An Evidence-Based Approach for Deeper Understanding of Student, Teacher, and Learning Dynamics

Abstract

Learning Management System (LMS) technology, and a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) perspective, can deepen understanding of the dynamics between students, teachers, and their learning environment. In addition to content delivery, LMS technology can capture data about students while they are taking classes. This capability provides a way to gather data on factors impacting student learning so they can be analyzed scientifically. Learning Management Systems are widely used in a variety of learning settings - high school, college, and workplace - and can be adapted to introduce a CRM perspective into the classroom. Broad adoption of LMS and CRM technology requires a paradigm shift towards a student-centric model of education - and vice versa. This paper offers theoretical and practical suggestions to get started with this shift in mindset: i) using Activity Theory to create a descriptive framework to anchor and highlight interrelationships between students, teachers, and their learning environment; ii) managing the LMS-CRM system development process; iii) implementing a CRM perspective with LMS technology; iv) generating LMS and CRM-collected course statistics to support Instructional Design frameworks, such as ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) and others; and v) challenges and limitations using LMS and CRM technology.