Arizona State University Online is transitioning to a new learning management system (LMS). Currently courses are delivered in Blackboard 9 and the plan is to eventually transition all courses taught online to Pearson LearningStudio. This transition presents a unique opportunity to examine the effects of the LMS on online courses. Students from 58 courses (27 in Blackboard; 31 in LearningStudio) will be asked to complete a 35-item questionnaire in order to help identify the potential effects of the LMS student satisfaction, performance, and course interaction.

1. The Effects of the Learning
Management System on Student
Performance, Interaction and Course
Ease of Use.!
Philippos Savvides!
Arizona State University - Online

2. Effects of the LMS!
• Motivation of the study!
• Course creation process!
• Learning Management Systems!
• Method & Results!
• Discussion

3. Motivation!
• 2.31 million online students in the United
States in 2004.!
• Make sure technologies we use are
effective.!
• Lack of literature of the effects of LMS.!
• LMS transition.

4. Course Development Process!
• Rapid Design!
• Gather information, design, develop.!
• Quality Matters Rubric

5. Learning Management Systems!
• Automate the administration,
documentation, tracking and reporting of
courses.!
• Blackboard, Sakai, Moodle,
LearningStudio (formerly eCollege) and
others.

6. Blackboard vs. LearningStudio!
Both offer !
• Exams, adaptive release, calendar,
chat, discussion boards, gradebook,
group management, document
submission.

7. Blackboard!

8. LearningStudio!

9. Research Questions!
What is the relationship between:!
1. the LMS and student perceived ease of
use?!
2. the LMS and student perceived course
interaction?!
3. the LMS and student performance?

10. Hypothesis!
Students who participated in courses
delivered in LearningStudio will report
higher course interaction, ease of use, and
performance.

11. Method!
• 58, 7-week online courses.!
• 27 in Blackboard 9; 31 in LearningStudio.!
• 1,596 students solicited!
• 796 in Blackboard; 840 in LearningStudio!
• 277 responded (17%)!
• 126 in Blackboard; 151 in LearningStudio.

12. Student Characteristics
Gender!
Ethnicity!
College
Work
Experience! Hours!
Male!
25.9%!
Caucasian!
62.8%!
< 2 years!
4.7%!
Female!
74.1%!
African
American!
8.1%!
Credits
Enrolled!
GPA!
# of online
classes!
Do not work! 3 - 6!
20.9%!
12.8%!
4.0 - 3.5!
44.2%!
First!
0%!
2 years!
10.1%!
< 20!
19.6%!
7 -12!
33.1%!
3.49 - 3.0!
28.6%!
1-3!
0.7%!
Hispanic!
18.2%!
3 years!
27.7%!
20-29!
14.9%!
13 - 18!
48.6%!
2.99 - 2.5!
19%!
4-6!
1.4%!
Asian
American!
2.7%!
> 3!
57.4%!
30-40!
19.6%!
19 - 21 !
4.1%!
2.49 - 2.0!
6.8%!
7-10!
0%!
Native
American!
1.4%!
41-59!
21.6%!
> 21!
1.4%!
< 2.0!
1.4%!
> 10!
98%!
Other!
6.8%!
> 60 hours!
3.4%!

13. Perceived Ease of Use!
1. It was easy to navigate the course.!
2. It was easy to communicate with the instructor.!
3. It was easy to communicate with other students.!
4. It was easy to access the course materials.!
5. It was easy to submit an assignment.!
6. It was easy to participate in online discussions.!
7. It was easy to take quizzes and/or exams online.!
8. It was easy to access the gradebook.!
9. It was easy for me to become skillful at using the
online course.!
10. I found the online course easy to use.!
11. The overall usability of the online course was
good.
F (1,236) = 3.42, p = .98!
η2 = .01

14. Perceived Course Interaction!
1. My online course is setup so that I can interact
with my classmates.!
2. Interaction between the instructor and
students is essential to online learning.!
3. The quality of discussions in my online course
is high.!
4. The lecture material in my online course is
valuable to course interaction.!
5. Interaction between students is essential to
online learning.!
6. The amount of interaction with other students
(decreased/increased).!
7. The quality of interaction with other students
(decreased/increased).!
8. The amount of interaction with the instructor
(decreased/increased).!
9. The quality of interaction with the instructor
(decreased/increased).
F (1,235) = 10.11, p = .002!
η2 = .04

15. Student Performance!
1. What grade did you
receive in your course?
F (1,217) = .011, p = .917!
η2 = .00