Are Two Course Management Systems Better Than One?

Can an institution with a large student enrollment and a broad array of disciplines satisfy the disparate needs of students, faculty and administrators with a single course management system (CMS)? Under what conditions are two CMSs functionally better than one? For over a decade, Michigan State University (MSU) has supported on-line learning with a mix of systems, split between proprietary systems that facilitate discussion-based, collaborative learning and open source systems, offering individualized assessments to facilitate quantitative problem-based learning. In the 2005-06 academic year a commercial system was used by 65,000 students for tasks ranging from accessing class announcements and readings to contributing to message boards. During the same period, the open-source LON-CAPA system was used for 18,000 students, principally for its capabilities in the creation and delivery of individualized homework problems and examinations, mostly in science and math classes, including prerequisites for engineering majors. Although there is typically large overlap in functionalities offered by CMSs, there can also be large differences, thus making a combination desirable