Policy guidance kit on selecting sustainable learning management systems

Key details

Background

The OECS Education Sector Response and Recovery Strategy to COVID-19 comprises four pillars: 1) harmonizing policy responses; 2) transitioning to distributed learning; 3) strengthening safety nets for students; and 4) promoting engagement. Not only relevant to COVID-19, but relevant to other hazards faced by education systems within the OECS region, the selection and implementation of learning management systems (LMSs) falls under pillars 1 and 2 of the Strategy.

Our Approach

ODE was contracted by the OECS Commission’s Education Development Management Unit (EDMU) to consolidate practical policy guidance on selecting sustainable LMSs that is informed by both the global evidence base on the subject and evidence relevant to the national education contexts across the OECS. This evidence was condensed into a practical Policy Guidance Kit to aid ministries of education in OECS Member States to select a sustainable LMS appropriate for supporting teaching and learning.

contribution

ODE staff performed the following activities:

• Conducting a desk review entitled Virtual learning environments and learning management systems using the SABER-ICT evaluation framework 
• Conducting focus groups to inform collective decision making among stakeholders and understand localized priorities in LMS ecology development
• Iteratively developing an LMS Selection and Implementation tool Kit for use by ministries of education among the member states of the OECS to:
  • establish a set of policy, educational and technological criteria for LMS selection;
  • evaluate platforms currently in use as emergency teaching tools using these criteria;
  • repurpose existing tools or to identify new platforms to create a sustainable learning management system ecology.

outcome

Documents

References can be found in the desk review and the final policy guidance can be found in our Evidence Library here.