Policies & Standards - Things to Consider in Building a Business Plan For Online Learning

Course Management System (platform)

A course management system provides the tools to offer content and interactivity tools as well as record and data collecting. It allows for the development of online courses and also provides a means to launch content that has been licensed/purchased from vendors or other organizations.

• Cost
  • What is the startup cost for the first year? Does the cost include hosting on their server?
  • What is the annual cost after the first year?
  • Are the costs per organization or per district?
  • Is the annual cost based on per enrollment for teachers, students or both?
  • Is there a limit on how much the cost can increase in the next couple of years or is it a one-year only price that could change significantly?
  • Are there ways that the costs could be affected by an increase or decrease in the number of users?
  • Does the price include all of the available online tools or are there additional charges for those?
  • Does the cost include staff and tech support training?
  • Does it include ongoing staff and teach support?
    
    
• Tools for record keeping and data collection
  • Does the system collect usage data for time spent online? How is this data reported?
  • Is there a grade book available? Can the grade book be modified? Is it accessible to students and parents? Can grade scales be set?
  • Can the teacher control the number of submissions for assignments and quizzes?
  • Can access to exams be controlled on an individual student basis?
  • Can multiple forms of the same quiz or test be generated automatically?
    
    
• Tools for students within the course
  • Is the navigation system user friendly?
  • Is there an email account for students embedded in the course? Does it allow for the use of attachments?
  • Does the system provide for teacher/student and student/student interactivity?
    • Can the teacher/student or student/student interact synchronously? Is there chat room capability? If so can access be controlled if necessary to restrict individual students? Can chat room discussions be monitored and/or recovered?
    • Is there an asynchronous group discussion tool? Can individual student access be controlled? Can the teacher preview student responses before making them visible to the rest of the class?
    • Is there a Whiteboard or something similar where a teacher can work synchronously with a group of students who have a shared visual surface in addition to exchanging typed messages? Whiteboards typically have math tools and symbols as well as drawing tools available. Often they are capable of running video clips and/or PowerPoint presentations.
    • Is there the capability of synchronous audio communication online?
    • Can the teacher tell if a student is currently online?
    • Can the teacher provide feedback on individual assignments?
    • Can students review previously taken quizzes and tests?
      
      
• Technical Support
  • Is the platform loaded on a local server or hosted by the provider? Is information available on their reliability of access?
  • Is there a toll free number for teachers and students to use?
  • Is there email accessible technical support?
    
    
• Staff Development
  • Is teacher training provided? Is it available in online format or face-to-face?
  • Is there training and support for system administrators and local tech staff?
    
    
• Course Content
  • Is the content aligned with National standards? To what extent does the content meet those standards?
  • Is the content aligned with State and/or local standards? Does the provider have a means of assisting with such alignments?
  • Does the content address the needs of various learning styles and learning strategies?
  • Is the content engaging to students?
  • Does the content utilize interactive tools?
  • Is the course essentially a correspondence course put online?
  • Are textbooks, supplementary materials and special software needed for the course? If so are these costs in addition to course costs?
  • Is the content available to be taught by local teachers?
  • Is the content modifiable?
  • Are updates/revisions to the curriculum available? If so does this involve additional costs?
  • Is teacher training available? If so is it in face-to-face or online format?
  • Is a teacher mentor available for new teachers?
  • Are there opportunities for ongoing staff support such as newsletters, personal contacts, sharing sessions, website etc.
  • If not taught by local teachers, how is student progress reported to the local district? To what extent is there communication with the student and parent by the provider and/or teacher?
  • Are beginning and ending dates for the course set or are they flexible?
  • Is there a per enrollment charge for course use? Is there a grace period before the fee applies?