Learning Management Systems (LMS) and e-learning management: an integrative review and research agenda

Abstract

Information Technology (IT) can be an important component for innovation as enables e-learning and it can provide conditions for an organization to be able to work with new businesses and improved processes. In this regard, Learning Management Systems (LMS) allow communication and interaction between teachers and students in virtual spaces. However, the literature indicates that there are gaps in research, especially concerning the use of IT for the management of e-learning. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the available literature about the application of LMS for the e-learning management, seeking to present possibilities for research in the field. An integrative literature review was performed considering the Web of Science, Scopus, Ebsco and Scielo databases, where 78 references were found, of which 25 were full papers. By eliminating duplication, 14 papers remained, which came to constitute the portfolio of the study. The analysis of the papers allowed to conclude that: 1) the most frequent research strategy was the quantitative; 2) survey was the most used research design; 3) the most frequent categories in the studied educational platforms belong to Instructional Resources and the less frequently ones belong to Interface and, 4) most of the studies are related to administrative function control; 5) LMS in e-learning management is still incipiently discussed in the literature. This analysis derives interesting characteristics from scientific studies, highlighting gaps and guidelines for future research, including.