WEEK #1 Summary and suggestions
LMs evaluation introduction
Welcome to the first week of evaluations to determine the best option for our new Learning Management System. I have narrowed the field from the choices you presented to me down to two. I will be comparing D2L and Canvas by creating complete lesson and reporting my findings. This week’s evaluations are focused on the basic set-up of the system and adding contents. The most difficult task was adding third-party content. I chose to add an eLearning that we recently presented to our associates using Articulate. Since the process for this was a little more difficult, I created a video to show you the process. Please review my comparisons below. The final section will include my recommendations based on this week’s work.
LMS 1 - D2l lms evaluation
SETTING UP COURSE
Setting up the course in D2L was fairly simple. I began by adding students from the Course Administration page. This was easily done with the system's search feature. This process could become difficult if the system does not have an easy way to assign lessons to multiple students based on team number and/or department. Once the students were added, the next step was to create the content. |
CREATING MODULES
The D2L system easily allowed for the creation of modules. All that was required to create the modules was to click New and choose the content type. The D2L system allowed me to choose from a variety of content including; a newly uploaded file, an HTML page created within D2L, a custom URL link, a previously uploaded file, a Discussion post, a Dropbox items, a Quiz and a Survey |
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ADDING THIRD-PARTY CONTENT
The process for adding a full eLearning was not as simple as I would have liked in the D2L system. I was unable to add the completed Zip file. Instead, I was forced to load all of the files individually. In addition to loading the files individually, I had to load the system created folders and place the files in the appropriate locations. This could cause a problem with this type of lesson since each of the files have to be in the correct folder in order for the lesson to play correctly. Since this process was so labor intensive, I created a video to show you the process. |
CREATING CONTENT USING AN HTML EDITOR
Creating content with the integrated HTML editor was straightforward. The editor had all of the usual options you would expect to see. There was a fairly limited selection of fonts available and copying and pasting from Word did not produce the same content as it existed in Word. I know that this could cause some trouble as the visual aesthetics of the pages will be limited. One way around this would be to use a separate HTML editor like Dreamweaver. While this would require an additional spend for the project it will result in better, more visually appealing pages. |
ADDING IMAGES TO HTML EDITOR PAGES
The built in HTML editor worked very well when adding images. The editor allowed both copy and paste from another web and insertion from a previously uploaded file. While this is fine for well created images, it does pose a problem if the image needs any editing. The HTML editor does not include any images options. The only way around this is to have the images created and in the final format before loading them. |
lms 2 - Canvas by instructure lms evaluation
SETTING UP COURSE
Similar to the D2L system Canvas allowed for easy course creation. Since this system is not integrated into any type of employee listing (limitation of free trial) I am unsure how easy it will be to assign curriculum to our associates. This could pose a significant problem in regard to efficiency and accuracy for lesson assignments. Once the course is created, the next step was not as obvious. I had to do some exploring to find the module creation section. |
CREATING MODULES
Once I located the Module creation section the process was fairly straightforward. Canvas appears to support about the same variety of lesson types as D2L. One advantage I noticed here was the ability to add multiple lesson types to a module and publish them all at the same time. At this point of setting up the course, I am beginning to notice a significant difference in the look of the interface as compared to D2L. Canvas is more modern looking with a more familiar interface. |
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ADDING THIRD-PARTY CONTENT
Adding Third-Party content was less cumbersome in Canvas than it was in D2L. Canvas allows uploading of complete Zip files and offers to unzip the files during the upload process. This is very helpful in ensuring that all of the files are saved in the proper location and prevent the possibility of user error that exists in D2L. The process did involve several steps so I am including an instructional video to help explain all of the steps involved. |
CREATING CONTENT USING AN HTML EDITOR
The built in HTML Editor in Canvas is more user friendly that the one found in D2L. It appears to be based on the same programming as the Wiki page we currently use in SharePoint. This will reduce the time needed to teach the new system to our current L&D team members. The editor also included more options than the one found in D2l. A different HTML page creator like Dreamweaver would help improve the visual aesthetics. I did notice that copying and pasting from Word appeared to produce much better results than the D2L system. |
ADDING IMAGES TO HTML EDITOR PAGES
Adding Images to Canvas was about the same as D2L with one distinct difference. Canvas does not allow for the upload of files from your computer. This means that the images would need to be loaded into the system before you can add them to the page. While this is not a huge problem, it is one additional step. Another item to note, similar to D2L, is the inability to edit images within the editor. As I mentioned earlier, this means that we will need to have good images in a "ready-to-print" format for the pages. |
lms weekly recommendation
Based on this week's activities, I prefer the Canvas system. With its more modern interface and the easier process for loading eLearnings, Canvas is the winner for this week, but not by much. Both systems provide an easy to use interface and are simple to set-up. Each feature a simple HTML editor and simple filing process which doesn't surprise me since they are so widely used. I look forward to expanding on the differences of these two systems in the coming weeks and look forward to hearing your feedback regarding the programs.