LMS Operation and Governance - Taming the Beast (Sep 13)

Transcription

1 LMS Operatin and Gvernance - Taming the Beast (Sep 13) by Steve Freman September 9, 2013 LMS implementatin can be challenging, but the payff is huge. Taking steps t establish and maintain standards, taxnmy, cnfiguratin management, husekeeping, and gvernance will tame the beast and help t ensure that yur LMS remains easy t use and perate fr years t cme. Is yur existing LMS becming an L-M-MESS? After yu first installed yur LMS, yu expected that it might grw and change and yu were right. Since then, mre cntent has been added, mre users have becme engaged, administratrs have cme and gne, and yur rganizatin s needs have evlved. Over time, yur LMS may have becme a beast. It may cntain utdated curses, a seemingly haphazard rganizing structure, duplicate user accunts, catalg dead ends, lack f accuntability r curse wnership, incnsistent naming and numbering cnventins, reprting anmalies, lack f distinctin in curse titles and descriptins, unused features, and spam-like ntificatins. Des any f this sund familiar? If yu think yu may be heading this way r yu re already there, read n. If yur rganizatin is planning t migrate t a new LMS r undertake a majr upgrade f yur current prduct, it culd be a great pprtunity t clean up and ptimize yur LMS. Then, while the rganizatin is still mbilized arund the LMS prject, take steps t ensure yur new system desn t end up in the same state as yur ld ne. If yur rganizatin is implementing a brand-new LMS fr the first time, it is a gd idea t take a number f steps t avid these prblems. S, hw d yu avid an L-M-MESS? Hw t ptimize the peratin and gvernance f yur LMS Yu must address five majr areas: standards, taxnmy, cnfiguratin management, husekeeping, and gvernance (Figure 1). These are nt sequential steps. Yu can start anywhere, as lng as yu attend t all five areas. If yu d this, yur rganizatin will be able t gain the mst benefit frm yur LMS.

2 Figure 1: These are the five areas yu must address in rder t tame yur LMS Standards LMS standards include plicies, prcedures, guidelines, cnventins, and criteria related t curse prperties and structures. Standards ensure that all administratrs and stakehlders are using the LMS in a cnsistent and unifrm way, which in turn imprves its usability and manageability. Fllwing are several standards issues t cnsider. Sme examples are included, but I dn t intend fr yu t cut and paste them int yur rganizatin s implementatin dcumentatin. Yu will need t define standards that are unique and apprpriate t yur implementatin. Plicies Plicies prvide a set f rules that all LMS administratrs and stakehlders must fllw. Yur rganizatin may define any number f plicies. As a starting pint, there are fur cmmn LMS plicies that yu shuld cnsider. Cntent inclusin plicy A cntent-inclusin plicy (Sidebar 1) defines what cntent shuld reside in the LMS and what cntent shuld nt. Sme rganizatins start ut using their LMS fr training its intended purpse. But, when ther departments discver the system s tracking and reprting capabilities, they start using it fr ther purpses, such as delivering crprate cmmunicatins, rganizatinal meetings, and ther events. While the LMS may be useful in tracking and reprting n this type f cntent, it can becme harder fr learners t find the training cntent in the system. Yur cntent inclusin plicy addresses this prblem by clarifying the rules fr what cntent is apprpriate fr the LMS. Sidebar 1 Example f a cntent inclusin plicy T be included in the LMS, the learning prgram must: Supprt the rganizatin s gals and strategic bjectives. Be spnsred and funded by a department, functin, r prject team. Be ffered in the apprpriate languages, based n the needs f the target ppulatin. Be available in the apprpriate delivery methds, based n the needs f the target

3 ppulatin. Items t be excluded frm the LMS include: Messages, annuncements, plicy statements, and ther cmmunicatins that are nt learning prgrams. Cllege preparatry curses such as Graduate Management Admissin Test (GMAT), Graduate Recrd Examinatin (GRE), Miller Analgies Test (MAT), and Law Schl Admissin Test (LSAT). Cntent wnership plicy A cntent wnership plicy (Sidebar 2) defines the requirements fr establishing and tracking wnership f each learning activity in the LMS. It defines the respnsibilities that cntent wners have, hw wnership passes frm persn t persn, and what happens t learning activities that have n wner. One f the chief cmplaints frm rganizatins with utdated cntent in their LMS is that, after they publish the cntent, n ne is respnsible fr its cntinued relevance, accuracy, and timeliness. Yur cntent wnership plicy addresses this prblem by establishing the nging respnsibilities f LMS cntent wners. Sidebar 2 Example f a cntent wnership plicy Yu must assign every learning prgram t an individual within the rganizatin, wh serves as the cntent wner. The cntent wner is respnsible fr (a) ensuring the curse is relevant, up-t-date, and accurate, and (b) respnding t learner inquiries related t the curse and its cntent. All curse spnsrs with active learning prgrams in the LMS are required t participate in scheduled cntent reviews and shelf-life-management inventries. Cntent lifecycle plicy A cntent lifecycle plicy (Sidebar 3) defines hw ften yu shuld review cntent and what criteria t use fr remving cntent frm circulatin. Withut a cntent lifecycle plicy it is unlikely that cntent will be reviewed, updated, and archived when apprpriate. Sidebar 3 Example f a cntent lifecycle plicy Yu will manage the lifecycle f learning prgrams by mnitring usage, wrking with cntent wners t keep the prgrams up-t-date, and retiring curses that are n lnger relevant. Cntent lifecycle review shall ccur annually, at which time yu will run curse registratin reprts. Yu will retire any nline curses with less than (n) registratins in the previus (n) mnths, and any instructr-led curses with n scheduled fferings in the previus (n) mnths. Training infrmatin retentin plicy

4 A training infrmatin retentin plicy (Sidebar 4) defines hw lng yu must retain student transcript data. If the LMS cntains training histry data that is lder than ther nn-training data in yur enterprise, then yu may nt have established, implemented, r acted n yur plicy. Mst rganizatins have a brad-based enterprise infrmatin retentin plicy, which can prvide sme guidance fr hw lng yu must retain training data. It may be shrter than yu think. T find ut mre abut yur rganizatin s infrmatin retentin plicy, check with yur legal and IT departments. Sidebar 4 Prcedures Example f a training infrmatin retentin plicy Yu will maintain learner-training histries in the LMS fr (n) years; they are accessible nline and n demand thrugh LMS transcripts and reprts. Yu will archive lder training histries that are accessible by request within a turnarund time f (n) weeks. In sme cases, yu may maintain learner recrds fr sme curses fr a lnger perid due t either f the fllwing reasns: (a) yu still recgnize the curse as a prerequisite fr active curses, r (b) the curse is assciated with regulatry cmpliance r prfessinal certificatin recrds that yu must maintain fr a lnger timeframe. Prcedures utline the steps fr administratrs and cntent spnsrs t fllw when interacting with the LMS. Yu may supprt prcedures by nline request frms, dcumented wrkflws, rles and respnsibilities, step-by-step instructins, and infrmatin fr setting stakehlder expectatins such as turnarund times, cnfirmatins, and ther cmmunicatins. Yur rganizatin may define any number f prcedures. Sme cmmn prcedures include requesting a new learning prgram, updating r deactivating an existing learning prgram, adding r inactivating a user, requesting a custm reprt, and assigning administratr permissins t a user. Guidelines Guidelines (Sidebar 5) prvide a benchmark fr administratrs t use when entering infrmatin int the LMS. Fr example, yu may prvide guidelines related t creating titles and descriptins fr learning prgrams. Sidebar 5 Example f guidelines fr curse titles a. Use a shrter title, just lng enugh t accurately describe the learning prgram and distinguish it frm ther prgrams with similar titles. b. Search the LMS fr ther curses with similar titles and make sure yur title is distinct. c. Avid abbreviatins and acrnyms unless they are cmmnly knwn. d. Spell ut wrds like at and and instead f using symbls and & unless the symbl is part f a prduct r brand name. e. When the curse is part f a series, ensure cnsistent titling f all curses in the series. f. Use initial caps fr all majr wrds as yu might see in the title f a bk r article. g. Be sure t check yur spelling.

5 Cnventins Yu use cnventins (Sidebar 6) t ensure the cnsistency f items such as curse numbers. A curse number can be useful in srting reprt and search results in sme systems. It is smetimes helpful t embed keys t the nature f the curse in the curse number. Sidebar 6 Example f cnventin fr curse numbers Standards fr curse prperties Every LMS cntains a set f cnfigurable curse prperties. Sme curse prperties, such as title and descriptin, are cnsistent fr all types f curses. Other curse prperties vary based n the type f curse. Fr example, an nline curse has a launch methd and URL, while an instructr-led curse has an instructr, lcatin, start date and time, and end date and time. Frm a system pint f view, sme curse prperties are required fields. Yur LMS will nt allw yu t publish a curse withut setting these prperties. Others are ptinal. When cnsidering yur rganizatin s needs, yu may designate sme curse prperties as required by yur rganizatin, even if the system des nt require them. It is imprtant t dcument these standards and cmmunicate them t all LMS administratrs. Adherence t these standards will ensure the cnsistency f curse cnfiguratin in the system, which will imprve yur reprts and make the system easier t use. Standards fr curse structures Curse structures are the framewrks in which yu assemble curse activities. A curse structure may cntain a variety f activities such as classes, self-paced mdules, tests, r surveys. Yu may

6 arrange activities in an enfrced sequence r at the user s ptin. A higher-level curriculum r learning path structure may cntain multiple curses, each f which cntains its wn learning activities. Since many LMS prducts ffer a variety f ways t accmplish the same result, it is imprtant t define, dcument, and cmmunicate standards fr hw yu shuld structure yur rganizatin s learning prgrams. When curses f a similar nature are structured cnsistently, students taking thse curses becme mre familiar with hw t access and cmplete them. Once yu have established yur standards, it is imprtant t cmmunicate them thrugh administratr training, jb aids, and administratin guides. Taxnmy Yu may rganize cntent in yur LMS in a number f ways. The LMS may cntain a cnfigurable catalg structure and a number f metadata tags that yu can assciate with curses. Tgether, these rganizing cmpnents cmprise the taxnmy f yur cntent in the LMS. Metadata is simply data that describes ther data. In an LMS, yu can use metadata t describe and classify curses by parameters such as tpic, delivery frmat, r language. Metadata typically cnsists f a prperty, such as language, and a number f values, such as English, Spanish, Japanese, etc. Typically, each curse is assigned a single value fr each metadata prperty. A catalg structure may cnsist f a flat r hierarchical set f categries. Each categry represents a nde in the structure. Curses are assciated with ndes in the catalg, allwing students t brwse the catalg t find curses relevant t each categry r nde. When designing yur taxnmy, it is imprtant t design thrugh the eyes f thse wh will use the catalg and metadata t find curses and evaluate whether the curses they have fund meet their needs. Try t maintain a cnsistent level f detail in yur taxnmy design s that items in a menu are categrically similar. Avid ambiguity by ensuring items are distinct s that administratrs will knw hw t tag cntent. Balance hierarchical structures s that menus are kept t a reasnable number f items and can be taken in at a glance. It is a gd idea t test the usability f yur taxnmy with a sample f learners and administratrs. T d this, establish five t seven gals fr the test subject t attempt by using the taxnmy. An example f a gal is, Find a curse that can help yu manage yur time. Invite three t five typical end users t participate as test subjects in the usability test. Ask each test subject, individually, t attempt t accmplish the gals yu have identified. D nt interfere. If the subject hesitates r gets stuck ask him r her t verbalize his r her thughts. Observe, take ntes, r recrd the test using an audi and/r vide recrder. Analyze the results frm all test subjects and use the findings t refine yur taxnmy. Repeat the usability test if needed. An iterative apprach t taxnmy design and testing can yield great results. Once yu have finalized yur taxnmy design, yu will need t implement it in yur prductin LMS. Fr a new implementatin this is just a matter f cnfiguring the system. If yu are changing the taxnmy f a live system, yu will need t prceed carefully. First, finalize the taxnmy in a stagingserver envirnment; that is, an installatin f yur LMS that is nt live, but which mirrrs yur prductin system. Then, devise an implementatin plan that minimizes disruptin t yur end users. Engage administratrs and cntent wners t assist in retagging cntent. Wrk with yur IT rganizatin and/r LMS vendr t explre whether yu can autmate and perfrm part r all f the transitin t the new taxnmy during ff-peak hurs. Cnfiguratin management Many business rganizatins that use an LMS will tell yu that their HR system sends a nightly feed f user data t the LMS. Hwever, in many cases n ne knws hw the feed wrks r whether it is

7 still wrking prperly. The peple wh designed and develped the feed may be lng gne and may nt have left any dcumentatin. When the feed is changed r expanded, previusly wrking parts may becme brken, which may even g unnticed, cntributing t the L-M-MESS. The same prblems can ccur with ther changes t the LMS cnfiguratin. Fr this reasn, it is imprtant t dcument yur cnfiguratin decisins and keep the dcumentatin up-t-date whenever changes are made. LMS cnfiguratin settings yu shuld dcument include access and authenticatin, HR data feeds, user accunt and prfile settings, security rles and permissins, audience rules, catalg and metadata taxnmies, transcripts and certificates, active ntificatins, and lk-and-feel settings. Maintaining LMS cnfiguratin dcumentatin enables yu t plan and make changes t the cnfiguratin mre easily, understand the impact f the changes n ther settings, and prvide clear directin t yur vendr r IT department. Yu may want t cnsult yur vendr r IT department fr a template and/r guidance n hw t best dcument yur cnfiguratin. Husekeeping The best time t clean up yur data is when yu migrate t a new LMS prduct r perfrm a majr upgrade t yur existing LMS. Yu can identify clean-up requirements and tasks and build them int yur prject plan, leveraging the resurces already assigned t the implementatin. If yu cannt take advantage f a system upgrade r migratin, yu can still clean up yur data, but yu may need t create a frmal prject in rder t assign the necessary resurces, time, and effrt t yur clean-up effrt. In either case, yur main gal is t bring yur LMS data up t the standards yur rganizatin has defined. The first step is t create an inventry f the data that yu need t purge r clean up. Identify curses that yu shuld archive. Identify user accunts t deactivate and duplicate accunts t merge. Next, make a cmprehensive list f any cnfiguratin changes yu intend t make and determine hw data will be affected. Once yu have identified the changes t make, carefully chregraph the clean-up prcess. Define all steps, sequences, and dependencies. Assign wh is respnsible fr each step. Identify the steps that yu can d n the current system befre the migratin r upgrade and thse that must happen afterwards. Check and duble-check yur plan t ensure nthing has been missed. If yu need t take the prductin system ffline t perfrm sme f the steps in rder t minimize system dwn time, carefully plan what must be dne, when it will be dne, wh will d it, and hw yu will knw it has been dne accurately. Autmate as much f the clean-up prcess as pssible by wrking with yur IT department r LMS vendr t create database scripts t run t clean up the data based n rules and parameters yu have defined. Befre yu perfrm the actual clean-up tasks n the prductin system, it is a gd idea t practice the end-t-end prcess. Yu can d this by asking yur IT department r LMS vendr t cpy the prductin system t a staging-server envirnment, which is inaccessible t users. Rehearse the prcess n the staging server. Dcument any changes r additins t the steps in the plan based n the results f yur rehearsal. If necessary, ask IT r yur vendr t reset the staging envirnment and repeat the rehearsal until yu are satisfied it can be cnducted effectively and expeditiusly in the prductin envirnment. When yu are ready t perfrm the clean-up prcess in yur prductin envirnment, first ask IT r yur LMS vendr t back up the prductin database. Perfrm the clean-up tasks that yu can d

8 while the server is nline. Then ntify end users f the system utage, bring the system dwn, and perfrm the ffline cleanup tasks. Finally, bring the system back up and perfrm any additinal cleanup activities in the live system. Thrughly test the system cnfiguratin t validate that yur cleanup has been cmpleted effectively and that n new, unfreseen prblems have emerged. Gvernance System gvernance ensures that the LMS implementatin is in alignment with the gals and needs f the rganizatin. Gvernance establishes apprpriate representatin frm all stakehlder grups and prvides a structure fr decisin-making. Withut adequate gvernance, it is mre difficult t establish and enfrce standards. While each rganizatin may establish its wn unique gvernance structure, there is a basic gvernance mdel that can be helpful. The grups within this structure interact t ensure that management f LMS issues are at the apprpriate level and yu escalate any unreslved r systemic issues (Figure 2). Figure 2: Gvernance structure Gverning bard A gverning bard may cnsist f key stakehlders at the executive level. The bard represents the rganizatin s strategic gals. The gverning bard des nt fcus n technlgy. Its charter is t prvide directin t ensure linkage between business strategy and learning strategy. The gverning bard may cnvene ne r tw times per year. LMS steering team The LMS steering team is cmprised f key stakehlders at the senir management level. Each team member represents ne r mre user grups that rely n the LMS (e.g., learners, managers, and faculty). The LMS steering team s charter is t establish learning management practices and plicies. The team may cnvene quarterly.

9 LMS wrking grups LMS wrking grups cnsist f key stakehlders at the manager level. Each grup represents a special area f fcus (e.g., taxnmy, standards). The charter f the wrking grups is t plan and execute activities related t LMS usability and peratins. Grups may cnvene six times per year and smetimes mre ften during special initiatives. LMS peratins The LMS peratins structure typically cnsists f fur grups: One grup each t manage LMS peratins, cntent wners, administratrs, and technical supprt. LMS peratins management The LMS peratins management team is respnsible fr ensuring that the LMS perates reliably, is managed in cnfrmance with standards, and meets the needs f the rganizatin. The peratins management team wrks clsely with the wrking grups and steering team, helping t surface issues that need attentin. Cntent wners LMS cntent wners are respnsible fr the quality f the learning prgrams they wn (i.e., accuracy, relevance, and timeliness). Cntent wners must prvide apprpriate infrmatin abut the learning prgram t enable LMS administratrs t cnfigure the learning prgram based n the LMS standards. Cntent wners must be vigilant in mnitring utilizatin by the learning prgram s target audience and ensuring the prgram is kept up-t-date. LMS administratrs LMS administratrs are respnsible fr the accuracy and thrughness f cntent cnfiguratin in the LMS. They must prvide timely respnse t requests frm cntent wners. LMS administratrs must cnsistently implement LMS standards, cnventins, plicies, and prcesses. Technical supprt LMS technical supprt may cnsist f sme cmbinatin f training, IT, and vendr staff. Technical supprt grups may include yur helpdesk, elearning cntent develpers, develpers f custm reprts, server supprt, database and applicatin managers, IT security, and netwrk supprt. Tgether, these technical supprt grups are respnsible fr keeping the applicatin up and running, reslving end-user issues, ensuring any elearning prgrams are wrking prperly, develping custm reprts, managing any changes t the system cnfiguratin, and installing patches and updates. Cncluding thughts Yur rganizatin may be abut t spend, r may have already invested a lt f time, effrt, resurces, and f curse, mney n acquiring and implementing (r updating) an LMS. It is imprtant t prtect this investment by establishing the necessary peratins and gvernance measures t ensure that yur system cntinues t be easy t use and prvides highly relevant cntent t yur end users. By putting these critical pieces int place, yu are much mre likely t get ptimum value frm yur LMS. Althugh it wuld be nice, it is extremely unlikely that yu can simply buy it, install it, and just let it d its thing. Remember, it s nt just abut acquiring the technlgy; it s als abut hw well the technlgy is used. LMS implementatin can be challenging, but the payff is huge. Taking steps t establish and maintain standards, taxnmy, cnfiguratin management, husekeeping, and

10 gvernance will tame the beast, avid an L-M-MESS, and help t ensure that yur LMS remains easy t use and perate fr years t cme. Learning Slutins Magazine, 2013 elearning Guild