Perceived openness of Learning Management Systems by students and teachers in education and technology courses

Abstract

The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) make new tools available for users to manage information and knowledge. These tools are used in different contexts, with varying degrees of success. One of these potential application contexts are teaching and learning processes supported by learning platforms. Learning platforms are a way for institutions to provide teachers and learners with a wide range of educational applications and services. However, students' learning is not only limited to a specific institution or period of time; instead, learning is a lifelong process and encompasses the use of many different tools. Therefore institutional learning environments should be open in order to enable the export of functionalities and import of information and interaction from outside the institution. In order to do so, this study proposes a service-based framework, which uses interoperability specifications and web services to facilitate opening of the institutional learning systems. Such framework has been tested in educational and technical scenarios with similar results, learning platforms can be open and the exportation of functionalities from them to personal contexts can enrich students learning and increase their participation.