LAMS
Definition
Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) is a learning design system (software).
Description
LAMS includes environments for user administration, student run-time delivery of sequences, teacher run-time monitoring of student sequences and, most importantly, teacher authoring/adaptation of sequences. LAMS is inspired by, and heavily based on, IMS Learning Design and EML. Originally, LAMS was not designed to be a reference implementation of either specification - however LAMS is expected to be IMS Learning Design conformant in the future.
According to Krann (2003), “The heart of the system is a visual editor that allows educators to choreograph a whole learning activity around a particular topic. By dragging and dropping acts like synchronous discussion (chat), web polls, students posting material and structured debates, a series of online lessons can be planned much like a conventional lesson. The player part of the system then allows a group of students to take part in all these activities, and presents the right tools at the right time, and divides the group into smaller groups, if that's what the teacher designed.”
Links
Software and downloads
Installation of LAMS does need installation skills ! If you just want to play with LAMS we suggest getting a demo account with LAMS International.
- LAMS 1.0x (free for Win, MacOS X and Linux, Source code in GPL
- Requirements: Java SKD 1.4.2, MySQL
- LAMS 2.0 will be available later in 2006. See the LAMS development Wiki from which you can download and alpha version - 16:17, 27 June 2006 (MEST)
- LAMS is, will or may be integrated into various platforms such as Blackboard (commercial), Sakkai or Moodle.
General links
- LAMS Foundation, includes manuals, downloads, etc.
- LAMS International, provides services around LAMS.
References
- Dalziel, James, Implementing Learning Design: The Learning Activity Management System (LAMS), Macquarie E-learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE), PDF
- Kraan Wilbert, (2003). Learning Design inspiration, CETIS article, HTML