College of the Redwoods' Learning Management Systems (LMS)
YES (Y)
NO (N)
SYSTEM/ADMINISTRATION
Supports multiple institutions within a single account for all students/classes
Complies with ADA/Section 508 accessibility standards
Integrates with assistive technologies like screen readers
Can customize assessment time frames for individual students
Can provide a variety of feedback types (text, audio, video)
Can add captions to assessments
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Authentication at Industry standards
CR - SSO(Single Sign On)
Authentication using LDAP [NOTE: WE HAVE EXCELLENT INTEGRATION WITH SIS SYSTEMS, INCLUDING DATATEL,
BANNER, ETC.)
external and internal authentication
SSO SAML is compliant
Y
N
Y
Y
Course content management
Easily imports existing content into new LMS with minimal tweaking required for function.
Can combine sections
Course Archiving
Multi-platform/Browser
Ease of re-arranging resource material in a site (e.g. re-ordering sequence)
Instructors can easily copy (clone) from an existing section to a blank section
Instructors can select specific items they want to copy into a new course.
Instructors can share any content between courses.
Student data can be reinstated after withdrawal from section.
Functionality
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
User interface is intuitive and easy to use
Students can work offline in their online course and work will be synchronized at next log-in
N
N
Search functionality allows students to search within a course to find content
Students can generate a personalized profile, photo of student appears throughout the LMS
Customization, Modules can be organized by date or content
Instructors can access a “student view” of pages on site
Ability to create and save course templates
Can assign course templates via SIS integration
Can assign ownership of course templates to select user groups
Automatically create/update assessment and due dates in new courses based on student start date from a master course
template
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Mobility
Accessible from mobile devices
next]
Course tools are available in mobile client
[Note: Supports just the iPhone right now; plan on Android support
Access to LMS’s mobile client is standard
There is a pricing plan for access to LMS’s mobile client
Access to mobile client is free for students
Tools in mobile client have the same functionality as the web version
LMS is mobile-ready when using the web version through smart phones
LMS is mobile-ready when using the web version through tablets
Includes mobile apps
Y
Y
Y
Y (FREE)
Y (FREE)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Standards support:
5.12.1 SCORM Sharable Content Object Reference Model
The U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was amended in 1998 to add Section 508
Learning Tools Interoperability™ (LTI)
5.12.6 Common Cartridge® (NOTE: We support IMS Content Packaging, which is more detailed and polished than
Common Cartridge)
Y (export only)
Y
Y
5.12.7 QTI® QTI specification (described in 5.12.6 QTI), which allows portability of the assessments between systems.
Y
Y
The IMS Question and Test Interoperability (QTI) specification
N
Performance/Reliability
Standard features are fully supported without the need for customization, complex configuration or plugins.
Y
Performs with minimal latency under a variety of use case scenarios and load conditions
Handles large numbers of concurrent users
Handles user load efficiently, provisioning and scaling resources to smoothly accommodate fluctuations (especially spikes) in
numbers of concurrent users
Roles
Guest or auditor role available
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Ability to implement faculty evaluations from within the LMS
Training and Support Options/help
Initial training (online)
Provide online videos tutorials
Text or quick search alternative to videos
FAQ
Administrative Support M-F
[NOTE: OUR ADMIN SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE ON EVENINGS, WEEKENDS AND
HOLIDAYS, TOO)
Faculty vetting and certification
Built in help and task oriented wizards
Disaster Recovery
Recovery of a single course
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
[Note: NO, but it is not possible to delete a course!]
N
Y
Y
Y
Tiered escalation path
Security
Migration
CALENDAR/SCHEDULE
Students can easily track and monitor course events and progress
Calendars can be personalized
Users can add items to their personal calendars
Users can subscribe to external calendars
Calendars can be imported and exported in various formats (including .csv and .xlsx)
SUPPORTED)
Users can create recurring calendar entries
Users can set “start” and “stop” times for any calendar event
Y
Y
(ONLY INSTRUCTORS) Y
N
(ONLY IMPORT IS
Instructors can link to course activities from a calendar entry and can create calendar entries from any tool with a due
date. [In Etudes, every open and due date is included in the calendar and Course Map automatically for instructors
and students]
Y
Y
Y
Y
Instructors can automatically update calendars semester to semester (including half terms from full terms and vice
versa)
Syllabus/Lesson planning tool
Y
Y
ASSESSMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS/TOOLS
Course and Program Assessment
Ability to connect course content/assignment to course learning outcomes
N
Ability to aggregate course-level student learning outcomes across multiple sections of the same course.
N
N
N
Program /Department/Group level outcomes are available
Institution level outcomes are available
Customizable rubrics for assessing all assignments (including essay questions)
Comments and track changes within student documents
Self & Peer Assessment
WYSIWIG editing available for all tools
Fully functional HIGH END equation editor (that passes MATH and CHEMISTRY evaluation!)
Foreign language characters available
The ability to copy and paste from MS applications with minimal loss of formatting.
N
N
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Discussion board/forum
Automatic or manual saving of discussion post drafts
Built-in scoring rubric for student feedback
Auto sorting of posts by student name
Instructors can grade discussion postings
Scores automatically loaded into grade book
Instructor can easily write comments on student posts when grading them
Unlimited space for instructor-posed discussion questions/topics
Word count option
Spell check option
Documents can be attached
Links can be embedded
Allows creation of groups
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Option: don’t allow students to see fellow student’s work until they post their own response on the discussion board.
Can create a moderated topic
Instructor can hide and/or remove inappropriate postings
N
N
Y
N
Threaded discussions allowed
Auto-grading of discussion based on some criteria (quantity, date, keyword) is possible
Tracking available for student participation in discussion
Wiki tool for instructors to create wikis for students in special/selected groups
Y
Y
Y
Assignment submissions
Assignment dropbox that allows attachments or text to be submitted.
Can download written assignments to review and/or grade offline
Y
Y
Tests and Quizzes
Supports multiple question types
Multimedia (image, audio, video, links) can be posted within a question either within the question type or using a specific
question type
Y
Customizable tests/quizzes allowing for multiple attempts with random allocation of test questions from larger pool
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Instructors can create and share Test Pool Questions (RG)
Can copy (import/export) quizzes from one section to another
Ability for instructor to reset or modify a test
Ability to control the time the test is open
Quizzes/Tests are autograded (those with defined answer)
Polling/survey tool available
Can provide feedback on question OR exam level.
Can set conditions for multiple assessments at the same time
Allows browser lockdown techniques, e.g., Respondus Lockdown Browser
Y
N
Allows IP restrictions to ensure assessment can only be taken in certain locations (e.g., computer training facility) [Etudes
opted to include second-level passwords, instead of IPs that can be given to lab assistants to unlock an assessment
for students in a lab facility]
Proctor password can be set
N
Y
Supports the ability to tie assessments to learning objectives and outcomes that are entered into the system
Assessments created by the LMS assessment authoring tool are Section 508 compliant .
Assessments can include mathematical formulae/equations and calculations.
N
Y
Y
GRADE BOOK/GRADE CENTER
Sophisticated assessment/grading tools
changing grading scale, e.g. letter, percentage, plus/minus letter grades
Y
extra-credit option
[HANDLED WITH 0.01 POINT VALUE]
drop lowest score
auto-calculation of letter grades
running total of grades
export of final grades to Datatel for final course grade roster [INSTRUCTORS WOULD NEED TO EXPORT THE GRADES
FILE THEMSELVES)
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
export of instructor comments on student discussion board posts (when grading) directly to gradebook
export of gradebook to more readable .csv or other Excel or other formats
Assessment/Assignment columns automatically included in grade book
N
Y
Y
Grade book can create a weighting matrix (setup grade categories with percentages) and calculate grades
accordingly.
REPORTS
Data visualization that let you see detailed an at-a-glance reports, graphs, charts and summaries (YES, ON
REPORTS AND SUMMARIES - NO, ON GRAPHS AND CHARTS)
Monitor student engagement
Ability to use analytics to predict the need for intervention
N
Y
Y
Y
set up flags, e.g. student views specific tool/item less than x number of times - instructor auto-notification [BUILTIN EARLY ALERT HELPS INSTRUCTORS SEE IN DASHBOARD AND COURSE SITE HOME # OF STUDENTS
NEEDING HELP]
N
N
Detailed options for tracking usage (for faculty and students)
Y
Tracking is available for each course tool
Tracking schedules can be adjusted by System Admin
Tracking jobs can be monitored from GUI interface
N
Y
MULTI-MEDIA TOOLS
A video creation tool that lets you create videos within the LMS or easily with a plug-in
Image and video repository within the LMS
[AS LONG AS THE INDIVIDUAL FILE SIZE IS WITHIN 20MB]
Text and audio tools that allow you to narrate or provide commentary
Online whiteboard tool
Group work space
Video/Audio Conferencing
N
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Ability to provide 508 compliant Closed Captioning for required Multi-media materias
Y
INTEGRATION WITH 3RD PARTY TOOLS
Turnitin.com
YouTube
Publisher’s material
Y
Y
Y
COMMUNICATION
All communication tools have WYSIWIG or HTML editor, and can use both foreign language characters and
Y
mathematical symbols
Announcements
Y
Instructors can easily copy announcements to new course.
System admins and instructors can edit active announcements
Students can choose to receive announcements on any device [NOTIFICATION IS ONLY TO EMAIL IN ONE'S ACCOUNT
OR MOBILE APP]
Y
Y
N
Live chat features
Can log/save chat transcripts
Can save whiteboard sessions
Y
N/A
Instant Messaging
Faculty can see who is logged into the course
IM allows file sharing
IM allows two-way video
Built in IM capability
User can hide presence in IM tool
Y
N/A
N/A
N
N/A
Internal Email
Spell check available
Rules can be applied
Y
Ability to administratively set students’ LMS email address to a campus standard system for all students in all courses
Ability to forward internal email to external account [COLLEGE CONTROLS EMAIL SET IN ACCOUNTS; USERS CAN SET
THEIR PREFERRED ONE, HOWEVER]
Can archive incoming/outgoing emails throughout course
Y
Has search capabilities [NO SEARCH IN SITE EMAIL, BUT GREAT SORTING THAT ALLOWS YOU TO SEE ALL EMAIL
BY A STUDENT]
Can create folders for filing/sorting emails within tool
Y
LMS can send text message alerts if students opt in
N
N
N
N
N