition

By a digital, or even electronic learning environment, we mean a learning platform designed to provide for educational content and to allow for the organization of learning paths, thus a platform to offer learning materials to the student.

It also performs several functions:

• communication between your students and/or the e-coach
• access to the e-content (administrator, rights, management …)
• tracking the  learning process (progress, test results, counseling, …)

The figure below shows the intersection of these three points and is described as a fully fledged digital learning environment.

A CMS (Content Management System) is a software solution that makes it possible to publish data and documents on the internet without much technical knowledge; your students have access to this (e-)content .

A CMS has the advantage that you can present, create and edit the material in a structure, and that everything is included in a database. The result is eventually a website that your learner can take a look at whether or not after registration.
Examples include WordPress and Joomla.

An LMS (learning management system) provides support in selecting, monitoring and training activities. An entire administration is kept: what courses your student attended or,  had access to; it also creates, reports, … and this not only for digital courses. It controls access and allows your learners register. There is often a link with the personnel administration in order to keep the information up-to-date.

A LCMS combines the capabilities of a CMS and an LMS. If there is also e-content available, the LMS “tracks and traces” whom reviewed what and when. In addition, the system records the scores on any test.

Examples are: Moodle, Dokeos, Smartschool … and a lot of HR software.

Besides content and tracking, there is a third part of the communication between the students, and possibly also with an (e-) coach.
Examples here include: Lync, Team Viewer, Adobe Connect, …