Reading Activity 8-Learning Systems: The Cost of Implementation
“Analysts in the online learning industry comment that learning management systems are often the most expensive learning investment made by organizations. Costs can easily range from $500,000 to several million dollars.”
Some organizations choose a commercial or open source system that they install and manage and others choose to develop an in house custom made system like Full Sail has done.
Why would an organization choose to build their own learning system? The reason for this is simply because they may not need all of the components that a ready made learning system has to offer and thus they can save money. However, building your own system has it’s expenses as well, because you must employ the people to develop and create the learning system.
Even if an organization chooses to use an open source solution there are still costs such as installation, maintenance, support and the cost of upgrades.
Either way an online learning management system can be very costly. Each organization must decide what they need and figure out which solution works best for them.
Carliner, S. (November, 2005). Course Management Systems Versus Learning Management Systems. Retrieved from www.astd.org.
@ Amanda
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about evaluating the costs this week. You mention a very good point in that sometimes the costs include paying for features that aren’t necessary. My take on the readings about cost was more that it was very expensive initially but a sound investment in the long run. I did find one related article that spoke of the costly dangers of jumping into an LMS or LCMS without the proper instructional design guiding the process from the start.(Bartley, & Golek, 2004). They explain, “Although instructional design has always been an important aspect of education and training, the implementation of online learning programs necessitates the need for particular attention to be paid to the design process” (p. 171).
I think this is relevant to the conversation as to why some, such as Full Sail, choose to develop and maintain their own in house systems. Including what is necessary without cluttering the learning path is extremely important. Just because new technologies exist, doesn’t always make them the most viable means to the learning. “The experience that a learner has in the online classroom is determined largely by the way new learning technologies are presented” (Bartley, & Golek, 2004, p. 171).
~Larry Harris
Bartley, S., & Golek, J. (2004). Evaluating the cost effectiveness of online and
face-to-face instruction. Educational Technology & Society, 7 (4), 167-175.
Retrieved July 15, 2010, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.100.5603&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
@Amanda -
ReplyDeleteI had no idea of the high costs of learning management systems - but if an organization chooses the LMS based on their specific needs, the benefits would for worth the price! Think about Full Sail University...I'm sure their LMS was expensive, but also lured many students to their school because of the wonderful organization and structure it offers.
Thanks for the great information about the cost of an LMS!
I didn't realize how expensive learning management systems were either. I didn't think about the IT support, updates, and maintenance that would be needed, thus adding extra cost. Depending on the needs of the organization, it may be easier and cheaper to use an LMS already in existence or the organization may want to build its own like Full Sail. I am very happy with Full Sail's choice. I love the FSO Platform. The setup is appealing, the support is fantastic- I couldn't have asked for anything better!
ReplyDelete