Use of a learning management system at a CAM educational institution: Student and faculty perceptions and experiences

A growing number of educational institutions have implemented web-based leaning management systems (LMS) to help improve the quality of education. LMS have been found to be of immense importance to students and faculty. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use and satisfaction with a LMS system among students and faculty at a CAM educational institution. A survey was conducted among faculty and second-year students in the DC and AOM colleges of a CAM educational institution. The survey included demographic data, experience in using LMS at previous institutions, technical expertise, current use of the LMS, satisfaction with its different components and the perception of its usefulness in the success of the educational programs. The results suggest that students and faculty are regular users of the LMS and agree that it plays an important role in the educational program. Students reported that they benefited from having all their course materials available at one location and the ability to access this from any device connected to the Internet. They also thought that being able to track their progress in their courses was beneficial. Faculty benefitted from the availability of automatic grading, easy distribution of announcements and coursework and being able to track the progress of individual students. The results of this study will be used to improve features of the LMS. Future studies will seek to determine if student learning outcomes are being enhanced by the use of the LMS.