Analysis of Relating the Use of a Learning Management System to Teacher Epistemology and Course Characteristics in Higher Education

Abstract

This study proposes appropriate methods for supporting instructors in the development of course plans by explaining how the use of a learning management system (LMS) relates to teachers’ epistemology and course characteristics. By analyzing the data, the authors identified three categories of courses taught at undergraduate levels: (1) knowledge construction, (2) knowledge transmission, and (3) mixed. In knowledge construction courses, instructors need to transform students’ conceptions of learning and the LMS must support, among other things, students’ cognition and interaction. Teaching assistants, typically graduate students who work directly with the instructor, are also needed for enhancing instruction of these courses. In knowledge transmission courses, instructors need to relate the knowledge learned in the course with the competencies required by society, and the LMS should include functions for evaluating students’ learning progress. Teaching assistants for these courses should support student learning, especially for those with poor comprehension of the content. In mixed courses, instructors need to make communication with individual students visible to the whole class and the LMS should include functions for promoting student interaction. Finally, the authors propose that an organization for supporting improved instruction should implement development learning models based on instructor’s epistemology and course characteristics in order to facilitate LMS utilization based on lesson strategies. Also they should conduct case studies with teachers who have problems fostering collaborative learning and disseminate the lessons from these case studies to other instructors.

https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2011.03.032