online learning@ECU

Continued trial of LAMS (Learning Activity Management System)

LAMS is a tool developed by Macquarie University for designing, managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. It provides teachers with a highly intuitive visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities. These activities can include a range of individual tasks, small group work and whole class activities based on both content and collaboration.

Key benefits of LAMS

• provides a highly intuitive visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities.  Educators can create an interactive lesson in under 10 minutes.
• fosters studenty engagement - in one evaluation, only 16% of students were willing to discuss ideas in the classroom, however, via the collaboration facility within LAMS, over 83% were willing to discuss their ideas
• incorporates single learner content (such as learning objects) as well as collaborative tasks such as discussion, voting and debate.
• allows educators to capture, share and adopt digital lesson plans best on best practice processes.
• will integrate with Blackboard
• provides rich, real-time student monitoring and tracking facilities.
• runs through all major browsers. The LAMS server software runs on all major server platforms.

What is ECU doing with LAMS?

LDS have a hosted copy of LAMS2 for the puropose of evaluation of potential future use at ECU and we are looking for teaching staff who would like to be involved in a trial during semester 2, 2008.

If you are interested, please contact Chris Leigh on ext 6344 or Mike Nodding on ext 6206.